Session 3

In this session we were introduced to a concept that I have been experiencing all my life. Unfortunately, however I was not mentally aware that this concept has been 'coined' already. The above picture demonstrates the term called 'Threshold Concepts'. It in essence describes this thing that I have experienced my whole life, where one is learning something but one does not actually quite grasp it's meaning. So, one struggles quite alot to this master this thing, it being either a skill or something. As one is in this struggling process, one is left feelling very anxous, crippled with fear and in a state of feelling stuck. Sometimes one feels stupid and wants to give up. But when one choses to push through, one passes onto a state of 'knowing and understanding'. In this phase, one has feellings of happiness, one is proud of oneself, one feels like you have won the lottery. It is when one reaches this phase that, the threshold concept has been materialised. If only someone told me earlier on in my life, that struggling is part of life, (especially when it came to learning new concepts) my self-esteen would not have needed to have taken so many hard knocks. However, I am greatfull for all  those 'challenges' that I experienced as it taught me to become self-reliant and the value of discipline. It's those moments that I will always treasure.  

The concept has been 'COINED' by Jan Meyer and Ray Land as early as in 2003 and their theory has been widely cited as it has been explored by several researchers in a variety of disciplinary contexts.

 

The above picture is of the book discusing the Threshold concepts by Meyer and Land

The above picture are of the said authors

Thus far in the sessions we have been focussing on the different learning theories and the teacher librarians. The threshold concept plays a vital role for librarians to know as it provides us the opportunity to assist our clientele, when they are in the 'liminal space'. The limininal space basically refers to that stage in the Threshold concept, where the student is struggling, has feellings of anxiety and hasn't quite seen the light as yet. This is that opporunity/phase that librarians can intervene and guide our clientele. In this phase, we help and assist our clientele to assist them to become knoweledgeable and to lead them into the light. By providing them with resources such as books, e-books and or journal articles.

 

The above picture could be interpreted as a librarian asisting clientele out of 'their' Liminal stage 

The threshold concept has been seen as a valuable tool, in facilitating students' understanding of their subject. There are five characteristics that underpins what encompasses the 'Threshold Concept' 

TRANSFORMATIVE - this occurs when the the learner displays behavour of a proffessional, even though they are not as yet. Sometimes a law student will start talking and behaving like a proffessional laywer.

 acting like a proffessional lawyer does

INTEGRATIVE - this occurs when the student makes meaningful connections between different disciplines as well as within their own discipline. 

Different disciplines

IRREVERSIBLE - this occurs when the student has learnt something, it becomes almost impossible for him/her to forget it. Once, the student understands the new information, the student is unlikely to forget it and cannot be unlearnt.

It's akin to learning to ride a bycicle, once learnt....ts stays with you for a lifetime

BOUNDED - it refers to a concept that is unique to a discipline. No other dicsipline uses that concpet.

For example in  LAW - the above term is often used to prove if one is guilty of a crime or not

TROUBLESOME - it refers to when the student is experiencing difficulty in getting to understand the topic. Here one is in the liminal space, where there are feelings of self doubt and anxiety.