Space for understanding in higher education – a case study

Abstract

Space for understanding in higher education – a case study. – The concept of teaching as an expert activity and a broad profession, abandonment of the model of the so-called minimal competence where the core teacher’s activity is the transmission of course knowledge, alternatively skills training. The teacher’s expert activity is connected with the skill of raising questions, assigning stimulating tasks, reflecting students’ results and modifying the teacher’s methods with respect to the outcomes of communication with students. Assumptions of making space for understanding in higher education include: rejecting the instant knowledge and enforcing relevant didactic models.

A model of didactic knowledge of content – a direct link of teacher’s didactic activity with his/her knowledge of content. A model of pedagogical decision-making – understanding, transformation, giving knowledge, evaluation, reflection and new understanding. A model of didactic reconstruction. The importance of productive interviewing. A dialogue in pedagogical process. Methods of making space for understanding and the establishment of understanding. The place of ICT when making space for understanding. The content of the paper will be based on 189 mind maps and essays of students from the Faculty of Informatics and Management from 2008 to 2017. There is an example of one mind map from 2017 in the paper.

Students and teachers realize the uncommon place of understanding and identify themselves with the idea that for clearing the ground of communication it is not sufficient to be verbally skilled.