THE TEAM
Staff: Dr Alex Elwick
Lead students: Mellissa Seow, Li Diya, Meichen Lu.
Support students: David Curtin, Lin Zilin, Monica Loa Romo, Kathryn O’Brien Skerry, Christina Pham.
DEPARTMENT
Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment , IOE
WHAT HAPPENED?
As masters level students, we’re all told that we must write critically. However, many international students who are not native English speakers struggle with even understanding some of the articles, so it’s harder for them to be able to respond critically to what they read! Our project was a peer-lead reading workshop, which offered a small and safe space where students could ask their peers for help in the essential readings of one of our core modules – What is Education (WIE). Peer tutors were selected from the Term 1 cohort of WIE students to assist students in the Term 2 cohort, where tutors could break down complex sentences, explain foreign concepts or impart strategies and tips for reading critically. Our project recruited 4 peer tutors and had 20 students sign up as tutees. It ran for three weeks in Term 2.
WHAT ADVICE OR ENCOURAGEMENT WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE THINKING OF DOING A CHANGEMAKERS PROJECT?
If your project satisfies a real need amongst students or staff, then it will be impactful! Don’t be afraid to ask questions and clarify. Whenever we had doubts, we would ask Dr Alex Elwick or each other – talking through our queries and doubts helped to refine the ideas of our final project. We also approached Dr Lesley Price from the AWC – looking at situating your project within the wider context of what’s already going on is a great way to ensure its success.
