Encouraging Cooperative Learning between and within Student Groups: Two Illustrative Cases

Co-organized by Office of University General Education and CLEAR

Encouraging Cooperative Learning between and within Student Groups: Two Illustrative Cases

Speaker: Dr. Ng Wai Yin Will (Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research)
Date: 25 October 2016 (Tuesday)
Language: English

Like it or not, students are paying less attention to the sage-on-the-stage and more towards peers-on-their-side. Of course it is students' improper inattention in the case of a proper lecture, but there are times, especially when student participation is called for, such as in discussion, laboratory and project works, when the teacher had better get off stage, in order to "facilitate". Facilitation is especially crucial now that more students tend to see class works as a matter of competition, in which case they may not behave comely towards each other.

In principle, such facilitation should aim for peer interaction that encourages cooperative learning, whether the learning activity being facilitated is competitive or cooperative in nature. In this GE lunch seminar, the speaker will present two concrete cases from his own teaching experience, one on group project and one on class discussion, for which he has developed means for such a purpose.

This is the last of a seminar series on strategic learning behaviour, and the first one to be given in English. For the benefit of those who may not manage the first two, given in Cantonese, the speaker will give a brief review of the whole series, and offer his own reflection on approaching this important issue as a matter of teaching and learning research.

Speaker’s Bio

Dr. Ng Wai Yin Will had taught at The Chinese University of Hong Kong for almost three decades. He was enthusiastic about diverse experience of teaching and research. During his year of teaching, the subjects he taught included engineering science, project management, general education, as well as guiding academic research and liberal studies topics. After resigning from teaching position, he started to focus on the basic of education, contemplating on how, what and why human learnt. He is now working on research projects related to teaching and learning in the Centre for Learning Enhancement and Research at CUHK. His focus is on learning ethos and students’ strategic learning behaviors in universities.

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