By:

The paper looks closely at the leadership role of the lecturer in the collaborative working context of a CE/SL student-lecturer working group and makes a case for this leadership role within the context of a “Community of Practice”. Research is needed into the viability and workability of the proposed Greenside Design Center 10% SL initiative and the impact of this programme on a wider learning community. More specifically, clarity is required on the implications of a shift in pedagogy through an active co-facilitative and collaborative agenda. It is the feeling here that principles of social constructivism as well as collaborative and cooperative learning approaches be used as a means to conceptualize the potentially ambiguous circumstances that arise through an informal mentoring process. This paper therefore challenges existing assumptions about collaborative learning especially in the context of the potentially unusual learning circumstances of an inter-curricular SL project.

Stream: Creative Arts and Learning

Paper: A paper has not yet been submitted.

Paul Cooper holds undergraduate degrees in Fine Arts and History of Art as well as a Masters degree from the Wits School of Arts. In 2006 he completed a PGCHE from the University of Pretoria with distinction. He defines himself as a practicing artist, educational specialist and critical thinker in arts/design education with a particular focus in higher education professional practice, management and leadership.

Paul began a teaching career in the Art department at St Martin’s Senior School in 1993. During this time he played an active role in the development of art teaching practice and art education at secondary level by developing learning material in line with curricular requirements. Part of this responsibility also involved actively participating in national conferences and collaborative work with colleagues in the secondary education sector.

In 2002 he took up a position as lecturer at Greenside Design Center, College of Design. His focus during this period centered on developing and facilitating learning material and learning experiences for the first year Design course. This included lecturing and supervising postgraduate students in the critical studies module. He was offered the position of HoD of the first year department in 2005 ushering in a new, unfamiliar and daunting area of HE administration and management. The position of Head of Inter Curricular Coordination was awarded to him in 2007. This brought the additional responsibility of coordinating inter curricular learning activities between different undergraduate levels as well as the post graduate programme. It involved close collaborative interaction with colleagues in the planning, management and co-facilitation of learning at all levels. In addition to this, Paul is currently involved in research focusing on the often paradoxical relations between management and leadership and the co-facilitation of learning at a private HEI.