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Depending on one's perception and experiences, one might view scuba diving as an extremely challenging sport. While for others it may be as easy as a morning jog. Much like diving, teaching is full of opportunities and challenges. With each opportunity to teach (or dive) I believe I have gained something new - a mix of opportunity and challenge. Within the educational context of this unit I thoroughly enjoyed discovering what it means to teach (and learn) in the 21st Century.

La Trobe University (2022) highlight that the biggest challenge for teachers today is having to work within a structure designed for 19th century learning. They further explain that blended learning - a hybrid of face-to-face and online delivery plus student centric platforms - is the best way for students to learn today. The icing on the cake for 21st century learning is ensuring teachers are equipped with a vital skill - adaptability. I couldn't agree more!

An example of how I ensured adaptability for my learners was during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. At this time most hotel operators in Australia were either quarantine hubs or closed temporarily. During this period my fellow facilitators and I reviewed the assessment criterion for the industry placement subjects. We decided that students could adopt all or a mix of the below assessment options to achieve their learning outcomes:

Submit an alternative assessment and not undertake practical training in a hotel environment;

Submit proof of hours of previous employment with a hospitality organisation; and/or

Continue with practical training in a hotel environment

We found these adaptive measures not only helped our students complete their required subjects but also showcased our commitment and importance of flexibility, compassion, and support towards their learning. I see this approach linking with constructive alignment (CA). As explained by Blade (n.d.) students learn as they work to gain meaning from activities and effective teaching is performed through supported and related activities. As I am not overly familiar or experienced with the CA approach to curriculum design and teaching this is a skill that I would like to further develop within my professional practice.

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This is the part of the story where one needs to look internally - what kind of teacher is behind that mask? There is no denying it, teaching is full with emotions. Much of what teachers do relies on the relationships with their students. These relationships can ultimately affect students' interest and commitment to learning (Djoub, 2018). I have always seen myself as a facilitator. I believe this has stemmed from my operational background and experience in Hospitality and taking on departmental trainer roles early in my career. I have always enjoyed learning with the learner and don't believe in dictator style classrooms (or in any setting for that matter).

My identity, whether underwater or above, is also linked to my beliefs. Some of my core beliefs around teaching and learning include every leaner learns differently and that it is important to be approachable. My beliefs also resonated with Djoub's (2018) breakdown of what makes a desired teacher:

1. Reach out to students - adapt your content delivery according to your learner

2. Balance out - ensuring your professional identity is a mix of firm and light-hearted traits

3. Blow students’ minds - instil a desire for life-long learning inside and outside of the classroom

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Note. (Falzon, 2008, from personal collection). 

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When you dive you must stick together! And being a member of the online CoP with my fellow TUA peers is exactly what we did! This CoP has taught me many things. Firstly, it has been an eye-opener as to how people process and present ideas unique to their experiences and knowledge. In our discussion boards my peers have shared their personal journeys and challenges and content that has stimulated their learning. This helped me understand the wider CoP I belong to through my employment at TUA as my peers work across all areas of the business. It has provided me with an appreciation for their roles and other verticals at TUA.

Secondly, being a part of this CoP helped me identify the different stages of a CoP lifecycle and the time pressures within a 12-week subject. I also noticed that not all CoP members were as engaged as others. While the majority of members were active in the first 3 weeks, the participation dropped off significantly around week 4 and 5 of the unit. It made me wonder – do all CoPs experience the same challenge in maintaining active engagement? Do those members who are not actively participating feel left out or fall behind academically (in this instance)? I guess Lave and Wenger (2022) sum it up pretty well in highlighting that CoPs only exist while they have value and usefulness. Perhaps for some students they become so focused on the subject and assessments that the need to engage with the CoP becomes less of a priority. Perhaps all CoPs experience this dispersed stage even in condensed learning environments.

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Item 1. GCLT400A discussion board snippets

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Item 1. GCLT400A discussion board snippets

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Much like an underwater adventure, defining different andragogic teaching and learning theories was mysterious and exciting. Once the CoP and I started to analyse and evaluate these theories the discussions flowed. We shared our ideas on our own teaching methods and the theories that we gravitated towards, and the ones we didn't quite gel with.

I particularly enjoyed learning about the three teaching practices - Pedagogy, Andragogy, and Heutagogy - and their characteristics. I started to differentiate how some practices are more suitable to certain scenarios, learners, and subjects. While our CoP mainly discussed andragogic concepts, I found that there is some usefulness, in my teaching, to begin some tasks or lessons with pedagogic teaching methods. Garnett (2013) explains this concept through the PAH continuum. He states "this starts with a known subject (pedagogy), then negotiates with the learner on what motivates them (andragogy), then allows for the learners to express what they have learnt in creative ways (heutagogy)" (Garnett, 2013).

Much like the self-contained breathing apparatus used in diving, my main goal as a facilitator is to help my adult learners attain independent learning. One way to achieve this is through scaffolding. The PAH continuum is one example of scaffolding, as the control moves away from the teacher and towards the learner (Garnett, 2013). As my learners are engaging with Work Integrated Learning (WIL) it is paramount that I help them identify their zone of proximal development (ZPD). McLeod (2019) describes ZPD as the difference between what a learner can do independently versus what they need guidance or assistance with. The benefits of scaffolding in WIL include (Yetman, 2020):

Increased motivation

Reduced frustration as the leaner starts in a role that is suited to their skillset

Allows for efficient and directed learning

Is personalised and unique based on the leaner's experience

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Figure 1. A schematic of the PAH continuum 

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Figure 1. A schematic of the PAH continuum 

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Building my knowledge of teaching and learning theories and practices within the online COP at TUA has been a rewarding challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed the 'ahuh' moments with my peers when we started to realise that we have been applying the theories and practices without even knowing. The 4 ILOs guided this blog and helped shape my story - and divulge my deep dark learnings (and secrets) as an enthusiast and motivated facilitator. I guess the final question is - am I ready for my next dive?

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I bet you didn't know that SCUBA (as in scuba diving) stood for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (Launhardt, 2021)?! Well guess what?! Neither did I until I started writing this blog. And I have been diving many, many times! So, what does scuba diving and academic contexts and professional identities have in common? Me! I want to take you on a journey - much like when I learnt how to dive over 15 years ago - into my exploration of teaching and learning theories within an awesome online Community of Practice (CoP) as a student at Torrens University Australia (TUA). I will explain my journey through the 4 intended learning outcomes (ILO) of this subject.