Teaching in a Scholarly Way - A Scenario, Five Measures and Thee (Provocation.2.)

Abstract

For a masterly exposition on ‘scholarship of teaching’ with a development model see Trigwell et al (2000). The authors elegantly craft reasoning for learnedness in teaching. They build with conviction from Boyer’s (1990/1997) four ‘separate, overlapping areas of scholarship’: of discovery, of integration (‘making connections across disciplines and placing specialists in larger context’), of application, and of teaching (to educate and entice future scholars). However, perhaps reflecting passage of time and my exploratory purpose, a series of intriguing issues also arise. This paper, developed and refined since 2006, pursues my inquiry into the ‘interdisciplinary space’ progressed from a platform of study, work and discussions in and about Australian universities. To keep this working paper hands-on (a deal more theory is discussed in linked papers) I develop a Scenario, a fact-based hypothetical, around a new Zoology-Law course – and test it against five adjudicative measures of ‘teaching in a scholarly way’. Theory and debate around teaching scholarship are considered, albeit briefly, and I reflect on how academic teachers in challenging, changing times, might see this now wider and higher performance expectation. For instance, reaching level E of the Prosser and Trigwell (1999) hierarchy must require considerable effort of any academic. He or she would need to be maintaining or advancing their core academic-research work, such as, in the science of genetics, with invention and publication. They would also be expected to follow the research and scholarship on teaching and teaching of genetics, to apply learning this in their teaching, and to ultimately publish and offer teaching leadership to colleagues. As demanding it would be, with education as the foundation of universities there are rising arguments (… effective learning, national productivity, work interest, competitiveness, student needs) why this expectation should and must be so.