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I am currently the facilitator of a series of four (4) Executive Development Courses in Project
Management. Each course is three (3) days in duration with classes held on three (3) consecutive
days. All material including assessment exercises are provided under license by a US-based
institution. Participants are awarded certificates at the end of each course if they achieve 72% in
the final multiple-choice examination.
I see myself as a facilitator where opportunities for learning are co-created by and for my
students and myself. As a facilitator I believe that I have an opportunity to make a difference in
the lives of my students and in the people that they interact with, both in the work and social
environment. I therefore see myself as a driver of change for myself, my students and the society.
I see myself as a learner learning from my students and committed to lifelong self-learning. I
continually seek opportunities to learn and grow in my life activities inclusive of my profession
and in my teaching.
My current teaching practices have been shaped primarily by my experiences in three (3) areas:
1. My experience as a student at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
2. My work/industry experience - as a practicing project manager doing projects, and later
a project director, managing managers who do projects I have seen us repeating the
same mistakes and failing to apply the fundamental practices of the profession.
3. My experience as father and husband, and recently as a grandfather the latter has
sharpened my appreciation for the effectiveness of authentic learning methods.
I believe that the students role in the classroom is to learn and contribute to the learning of other
students (and of the teacher). As an example, students must be able to organize their groups and
define roles/responsibilities for group assignments and projects.
In order to achieve the course objectives the student must be able to practice reflection,
develop/practice strong critical thinking skills, be able to work collaboratively with others,
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develop/practice strong communication skills, solve problems and make decisions, be confident
and practice self-directed learning.
I subscribe to the constructivism learning theory where student and teacher construct their own
understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those
experiences. I see my role as a facilitator, to aid the student when it comes to their own
understanding:
Instead of telling, I will begin asking.
Instead of answering questions that only align with the curriculum, I will make it so that
the student comes to the conclusions on their own instead of being told.
I will continually in conversation with the students, creating the learning experience that
is open to new directions depending upon the needs of the student as the learning
progresses
I believe that authentic learning concepts promote learning that is effective in solving problems
and addressing opportunities in the real world.
The learning methods (that relate to authentic learning) I currently utilize include:
Simulation exercises where groups are required to manage and carry out the
construction of a model of a bridge
Exercises where open questioning is utilized
Case Studies
Going forward, I feel that the Problem Based Learning (PBL) Methodology and the continual
utilization of reflection exercises throughout the course can be valuable tools to promote
authentic learning. I need to assess the changes and resource requirements to introduce this new
methodology and seek the approval of the institution.
I will seek to integrate technology in my courses in order to provide the most effective and
successful learning environment for students. I will ensure that the sequence of activities will
remain as follows:
1. Identifying and selecting learning outcomes
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2. Articulating and organising course content
3. Selecting and developing teaching strategies
4. Determining methods of assessing student learning
5. Determining opportunities to integrate technology in steps 2, 3 and 4 above.
I will strive to ensure that the course does not become overloaded with technology (just for the
sake of using technology) in a manner that it detracts from the learning process. I will seek to
ensure that there is a healthy balance between technology and course content.