ERIC Number: EJ901289
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1812-9129
EISSN: N/A
Opening up Thinking: Reflections on Group Work in a Bilingual Postgraduate Program
Bowering, Margaret; Leggett, Bridget M.; Harvey, Michael; Hui, Leng
International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, v19 n2 p105-116 2007
As the number of off-shore content-based courses presented by Western universities increases, the issue as to the suitability of elements of constructivist pedagogy arises. This paper reports on mainland Chinese student views of two different types of collaborative work conducted bilingually within a Master of Education program specializing in Educational Leadership. Despite the fact that the literature is divided on the appropriateness of such activity within Confucian-Heritage contexts, initial student evaluations voted the two group activities as the most valuable of all the course components. This encouraged the team to investigate the phenomenon by gathering both quantitative and qualitative evidence relating to the value, the organization and the contribution of individuals in each case. The extent and the nature of the generally positive responses are reported in the paper before a discussion reflecting on what the comparison of "think, pair, share" with "team activities" reveals for future courses. The conclusion is drawn that the study underscores confidence that group work can be very effective in such bilingual, content-based courses in China and elsewhere. (Contains 5 tables.)
Descriptors: Constructivism (Learning), Student Evaluation, Group Activities, Foreign Countries, Instructional Leadership, English (Second Language), Teaching Methods, Reflection, Bilingual Education Programs, Student Attitudes, Teamwork, Cooperative Learning, Chinese, Learning Strategies, Formative Evaluation
International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning. Web site: http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A