Category: Teaching & Learning

Microteaching Reflection

‘Interaction with artefacts deepens students’ learning.’ (Schultz 2012, p.185)

I designed my object-based learning session as a synchronous online activity, delivered on the BB Collaborate platform. Due to the mode of delivery, my ‘objects’ were in fact images of the objects, rather than the objects themselves. I’ve discussed my thoughts around the limitations of this in more detail my ‘Critical Review of Object Based Learning’ blog.

My learning objectives and session plan for the session were:

  • To stimulate discussion (Communication)
  • Encourage exploration of design (Design awareness)
  • To inspire critical & creative thought (Inspiration)
  • To identify cross-cultural connections
Microteaching Session Schedule
  1. I started the session in a conversational tone to set the mood and to introduce myself and the session.
  • I then went on to explain the learning objectives of the task to inform students of what is expected from this session.
Learning Outcomes for OBL Microteach
  • Following this, I set the activity brief for the session, explaining what the task was about and how to do it in order to engage students. The prompt questions for response were displayed for students to see.
Activity Brief for OBL Microteach
  • I then went on to display the two objects on the screen, side by side. There was no description or context given to the objects, so as not to limit students thinking and ideas about the objects from the start, however I tried to choose a culturally diverse selection of objects; object A originated in the UK, while object B originated in the Caribbean.
Image of Objects chosen for OBL Microteach
  • Following the end of the activity, I allowed students time to briefly explain their answers which allowed me to hear their thoughts, ideas and perceptions which I found very interesting. The task was then finished.

Feedback

The outcome of the session was the receipt of extremely positive feedback via Padlet and the verbal feedback recorded during the session itself was also very positive, thus confirming the success of the activity.

OBL Microteach Feedback

Successes

Upon personal reflection, I think part of the success of my microteaching session, was understanding the context in which it was being delivered. I was well aware of the time restrictions, with it being an 8-minute task, I knew I had to plan meticulously, by the minute, to ensure that it could be executed in full. This meant that the structure and the activity was designed with the time-frame in mind and I was careful not to over over-optimistic with what could be achieved in such a short timeframe. The three core aspects of the session which I facilitated was: learning objectives, the activity itself and the activity de-brief/discussion, all of which I was able to execute effectively.

The success of the delivery was reaffirmed given the feedback from students including ‘this was a really well planned and paced activity’. Producing session plans is something I will always continue do for all my teaching delivery, as I find structured planning is a key driver in it’s success.

Other positive feedback included:

  • Delivered active feedback to students for encouragement
  • Clear communication
  • Well balanced delivery – facilitated rather than dominated it
  • Clear, visual, non-complicated powerpoint

I also believe that the session was successful as I was able to link the activity closely with the LO’s, so the session was well structured and remained relevant throughout. Clarifying the LO’s at the start of the session was beneficial for students to understand the nature of the activity and it’s relevance – this is something I will continue to do as part of the foundations of my teaching practice.

Challenges and areas for improvement

I found the time limits of the activity fairly restricting in terms of the breadth of teaching which could be delivered. For example, had this activity been longer in duration, I would have adapted the activity to include more objects, longer time for group discussion and broadened the scope of prompt questions e.g. to enquire about other aspects of the objects aside from functionality (e.g. material choice)

In hindsight, I would have ended this activity more strongly with a follow-up activity, summary or resource to review to ensure that students remain engaged and the session was more ‘well-rounded’.

As a spectator during the activity during the session, I observed and heard comments and reflections that make me feel satisfied that the LO’s were met at the end of this activity. However, given the time restraints, I was unable to check this in full. One way to check for learning and engagement in my teaching practice in future would be to make use of platforms such as ‘Mentimeter’ with brief tasks such as live polls or Q&A’s. This would allow me to better measure whether the LO’s have been met.

Additional student feedback which I have reflected on is the need for some variety in my object selection. This is something I will consider in future OBL tasks to keep it varied, engaging and relevant to different contexts and cultures. I also considered choosing objects that students may have found in their home-surroundings, although the task would have to be adapted to accommodate for the ‘variations’ of the objects that might be found across different households (e.g. a spoon in one household may be different from another)

Another suggestive piece of feedback was to make more use of ways to make the session more inclusive. Inclusive practice is something that grounds my work as a teaching professional and so I will always continue to explore ways to enhance inclusivity in my sessions. One way to do this for example would have been a broader selection of culturally diverse objects to enrich the learning experience and encourage dynamic and interesting discussions

Critical Review of Object-Based Learning

OBL is a student-centred, experiential learning approach that ‘involves the active integration of objects into the learning environment’ (Chatterjee, Hannan and Thomson, 2015, p.1).

In practice, Object Based Learning (OBL) allows students to physically engage with objects that serve as a primary medium for learning for new ideas, realisations, creative work or professional/personal development (FUMA, 2020).

I consider OBL to be a valuable approach to learning because of its experientiality and ability to facilitate active learning amongst students. Particularly for those in art and design disciplines where visual language and interpretation underpins creative practice, OBL activities creates a ‘learn by doing’ environment which enhances thinking in understanding and response to design (Hardie, 2008). It is this type of interaction with material artefacts which develops students learning and could make OBL more relevant and meaningful, especially when intersected with inclusive pedagogy (Schultz, 2012; Lelkes, 2019).

Figure 1: ‘Objects in teaching and learning’ (FUMA, 2020) image identifies ways in which OBL can inspire creative thought.

As a teaching professional, I consider inclusive pedagogy as the groundwork for my practice, so understanding how this could work with OBL to create an enhanced learning environment is a real incentive to put it into practice more frequently (where necessary in the curriculum), particularly given that research has shown that when used across multi-disciplinary environments, OBL was more effective than a lecture or talk in facilitating learning (UCL, 2020).

Csikszentmihalyi and Hermanson (1999) observe “after the individual’s curiosity is aroused, the exhibit must engage sustained interest in order for learning to take place” (p. 153) thus the element of intrigue generated by an exhibit adds to the object’s appeal and encourages students’ investigation and critical analysis of design

Given this statement from Csikszentmihalyi and Hermanson, its suggests to me that making OBL as inclusive as possible is a opportunity to make it even more successful, as in order to capture and sustain engagement, the objects would need to be of some relevance to them either personally, socially, professionally or academically.

I personally haven’t yet implemented an in-person OBL activity (due to COVID-19 restrictions). However, I have implemented a successful OBL activity online (see ‘Microteaching Task blog’ for further context). I believe part of the success of this task was the way in which it was designed to encourage a structured discussion which was important to achieve LO’s.

Online delivery of OBL does have its opportunities, for example the ability to include large-scale cohorts to the session – something that is logistically difficult in practice in a museum or archive space when archives and objects can be explored.

One of the limitations however, to my OBL activity was the absence of the physical presence of the object in students’ hands, which automatically limits the level of interaction and sensory engagement with the object. Hardie (2015) identifies ‘hands-on engagement’ and the ability for ‘live objects’ to be ‘interrogated 360° as a key factor for meaningful and memorable interactions with objects; the absence of this physicality is explicit when OBL is delivered virtually.

This would lead me to query whether engagement in virtual OBL activities may not be as effective as in-person OBL, as you instantly lose the physicality of the object. Given that online teaching delivery of core curriculum in HE institutions is relatively new, I think further exploration is needed to understand whether OBL can be as effective and engaging when delivered in a virtual space vs. a physical space and what adaptations to the practice should be made to ensure it remains effective for learning.

I would be keen to explore the UAL library archives and inclusive archives at UAL such at the Tell Us About It archives (UAL, 2020; Shades of Noir, 2020) to better understand ways to incorporate archives and objects into my teaching practice in-person and online in a more effective way. However, I do have some reservations which is possible the result of having less experience with OBL, creating a barrier to uptake.

Joe Cain touches on such barriers, identifying that alternative pedagogic methodology is required when implementing OBL, as it nurses a different style of teaching from lecture style teaching delivery for example. Therefore, OBL isn’t just about objects, its about teaching too and this can cause barriers to implementation. (Cain, 2010).

Cain also talks about the logistical concerns of practicing OBL such as the setting, timing and access for example, but one way to overcoming this could be meticulous planning (something I think is crucial for successful teaching delivery – see Case Study A1 Designing and Planning for Learning) which might help diminish any anxieties of it not ‘running smoothly’. There are resources and tools available to help overcome these barriers to OBL, such as the use of Mirador which allows for the magnification of objects. This would allow flexibility in settings timing and access for OBL sessions, but also give students to opportunity to explore objects close-up, almost as if they had physical access.

Further exploration of OBL highlights opportunities for learning that I hadn’t previously considered. Barton (2017) discusses the emergence of ‘object-based self-enquiry’ (he discusses this in relation to museum objects, however I believe this can be transferred across any OBL context).

Object-based self-enquiry uses OBL for engaging in learning and self-awareness/perception, as students become more aware of their own learning process and the values, assumptions and habits of mind; it is the exploration and evaluation of meta-cognitive function which helps facilitate transformative learning (Barton, 2017). He identifies that self-response is important for the development of study skills, capacities and competences and over time, students will begin to understand how cognitive patterns and capabilities correspond with skilful academic responses.

Skills-focused approaches, developing a range of student literacies such as academic writing and critical thinking, developing visual perception and material sensibilities can be enhanced through an emphasis on metacognition or self-awareness. (Barton, 2017)

This leads me to want to enquire about the possibilities of inclusive object-based self-enquiry pedagogy, where the convergence of multiple proven pedagogic practices will help students to further engage with creative practice and academic study.

To conclude, OBL provides a wealth of opportunity for relevant and meaningful engagement and active learning. It has intersectional avenues and the possibility of mergence with other pedagogic approaches such as inclusive pedagogy or critical pedagogy to create an engaging learning environment. In addition, OBL can be used to facilitate self-enquiry and meta-cognitive self-analysis which can facilitate transformative learning. There are, however, limitations to OBL for example the transference of its benefits in virtual spaces (vs. real spaces), logistical concerns and pedagogic conflicts, however there are resources available to help mitigate these. I think further exploration and enquiry about virtual OBL vs. in-person OBL is required, particularly given the current context of mostly online-delivery for core teaching in HE, where virtual OBL does not allow for physical contact with an artefact.

References

Transition to Online Teaching

Given the changing landscape of university education and the transition from core on-campus teaching to core blended/online teaching delivery, it was important for me to establish a plan to help manage this process to continue to deliver impactful and engaging teaching content in a structured way.

I devised a plan for the transition considering the current impact of global matters such as Covid-19 and the need to dismantle structural racism and create an inclusive learning environment.

This plan became the subject for my ‘Review by a Tutor’ element of my Teaching and Learning portfolio, due to the social distance restrictions imposed in 2020 which meant that an in-person observation would have no longer been feasible within the required timeframe for submission.

Here is the framework for my transition plan:

References

Adungo, R. (2020). UAL online student engagement policy for course teams. University of the Arts London. Available at: https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/documents/sppreview/a1a9e73a-3587-4c9e-b4dd-c1aa52984cff

Atkinson, K. (2020). Inclusive Online Teaching and Learning. University of the Arts London: Student Disability Service. Available at: https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/documents/sppreview/45e979da-ecfa-400b-8b85-a2b45d708f24

Dwyer, K. (2020). One Jump Online Good Practice Guide. University of the Arts London: Teaching Enhancement Team. Available at: https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/documents/sppreview/9775ddcc-66eb-46ae-ab76-190129959c08

Finnigan, T., Bunting, L. & Morrison, C. (2020) Remote teaching and learning: an inclusive & compassionate approach. University of the Arts London: Academic Enhancement Model.

Joseph, S. (2020). Tips for delivering online learning. University of the Arts London. Available at: https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/documents/sppreview/07281a54-72c6-4b5c-aced-e15e8b68ccce

University of the Arts London (2020) Core Practice for Inclusive Online Teaching: A Checklist for Supporting Maximum Participation. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/211545/Core-Practice-for-Inclusive-Online-Teaching.pdf

University of the Arts London (2020). Teaching Online. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/teaching-and-learning-exchange/teaching-online

Reflection of the impact of 2020 occurrences in the development of my professional practice

When reflecting on my teaching practice as we near the end of 2020, it is impossible to ignore the impact of two seismic events that have occurred this year, which have helped inspire and define my approach to teaching, but also changed the landscape of teaching in Higher Education.

Chronologically, those events were:

  1. The global COVID-19 pandemic and
  2. The murder of George Floyd and increased prominence of the Black Lives Matter movement

The Covid-19 pandemic spread rapidly across the globe, impacting the UK most prominently in March, which completely disrupted our social and economics norms and causing an unprecedented challenge for university teaching as we were forced into lockdown. For students at staff at UAL, this meant a wide-reaching schedule of changes to university ‘norms’ including, but not limited to:

  • Shift from on-campus to blended/online teaching
  • Staff and students working mostly from home
  • Postponing of graduation ceremonies
  • Changes to assessment practices

Personally, the biggest change to adjust to was the transition to blended/online teaching delivery. Initially, the scale of this change, sent anxious shockwaves through my body as this was a dive into unchartered territory; all my teaching until this point had been on-campus. I quickly identified some of the challenges affecting me as a direct result of this, including:

  • Barriers to student relationships – lack of human contact
  • Technical problems with resources and platforms
  • Mental health and wellbeing – trying to find balance and calm in the chaos

Thanks to a wealth of resources, guidelines and guidance available online, including from UAL (UAL Teaching Online resources) (UAL, 2020), about managing the move to online learning , I found that I have been able to tackle these challenges in a structured, effective way. For example, I have found a trial and error method of working with anything technical (such as learning to use new platforms e.g. BB Collaborate/Microsoft Teams) has enabled me to learn the best ways around such problems.

In addition, I have been able to set boundaries for myself as a teaching professional, but also as a mother and human being, to enable me to be reflexive and adapted to cope with the emotional labour of the adjustments this year.

I have however, found many pros to this new way of working including:

  • Sense of community brought about by the commonality of the changes impacting everyone simultaneously (Halls Life, 2020)
  • Effective way of working online – saving travel time and money and defining own timetable
  • More opportunity for inclusion for students e.g. opportunities for disabled

I have found that while there have been challenges in adapting to this new way of working, I am also excited by the opportunities it brings. Particularly with regards to the opportunity for a more inclusive way of working with better accessibility for disabled and other marginalised students, we are better equipped as teachers to support their diverse requirements.

I feel optimistic about the future of education, as I believe it can really be tailored to be accessible for all types of student and learning modes. I have also learnt that I am particularly reflexive in challenging situations like Covid-19 and I surprised myself at my ability to adapt swiftly as a teacher.

Despite this, Covid-19 has been an incredibly scary illness which has created massive uncertainly. It has not only brought about a massive program of change from university norms, it has also highlighted the systemic racial inequalities affecting people from BAME backgrounds and the theories of intersectionality.

The murder of George Floyd and increased prominence of the Black Lives Matter movement has highlighted this further. This was a particularly traumatic time for me personally, as it was for communities across the world. However, this event really forced me to reflect on my positionality considering the impact of my teaching on students and reaffirming my social justice led outlook and approach to my practice.

I adopt a pedagogic approach which puts inclusivity at the forefront, adopting methods to teaching which aims to build a more diverse and inclusive learning environment. This is especially important at UAL, who prematurely described themselves as an ‘anti-racist establishment’. (Crawley, 2020)

At a time where there is so much confusion and heightened perceptions of racial inequalities and marginalisation, it is important for me to work towards enhancing my students’ feelings of being valued, respected, supported and included when learning. Therefore, I have adapted my practice to teaching to include compassionate pedagogic approaches.

‘Compassionate pedagogy encourages educators to foster belonging by creating conditions that acknowledge structural oppression and reduce their impact on our students’ – (The Exchange, 2019).

I take comfort in knowing that my methods to teaching will help close the attainment gap and help to address inequitable student experience (Ahern, 2019).

Some methods I actively practice include:

  • Regular, structured well-being ‘check-ins’ with students
  • Ensuring resources are provided in a timely manner in accessible formats
  • Selecting resources which contain relatable perspectives and experiences for students

My commitment to social-justice led teaching also feeds into the UAL Social Justice and Anti-Racism Strategy, which has proposes a provisional action plan to work towards on improving attainment, equality, diversity and inclusion at UAL (Patel, 2020).

On one hand, as I am early in my teaching career, I almost feel ‘grateful’ to have two massively impactful and defining events to reflect on to help inform my views and practice as a teacher very early on. This is because the nature of these events has made me truly appreciate my role in helping to create some sense of stability, calm and inclusion. However, I cannot ignore the emotionally laborious toll of these events on myself, colleagues and students which will continue to affect us all still for some time.

References

Teaching & Learning Seminar – 17.02.20 – Thoughts

I really enjoyed the group participation studies from last week’s teaching and learning seminar. For me, the activities provoked a heightened sense of self-awareness, for example I became more conscious of my degree of participation in some activities which was visually represented through the number (or lack of) playing cards acquired.

I am usually very anxious within group speaking tasks as I fear my opinions are not valid – perhaps a sense of ‘imposter syndrome’ occurs in scenarios where my knowledge/values/opinions are called for (what feels like judgement) by others. This, and the fact that I have a preference to hear and learn from others, means I feel as though I am often quieter within group scenarios (although others say they do not notice this)

Thinking about why this is a common personal experience for me in group scenarios, I relate back by asking to what extent my personal history plays in my experience of learning. How did this imposter syndrome feeling manifest? Why? How has this limited my learning capabilities? Despite this, and during this particular session, I actively participated in all discussion points in every game. The group was collaborative and I felt as though the discussions we had were varied, with depth and well informed.

My experience here is relative to the theory of understanding that Gadamer highlights, namely the importance of participation and the state being ‘outside of oneself’ as crucial for understanding. He says ‘this ‘opening up’ to meaning ‘other’ than your own is crucial if any common understanding is to be reached’. I feel as though my experience of the games during this session and the learning outcomes for me are aligned with Gadamer’s participation theory of the engaged player discussed in the chapter.

This leads to me to assume that such activities could be applied in my own teaching work to encourage group participation and achieved learning outcomes as an ‘engaged player’ to enhance understanding.

The second activity, the band marking matrix, was also an enjoyable task. I am someone who myself likes to work closely alongside the relevant marking criteria to self-assess my standard of work in order to identify areas of improvement. We had an interesting discussion, talking about the parameters between two grades and the associated band descriptors. I recognise this task as a good goal setting exercise to encourage an aspirational work ethic from students.

Task 3 was centred on the design, practicality and implications of the TEF awards; a quiz was created to represent the TEF in terms of the key performance indicators: the ‘flags’, differentiating metrics, set algorithm designed to result in a specific ratio of awards metrics and written statement.

As someone who did not complete the pre-session quiz, I was unable to be an active participant in the quiz game when it came to the results/receiving flags and so it did feel a little exclusive at times. For this reason, my attention span and engagement during this part of the session declined somewhat.  If I were to recreate a similar type of task in my own teaching environment, I would create the game to be a little more inclusive of all participants within the room to ensure a collective learning environment, for example by creating a mini ‘live’ game to be played by the non-quiz answering students at the same time.

Having said this, I do also appreciate that this task was meticulously designed with a view for students to explore and unpack the successes and/or flaws of the TEF awards and I feel as though the objective of the activity was met.

In the final activity, we worked in groups to explore what values and knowledge is required in higher education teaching to ensure content is taught well. What we identified was that the values that we thought should be inherent were around empathy and compassion in contrast to those outlined in the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) which seem less intuitive.

In addition, when reviewing the same for ‘knowledge’, we aligned more closely with the UKPSF and related knowledge to the context of professional discipline. This task was relative to the 3 case studies (themes: Planning, Teaching and Assessment) expected as part of this unit which are required to meet the requirements for Associate Fellow of the HEA. It was interesting to see where our opinions were aligned with the UKPSF ‘standard’.

  • Values and Knowledge descriptors for a ‘good teacher’ as outlined in the UK Professional Standards Framework vs. a PG Cert team brainstorm about the values and knowledge requirements of a ‘good teacher’

I do wonder whether this task could be remodelled to focus on the inherent traits of a good student. For example, as the teacher, I could ask the students to look at what values they think they need to be a ‘good student’. I think this type of activity is important in the learning environment in order to build good teacher/student relationships, set boundaries and outline expectations of each other.

Overall, I enjoyed the activities within the session. After completing the activities, I do feel as though the energy in group participation must be equal or similar in order for the true learning outcome of the task to be realised. For example, all participants must be willing, engaged and active in ‘play’.

Because of this, to maximise my in-class participation and engagement I have identified that I should aim to improve my knowledge by working my way through the PG Cert reading list at a quicker pace and also improve organisation skills particularly with a view to complete all pre-session tasks.

Pedagogies of Engagement

I’m finding this experience of ‘blogging’ quite interesting. Documenting my thoughts, feelings, ideas and opinions is very new to me and the fact that is it open for others to read brings me an unreasonable level of anxiety. But I do realise that that’s all part of the process, particularly as one of my personal development goals for 2020 is to push myself outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself. So onwards we continue with blog life…

Unfortunately, I missed my first Teaching & Learning tutor group session on the 20th January due to unforeseen circumstances. This meant that I was unable to present the presentation I had prepared about pedagogy to my peers. I did, however learn some valuable lessons on some pedagogic practices designed to enhance engagement, which I will outline below.

As an undergrad student (6+ years ago), I always struggled with staying focussed and engaged with delivered teaching content during class. I often found myself daydreaming, scrolling on my phone and sometimes (regrettably in hindsight) even putting my head down on the desk for a mid-lesson nap. This led to poor-time management and disorganisation as I would usually end up spending additional hours at home trying to catch up on what I had missed in class due to my dwindling attention span.

So when I came across the journal paper entitled ‘Exploring student definitions of engagement: A reflexive approach to designing learning activities’ (Huggard, 2010), I was immediately drawn in to read more. The article explores the definitions of student ‘engagement’ from the perspective of the students themselves and seeks to identify various teaching methods to improve student learner engagement which align with students expectations.

This is in contrast to the institutionalised and behavioural-based definitions of engagement that have formed as a result of the rise in universal format of higher education. Mcfarlane (2015) identifies this as students ‘demonstrating more visibly that they are learning through participation in class’ and ‘sharing their ideas in public discussions’

To challenge this, the report goes on to identify two pedagogies of engagement (which were designed based on student definitions of engagement) which were of most interest to me as a teaching practitioner:

1. Problem Based Learning – learning that results from the process of working towards understanding or resolution of a problem (Smith et al., 2005)

2. Experiential Based Learning – learning encouraged through experience (Benecke and Bezuidenhout, 2011)

Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a student-led learning method through which students apply taught knowledge to real brand issues and build competencies for their creative industries. Case studies are considered to be an effective method of PBL which is effective in achieving greater engagement with unit learning outcomes, retention of material and cooperative interaction (Baturay and Bay, 2010) and (Meyers and Jones, 1993).

Traditional vs. Problem Based Learning outlined (Image: Springer Link)

In contrast, Experiential Based Learning (EBL), utilises active student participation to encourage learning through experience via practical, hands-on projects. This could include community involvement projects for example (Benecke and Bezuidenhout, 2011). Kolb (1984) identifies conflict, differences, and disagreement as key notions to drive the learning process in EBL practice.

Experiential Learning cycle outlined (Image: Grade Hub)

Given that both teaching methods have been developed reflexively in response to the student-definitions of engagement, one may assume that an increase in engagement could be measured in teaching sessions if PBL and EBL pedagogies are applied. Although the report did not assess this, I would be keen to apply particularly PBL tasks such as case-studies in my own teaching practice to very teaching content and enhance student engagement.

Furthermore, the report raised some questions for me:

  1. What variable factors can be identified that increase engagement?
    • The report did not approach student engagement from a holistic perspective, so I would be keen to understand what sociological, behavioural and/or psychological factors can be of influence
  2. How can we integrate technology and specifically the use of mobile phones in to lesson plans to improve engagement?
    • As technology has now become an instrumental tool for both teachers and learners, how can this be incorporated effectively to enhance rather than hinder engagement? This is of particular interest to me due to my mobile device, as mentioned earlier, being a hindrance to my learning as a distraction as an undergrad student.
  • Benecke, R.D. and Bezuidenhout, R.M. (2011) ‘Experiential learning in public relations education in South Africa’, Journal of Communication Management, 15(1), pp. 55–69.
  • Gibbs, G. (2014) ‘Student engagement, the latest buzzword’, Times Higher Education, 1 May. Available at: https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/student-engagement-the-latest-buzzword/2012947.article (Accessed: 2 April 2015)
  • Huggard, E. (2016) ‘Exploring student definitions of engagement: A reflexive approach to designing learning activities’, Sparks Journal, 1 (1), pp. 5 – 18
  • Kolb, D.A. (1984) Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
  • Macfarlane, B. (2015) Student performativity in higher education: converting learning as a private space into a public performance, Higher Education Research & Development, 32 (2), pp. 338–350.
  • Meyers, C. and Jones, T.B. (1993) Promoting active learning: strategies for the college classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Smith, K.A., Sheppard, S.D., Johnson, D.W. and Johnson, R.T. (2005) ‘Pedagogies of engagement: classroom-based practices’, Journal of Engineering Education, 94(1), pp. 87–101.

T&L Introductory Lecture: A post-lecture summary of thoughts.

It’s been a fair while (almost 6 years) since I completed my undergrad studies at UAL. As a now late twenty-something year old with a business and a child (certainly two of the most time consuming things to ever exist), I never imagined that I would become a student again. The level of stress and anxiety that presented itself in the weeks before a deadline date was a certain deterrent for me to ever think about continuing studies beyond undergrad level – yet here we are. Its 2020 and I’m a post-grad student. Here is a summary of my current thoughts about being a student again:

A summary of feels as a post-grad student.

I have a lot of conflicting feelings presenting themselves already and it’s only week 2. I think this stems from my innate desire to excel at any task I assume vs. the idea of trying to juggle student/teacher life with my already time restricted lifestyle; the former requires more time and commitment than I potentially have to give but I am determined to make it work!

I was the first person in my family to ever graduate from University. This was an obviously incredible milestone to reach in my life, but had I been just one year younger in age, I potentially may have never even enrolled. There’s a wealth of reasons why, but I would say that the increase in student fees in 2012 as a result of the Browne Review (2010) was a pivotal factor in my decision; I began my BSc undergrad study in 2011 when fees were around £3.2k, thus narrowly missing the tripled cost of studying at university that would have most definitely bound me into a lifetime of colossal student debt repayments.

We discussed these changes to student fees in in this week’s lecture, in the broader context of the Higher Education (HE) timeline of events and influences in the UK since the 1950’s (see image 2). This particular event (fee increases) had a profound effect on my entire decision to attend university. Coming from a working class background, we were money-poor however I was always conscious about saving money while simultaneously getting the best value. My thoughts were – do I go now and save money while getting my degree or do I go later on in life (post 2012) and pay triple? The answer was obvious and I enrolled with pride in 2011.

Image 2: A timeline of events that have influenced the Higher Education landscape since the 1950’s

As an undergrad, I was also exposed to the emergence of new advances impacting the field of HE, the main one being the introduction of new teaching/learning platforms such as Moodle. I was resistant at first, but quickly got used to it (without choice). Fast forward to 2020, it has become clear very quickly that Moodle is a digital learning hub that is fundamental to navigating all PG Cert course units, briefs and assignments. This is also true for other platforms such as MyBlogs and Workflow and it is interesting for me to see the shift in using these as fundamental tools in teaching methods vs. the way they were used less dependently during my first stint in HE.

After this week’s lecture, I have a better understanding of how these digital platforms and tools can be integrated effectively into teaching methods. For example, the session plan created by Lindsay encouraged active participation by using GoogleDocs and Padlet during group discussions and brainstorming. This creates a learning space that facilitates the sharing of information and ideas that is instantly accessible even outside of the class session. It excites me that these platforms not only allow learning content to be developed and shared but it also enhances students’ learning experience bringing a mutual benefit to both student and teacher; I plan to develop and refine my own teaching practice to utilise some of these virtual learning tools alongside range of teaching methods to keep my lessons varied and create an engaging learning environment.

References:

Browne Review (2010), ‘Securing A Sustainable Future for Higher Education: An Independent Review of Higher Education, Funding & Student Finance’, Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/422565/bis-10-1208-securing-sustainable-higher-education-browne-report.pdf (Accessed: 19 Jan. 2020)

And so it begins!

Hi, my name is Stephanie Martindale and I am currently studying for my PGCert in Academic Practice in Art, Design and Communication at UAL.

My field of discipline is business management, marketing and communication, primarily within the beauty and cosmetics industry.

I have worked in product marketing for around 4 years, specialising in research, innovation and product development working on concept ideation and task management through to the operational execution at European level. More recently, following a period of maternity leave, I have taken a step away from marketing to pursue lifelong personal dreams to own my own successful beauty salon; I am now a self-employed part time beauty practitioner and business owner, student and mother of 1. 

I am undertaking the PGCert course to develop my skills as a teacher in HE and apply enriching teaching content in practice. I’m also keen to observe myself as a learner but also reapply my academic and writing skills in a HE setting. I am beyond excited to push my own boundaries and stray far outside of my comfort zone to excel in my postgraduate studies.