1. Approaches to teaching Post Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in HE Module 401: Learning, Teaching & Assessment Dr Ian Willis Centre for Lifelong Learning Educational Development

2. What is good teaching? This is surprisingly hard to define What is good teaching in your discipline? Does it vary with level? With topic? If it varies, what are the commonalities in good teaching?

3. Approaches to teaching - outcomes Critically reflect on your own approach to teaching Discuss personal experiences in shaping approach to teaching Discuss departmental practice in shaping approach to teaching Relate own practice to theoretical perspectives Take forward ideas for inclusion in teaching dialogue and critical reflection

4. I think teaching is...... Complete this sentence 3-4 times – Think of a specific context – Setting/context alters responses There are NO right/wrongs in this Discuss in groups Look at the range What does this tell us about teaching?

5. Teaching is......... Imparting information Transmitting knowledge Facilitating learning Teacher is central, makes major decisions Changing conceptions Supporting student learning Negotiating meaning Encouraging knowledge creation Teaching seen as changing ways students perceive and use knowledge Carnell 2007 for summary, Samuelowicz & Bain 2001 (&1992) for original Finding is repeated in different terms in literature

6. Personal theories of teaching - Fox Four ‘concepts of teaching’ Transferring, shaping, travelling, growing Note: these are approaches NOT fixed types Discussion: Where is teacher’s focus in each case? What is expected of students? Which of these to you ‘recognise’? Note: Fox describes teaching by analogy – doesn’t define it Key Point: Lecturers have different (and often unspoken) conceptions of teaching; this affects learning Draw on different approaches in different contexts?

7. What about this? “Teaching is about the purposeful creation of situations from which motivated learners should not be able to escape without learning or developing” (John Cowan, 1998)

8. or “Teaching is not merely a cognitive act or simply a performance. It is relational, it involves relationships: self and others learners and knowledge affect and cognition (adapted, Edwards in Elaine Wilson 2004) May not appeal to everyone: it does highlight the elements involved, but without saying ‘what it is’

9. Conceptions about teaching in HE “There is little point in introducing teachers to new techniques if they clash with teachers’ beliefs about the nature and purpose of teaching and learning” (Knight, 2002, p118) Part of rationale for critical reflection on: personal teaching practice personal concepts of teaching, departmental culture /context ideas from the literature; Rather than a focus on ‘advanced techniques’ Key Point:

10. What shapes your approach to teaching How has your current approach to teaching been shaped by: Past learning, teaching and assessment experiences – Teach how you were taught Beliefs about the nature and purposes of L&T Assumptions and expectations of your students Assumptions and expectations of the dept / programme Personal feelings, confidence, agendas and aspirations Theories on learning and teaching??????? Discussion: What have been the key influences for you

11. Beliefs about teacher development Teachers are born not made All that is required is for the teacher to be an articulate academic in their discipline If teachers knew the correct techniques they would be good teachers. Teaching is an art not a science – to teach well is about performance based on developed interpersonal skills.

12. Beliefs implied in the reflective practice model Teaching is a complex activity Good teaching can be developed over time through experience Development requires a critical problem solving cycle Feedback from students and peers motivates change Self evaluation is crucially important Enhanced through dialogue Externalising reflection is useful (Beaty 2000) Key Point: Critical reflective practice can lead to changes in conceptions of teaching (do you agree??)

13. Exercise: conceptions of teaching Read the extracts from the interviews with lecturers A and E Describe the variation in what the teachers are focusing on Describe the variation in how they carry out what it is that they are trying to do Hand-out: Variation in teachers experience A & E Prosser and Trigwell (1999)

14. Approaches to teaching Five qualitatively different approaches ATeacher focused strategy - intention to transmit knowledge BTeacher focused strategy - intention that students acquire concepts of the discipline CTeacher/student interaction strategy - intention that students acquire concepts of the discipline DStudent focused strategy aimed at students developing their conceptions EStudents focused strategy aimed at students changing their conceptions Trigwell et al (1994)

15. Teachers adopt qualitatively different approaches to teaching

16. Different conceptions of teaching lead to different approaches Imparting information Transmitting knowledge Facilitating learning Changing student conceptions Supporting learning Negotiating meaning Encouraging knowledge creation Carnell 2007 Instruction (Teacher focused) Construction (Student focused) Two broad conceptions

17. Transmission model - 1 Little support as a successful learning method – on its own Based in times when lecturer was the source of knowledge Traditional: teacher / teaching centred Cost efficient; covers content; can be inspiring Instruction

18. Still widely practiced in a traditional passive format – Certainly has a place – Tends to be the default mode – What students see lecturers doing, so seen as most important part of teaching/learning process – Key activity for lecturers (it’s in the name!) – Plenty of ideas for making more active e.g. see Exley & Dennick, use of TEL Transmission model - 2 Instruction How do we / should we use contact time

19. Teaching for learning Focus is clearly on learning – What the students are doing is more important than what the teacher is doing Based on the idea that learning is an active process – See VITAL for ideas on making sessions more active – Role is to facilitate learning – Linked to Constructivist theories of learning Construction Discussion: How do you/colleagues facilitate active learning Does it ‘work’ Discussion: How do you/colleagues facilitate active learning Does it ‘work’

20. Teaching for transformation Raises fundamental questions about the purposes of universities and teaching Grand claim – maybe hard to enact regularly! – maybe an educational aspiration Aligns with Ron Barnett’s ideas of universities fostering ‘critical being’ Based on Mezirow (and in turn Habermas) See Stanford article in VITAL

21. So what is good teaching in HE? NB It’s really not that easy – but see: UK Professional Standards Framework (HEA website; PGCert handbook) How much does context effect teaching? – this is significant – how much do we effect our context? And how will we provide evidence of good or excellent teaching – Promotion!

22. The good Gange’s Nine steps of instruction Reflect (rate) yourself on how well you actually do on each item – Say 1-5, so you get a sense of comparison – You might be able to take ideas from here into your teaching dialogue or assignment Discuss in groups Identify good practice that you can adapt

23. Principles of practice underlying good T&L Teachers need to: 1.Become aware of the way they conceive of T&L within subjects taught 2.Examine carefully the context of teaching and how the context affects teaching 3.Become aware of how students perceive the T&L situation 4.Be developing teaching in light of developing awareness (Prosser & Trigwell, 1999, p160)

24. Reflecting on your department How would you describe the espoused approach to teaching – Evidence? How would you describe the actual approach to teaching – Evidence? Key Point: Based on the idea that our practice is heavily influenced by context/culture Do you agree?

25. Teaching The aim of teaching is simple: it is to make student learning possible (Ramsden 1992, p. 5) The aim of scholarly teaching is: to make transparent how we have made learning possible ( Martin, Prosser, Conrad, Trigwell, & Benjamin, 1998). (Cited in Healy 2000)

26. Variation in outcomes of scholarship of teaching (adapted) ActionIntended outcome Collect and read literature Know the literature Improve teaching Investigate own teaching and student learning Improve student learning Relate discipline knowledge to teaching and learning literature Improve student learning Communicate results of own work and existing literature Improve student learning generally Trigwell et al 2000 scholarship of teaching: a model - adapted

27. Levels of investigations (scholarship): purpose, process and outcomes of investigation LevelPurpose of investigation Evidence gathering methods and conclusions will be Investigation aimed at Example 1 To inform oneself Verified by selfPersonal knowledge Learning 2To inform a group within a shared context Verified by those within the same context Local knowledge Project Evaluation 3To inform a wider audience Verified by those outside of that context Public knowledge Research article 27 (Ashwin and Trigwell 2004)

28. Review, reflect, clarify Time to pause/ask anything about This session How it may relate to your first assignment

29. Bibliography Ashwin, P. and Trigwell, K. (2004) Investigating Educational Development, in Khan, P. and Baume, D. (eds) Enhancing Staff and Educational Development Beaty L. (2000) Presentation to ILTHE conference. No longer accessible Biggs & Tang (2011) Teaching for quality learning at university Carnell E. (2007) Conceptions of effective teaching in higher education: extending the boundaries. Teaching in Higher Education, 12, 25. Exley, K & Dennick, R (2004) Giving a lecture: From presenting to teaching Faculty Development Associates - http://www.developfaculty.com/online/index.html http://www.developfaculty.com/online/index.html Fry et al (2008) Handbook for teaching and learning in Higher Education: Enhancing academic practice Fry et al (2007) Understanding student learning. Chapter 2 in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Fox D (1983) Personal theories of teaching. Studies in Higher Education Vol 8,2 Gibbs G (2003) Presentation at ILT regional conference, York Healey (2000) Developing the Scholarship of Teaching in Higher Education: A discipline-based approach, Higher Education Research & Development, 19:2

30. Bibliography Hillier Y (2002) The quest for competence, good practice and excellence. HEA website – Resources Knight & Trowler (2000) Department level cultures and the improvement of L&T. Studies in Higher Education Vol 25 no 1 Knight P (2002) Being a teacher in Higher Education HEA Professional Standards http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/professionalstandards.htm http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/professionalstandards.htm Murphy E (1997) Constructivism: From Philosophy to practice http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/~elmurphy/emurphy/cle.html Postareff & Lindblowm-Ylanne (2008) Variation in teachers’ descriptions of teaching- Broadening the understanding of teaching in HE Prosser M & Trigwell K (1999) Understanding learning and teaching: The experience in HE Stewart (2014) Making sense of a teaching programme for university academics- Exploring the longer term effects Trigwell et al (2000) Scholarship of teaching: a model Trigwell (2006) Presentation at Lancaster University Trigwell, Prosser & Waterhouse (1999) Relations between teachers’ approaches to teaching and students’ approaches to learning. Higher Education 37 pp57 – 70.