Training for Learner-Centred Pedagogy and Curriculum Design Agendas in Staff Development for Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

Abstract

Staff development in higher education aims to work at two levels: to modify and transform the belief systems of teachers and to lead them towards flexibility and innovation from reflection and research; and to impart procedural knowledge in terms of strategies that can be used in teaching-learning practice. Curriculum development for learner centred pedagogy requires a sophisticated understanding of discipline-specific knowledge structures, the process of inquiry, and mediation of learning. The authors illustrate this argument through an analysis of a pilot run of a series of training workshops on issues in PBL curriculum development in a polytechnic in Singapore which is committed to PBL as the sole philosophical and methodological framework. The article explores issues such as prerequisites and rationale for training design and content, expectations from the participants, and possible training outcomes in such contexts.