SoTL Endeavours of the Centre for English Language Communication

 

 

The emergence of SoTL marked the expansion of university teachers’ focus – from solely being involved in content specific research to critical inquiry about their own pedagogical beliefs and practices (Healey, 2000).  This reconceptualization of higher education teaching was initiated by Boyer, who, in his report, Scholarship Reconsidered (1990) argued that higher educational appraisal systems were too heavy handed on the “discovery of new knowledge through discipline-based research, thereby undervaluing other equally important aspects of academic work such as integrating, applying and transmitting knowledge.” (Kreber, 2002, p. 151).  Aside from developing effective classroom practices, SoTL is also concerned with the development of discipline networks through the sharing of effective pedagogies, so as to avoid being insular (Healey, 2000).  This makes SoTL distinct from scholarly teaching, wherein the focus is on the development of pedagogy and its impact on student learning.  This distinction is explained by CELC’s director, Associate Professor Wu Siew Mei in the video clip below:

Recognizing the importance of the scholarship of pedagogy, the Centre for English Language and Communication (CELC) initiated this SoTL Blog in order to achieve the following four objectives, which are in line with SoTL dimensions proposed by Trigwell et al. (2000).

1. To keep abreast with the scholarship of teaching and learning, especially in the area of language and communication pedagogy through regular blog posts by CELC staff
2. To encourage CELC staff members to reflect on their teaching practice through blog posts
3. To initiate dialogue between CELC staff members regarding the scholarship of teaching and learning by inviting CELC staff to leave feedback, or share (dis)similar experiences
4. To ensure that CELC staff members will continue to provide high quality learning experiences for NUS students, whilst developing professionally

More information regarding SoTL approaches, practices, and possibilities relevant to the teaching of language and communication may be found in the presentation given by Associate Professor Wu Siew Mei and Dr Lee Kooi Cheng (see below).

 

References

Boyer, E. (1990). Scholarship Reconsidered. Washington, DC: Carnegie Foundation.

Kreber, C. (2002). Controversy and consensus on the scholarship of teaching. Studies in higher education, 27(2), 151-167.

Healey, M. (2000). Developing the scholarship of teaching in higher education: a discipline-based approach. Higher Education Research and Development, 19(2), 169-189.

Trigwell, K., Martin, E., Benjamin, J., & Prosser, M. (2000). Scholarship of teaching: A model. Higher education research and development, 19(2), 155-168.