Report on a curriculum development project: Development of curriculum knowledge and materials through the introduction of classroom teachers' experiences to a teaching and learning method

The paper reports on the process and outcomes of a project undertaken in Semester 2, 1998. It involved four classes in a Teaching and Learning module. The focus was firstly on the effectiveness of the introduction directly into the tertiary classroom of school teachers' experiences, reported by the teachers themselves, in tandem with the lecturer concerned, following careful preparation between both presenters. The process was seen as a creative way of establishing a credible, authentic nexus between theory and praxis in the eyes of the students. The validity of this belief was evaluated through students' reflective journals and pre- and post-conferences between students and the lecturers involved. The teacher contribution was videoed for future use as a teaching resource. A subsidiary matter for in-progress reporting will be an expert assessment of the technical utility of such material for more indirect, edited use as a resource bank for future use in similar teaching and learning modules, either for lecture segments or student reference for assignment work. At a future time, the effectiveness of this subsidiary use in practice may be evaluated.