“Unpacking Tacit Knowledge”:
Looking into the Mentor
Toolbox at Athabasca University
Gail Leicht
Portfolio Development and Assessment Coordinator
And
Fran Holler
Mentorship Coordinator
Centre for Learning Accreditation
Athabasca University
FNTI 2010 PLA Conference
Belleville, Ontario
Athabasca University
Today’s Discussion
-
Demonstrate Tool
Explain Tool
Experience Application of Tool
Summarize Understandings
Questions? Comments?
Uncovering “Tacit” Knowledge
Why is it important to the PLAR portfolio for
students to uncover tacit knowledge?
“Knowing” rather than “doing”
Articulation of learning strengthens the expression of learning
Level of knowledge is revealed
Gaps in knowledge are identified
Uncovering ‘Tacit’ Knowledge
Why do we “lead” students to uncover their
tacit knowledge?
Tacit knowledge functions in the “background”
Different way of thinking for most students
Difficult way of thinking for many students
Puzzling Versus Patterning
Portfolio learning permits learning by puzzling
“By surprise, by exception, by contradiction” Vygotsky (1978)
Insights and creativity appreciated
Links past to future
“Puzzling” Portfolios
Learners display their knowledge
“Collect, select, reflect, project”
Make sense of past learning and relate it to present condition
and future path
The Mentor’s Toolbox
AU mentors have many “tools” that help to lead
learners to a sophisticated academic articulation of
their learning
- Handbooks
- Flowcharts
- Websites
- Examples
- Virtual portfolios
“Get Ready for Bed”
Constantly seeking new ways to explain how to
demonstrate learning
New tool developed to engage learners in discussing
the “knowledge” behind the activity (tacit
knowledge)
Based on a universal, simple task
Get Ready for Bed
LEVEL 1 (more commonly understood)
Wash
Brush teeth
Change into bedclothes
"Get ready for
bed!"
Get Ready for Bed
LEVEL 1 (more commonly understood)
Wash
Brush teeth
Change into bedclothes
"Get ready for
bed!"
Wash
Soap and wash hands
Soap and wash face
Rinse both thoroughly
Dry face and hands on towel
Replace towel on rack
Brush teeth
Measure toothpaste onto toothbrush
Brush teeth according to parental or
dental instructions
Rinse and spit
Clean toothbrush
Clean sink
Change into bedclothes
Remove day clothes
Place dirty clothes in hamper
Retrieve or select night clothes
Get Ready for Bed
LEVEL 1 (more commonly understood)
Wash
Brush teeth
Change into bedclothes
"Get ready for
bed!"
Wash
Soap and wash hands
Soap and wash face
Rinse both thoroughly
Dry face and hands on towel
Replace towel on rack
Brush teeth
Spiritual practice?
Measure toothpaste onto toothbrush
Brush teeth according to parental or
dental instructions
Rinse and spit
Clean toothbrush
Clean sink
Care for the needs of pets?
Change into bedclothes
Prepare for next morning?
Remove day clothes
Place dirty clothes in hamper
Retrieve or select night clothes
LEVEL 2 (less commonly understood)
Secure household?
What Influences Why We Do What
We Do?
Environment
(circumstances of activity)
Culture
Geography
Values
Psycho-social
Parameters
Socio-Economic
Conditions
Your Task…
1. Identify components / functions within that activity (4 – 5) as a level 1
(most common) declaration
2.
Deconstruct those components to uncover knowledge related to
level 1
3.
Identify influences that affect that knowledge as outlined within
level 2 (less commonly understood)
4.
Be sensitive to any shift in understanding of knowledge from level 1
(most common) to level 2 (less commonly understood)
Your Task…
a. What are different components within the larger
activity?
b. What would be some level 1 activities?
c. What would be some level 2 activities?
d. What influences impact level 1 activity and alter the
activity to a more unique activity as in level 2?
e. What does this mean to you?
Summary
What influences come to play to uncover unique
learning?
Does the knowledge declared within your group
mean the same to everyone in your group? Why?
Why not?
Final Summary
What process did you go through?
What 3 adjectives would you use to describe the
process?
Any surprising discoveries about the learning?
Conclusion
AU mentors use many “tools” to help lead learners to articulate their
learning - “Get Ready for Bed” is one such “tool” designed to
expand student’s understanding of the uniqueness and depth of
knowledge they need to express through their PLA portfolios
Individuals are generally focused on “doing” rather than “knowing” and
so tend to “take for granted” the learning that we possess that
enables us to “do” (tacit knowledge) and the uniqueness of that
learning
As this is a different way of thinking about learning for most students, it
is often challenging; having a simple tool, based on a universal,
simple task leads students through a cognitive exercise that
explores how they might articulate their knowledge