Sixteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

This study introduces the teaching model dominating the humanities-based college under study, in particular, the use of synectics, as part of its signature pedagogy, or what Shulman called the “characteristic forms of teaching and learning…which organize fundamental ways in which future practitioners are educated for their new professions.” Synectics, designed by Gordon for industrial use in 1961, is an inductive process that uses group creative processes to create new insights for the conscious use of the preconscious psychological mechanisms present in man’s creative activity. Making use of grounded theory, this study involves the participation of twenty senior faculty members across eleven major disciplines (Asian Studies, Behavioral Science, Communication Arts, Economics, English Language Studies, History, Journalism, Legal Management, Literature, Political Science, and Sociology), who were video recorded in class and interviewed on the following key points: routines, strategies, and activities. The study yields three phases of synectic teaching: teacher-driven transmission, interactive learner participation, and constructivist teacher-learner collaboration, with the implication of a paradigm shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered methodology paving the way for blended learning, where classroom instruction is combined with learning activities in cyberspace.