Blending Pedagogies in Higher Education

Abstract

This paper presents analysis of evidence on the ways in which the connection between technology and scholarship supported a Community of Practice (CoP) for instructors in a Faculty of Education in Canada. The goal is to reflect on different types of pedagogical practices of CoP members. We discuss the ways in which both social learning and online technology were harnessed to support professional learning. We based the analysis on notions of collective learning and Bandura’s (1986) social cognitive theory that inform studies on professional development. The main unit of analysis is the learning community (Wenger, 1998). CoP members jointly analyzed data from aggregated questionnaires, anonymized notes, and audio and textual recordings of selected meetings, resources archived and follow-up reflection by CoP members. The results showed that four pedagogies were most highly ascribed by CoP members: Culturally Responsive Pedagogies (11.63%; e.g., caring pedagogies, Healing, Global Transformative and Reconciliatory pedagogies), Hands-on and Digital Pedagogies (11.63%; e.g., Maker Education and Materiality pedagogies), Story Telling Pedagogies (13.95%; e.g., Deep, Imaginative, Surprise, Participatory, Story Telling and Learners as Curriculum Makers pedagogies), and 21st Century Teaching (16.28%; e.g., Blended, Digital and Online pedagogies). The findings provide evidence that there is potential in harnessing digital technology for social learning environments within the context of faculty responding to changing higher education institutional factors, including those motivated by the neoliberal management culture.