Bite-sized EBL
 
This workshop, led by Dr Susan Jamieson of Glasgow University, launched the participants into first-hand exploration of the feasibility and usefulness of the process and potential of EBL, even within real practical constraints such as the time factor.
 
Susan identified a “minimal requirement” for an approach to be counted as EBL, and this was that it must involve:
 
  • Active learning and
 
  • Use of resources
 
This was the case for the workshop participants, who discovered quickly that much could be revealed in a short time through their enquiries together, and that what was discovered could be recorded and shared as well.
 
The “bites” were quite big for our breakfast-time experience, but no-one seemed to suffer from indigestion!
 
One key item that must be highlighted, in my view, was the importance of learners’ own prior knowledge as a genuine resource to be tapped by the group, which prompts the recommendation to “enquire within”.
 
Russ Law
 
Thanks for this, Russ. I agree that the learner's prior knowledge is an important resource and we certainly had participants bringing in their existing knowledge - on smallpox , for example. In fact, sometimes the students' own knowledge will be the only or best resource available. I gave an example of a seminar I ran on The Professional Scientist, in which the students were the resource for creating a code for professional behaviour; I've previously described this session as an Appreciative Enquiry Story of successful change in EBL, on the L2L site. Based on their experience of scientists on TV, at school and at University, students were able to create a code for professional behaviour that was very similar to Nolan's Seven Principles of Public Life. Perhaps we can use the WIKI to ask people to give Examples of using the student as a resource? - Susan.
 
 
Good idea, Susan. And you have just helped me to make yet another one of those serendipitous (or maybe not - perhaps it is really quitre logical) links with another of the conference sessions, ie the Concept Mapping  masterclass, where we discussed the way that learning depended absolutely on the existence of prior knowledge as a means of making sense of new information. Russ

 


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    Nick Noakes:Alison I think/feel the engagement issue comes down a lot to providing learning choice ... building communities (of enquiry, of practice, of interest, of learning, etc) around shared choices. Shifting the balance of power within our still industrial education system is key to this (Mary-Ellen Weimer articulates this nicely in her latest book, as does Baxter-Magolda). EBL, as with PBL, could carried out in a less or more learner choice restricted way. What are your thoughts/feelings?
    alison holmes:I was really taken with learning things about topics I never thought to have an interest in. Can EBL engage those students who say "I have no interest in this?"
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