Presentation
The journey of academics when working with students who enter tertiary studies with low levels of academic literacies
Academic Association for Academic Language and Learning
(2014)
Abstract
While many institutions are grappling with a changing student body, the Australian College of Physical Education has long defined itself as a place of ‘second chances’. This means that many students begin their tertiary studies with a number of gaps, especially in regards to literacy. Much has been written by literacy specialists employed by tertiary institutions to assist in the development of academic literacies. Not discounting the importance of such work, very little is written from the perspective of the academic. When an academic voice is heard it is often from the margins in reports of work driven by literacy specialists. This paper outlines how the work of three academics in the area of health changed over time in response to student performance, institutional practices and working with literacy specialists. The journey began with academics seeing themselves as responsible only for inducting students into academic discourse, to one where we now see ourselves as teachers of academic literacies. On reflection, it appears that we have travelled the ‘study skills model’, identified by Lea and Street (2006). Using this pedagogical framework, we recount how our identity and the work that we now do have changed. We argue that this transformation has made us better ‘teachers’
Keywords
- academic literacies,
- first year,
- academic work
Disciplines
Publication Date
November 28, 2014
Location
Queensland University of Technology
Citation Information
Kathie Ardzejewska, William Campbell and Michelle Gorzanelli. "The journey of academics when working with students who enter tertiary studies with low levels of academic literacies" Academic Association for Academic Language and Learning (2014) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kathie-ardzejewska/9/