Q: What are your experiences, if any, of applying cutting-edge pedagogies in your own subject area? Do you have a favourite source of information about new teaching methods? What are your predictions for pedagogies that are likely to have a lasting impact in the next five years? Use the discussion to share your thoughts with your fellow learners.
Podcasts and similar initiatives, or 'talking pedagogies' as I've come to think of them, have ridden the recent wave of the social media and ICT-usage exodus in the developing Pacific. Recently, academia has come to recognize this kind of 'talking pedagogy' as a legitimate form of data collection and analysis. It has been officially dubbed 'Talanoa Method' (the Polynesian word 'talanoa' mean 'to converse' or 'to talk' or 'to speak with'. It is a context-specific verb which refers to dialogue between two or more parties, where both/all listeners and speakers are fully invested in the exchange).
Since 2021, I have done my best to facilitate this style of teaching and learning in classrooms where I have to address complex, content-heavy subjects such as English Literature and World History. We use YouTube, Google Meet, ZOOM, even Messenger Call(s) in my classes. In 2023, one of my senior History students suggested the possibility of an end-of term activity where each person creatively adapts and records a single historical document of their choice. I thought it was an interesting idea, and so I told them that if we did this activity, they must choose from the time period of either 1914 to 1918, or 1939 to 1945 (the 'world war years'). There were to be no overly restrictive limits- students were told only that if they submit a piece, it must be shared via e-mail (for ease of transfer to a Google Drive folder) and via our Messenger Group Chat, so that their classmates may view it. These would count as a Class Discussion/Dialogue.
The student, Francine Ausage, who made the initial suggestion, chose to submit a musical video. I did not realize it at the time, but she had instigated the use of a very new pedagogy in our class, which blended ICT with conversation and artistic expression. I am attaching below her contribution to our 'talanoa': It is a strings version of the beloved Australian wartime melody, 'Waltzing Matilda'. This student is now completing a Bachelor of Arts in History and English at the University of Newcastle, in Sydney, Australia. A link to her video is shared here (and has been shown at several international conferences) with her permission. She is one of only a handful of Samoan students who have received professional training to play a string instrument.
LINK: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AiYMWg0ZEdp23--5qXGgqDvt5b94QRGY/view?usp=sharing
