Big thanks to everyone who has got back to me, and yes, I will make this available to everyone who wants a copy. Too many people to mention, but quick few feedback comments.
Yes, 77 things is a lot, but in reality it’s only 11 things, and they are to explore over an extended period. And thanks for the endorsement on the desire to move away from `tips and tricks’ – there are many –very good- books on this, and I wanted to widen the scope with this and think about some of the deeper issues at stake. But thanks for the Mortiboys reference; that should be on everyone’s shelf – indeed, it’s on mine and I forgot about it! Yes, I missed the inter-cultural context, but I probably shouldn’t try to be exhaustive – and some of the more procedural matters might be best left alone – partly because they often demand compliance within particular organisational contexts.
And I love those comments on what should be on the classic book list! My original list had Friere, Postman and Pirsig, but in the end I stuck with books which directly relate to higher education – except Dewey (who replaced Pirsig) just because of the general appeal. For what it’s worth a book that really influenced me when I was an undergraduate was `Letter to a Teacher’ from the school of Barbiana, in Italy, which is now available on the web – if you don’t know it, just google it to get the pdf.
And big thanks to those who contacted me from outside the UK. I wrote this with a British audience in mind, but it could easily be tweaked to have a wider appeal – e.g. reference to NSS could also include NSSE in the US, etc., etc.
I imagined I would use it mainly with PhD students and those very new to teaching, and in anticipation of them joining the PG Cert HE community at my place, but thanks to those who felt that anyone could benefit from this in any CPD/ on-going dialogogic context. I’m also very tempted to keep including examples of each point, but feel I may lose the impact – so, desperately trying to keep it short and sweet, and leaving exemplification for discussion amongst groups, and for quite reflection.
And I seriously hope that no one is seeing this a `bluffers’ guide or `checklist’, and apologies if it looks like that. My intention was the exact opposite – to encourage debate, reflection and interrogation of the issue-nature of HE teaching. Indeed, if you will, to emphasise the art rather than science in teaching; the moral rather than the technical; to encourage on-going experimentation, and as an exhortation to partake in the battle of ideas at the heart of HE.
But, as ever, I offer this only as a simple tool to be used in whatever context people feel comfortable using it. But I loved that idea of collecting experienced practitioners views, and perhaps I could add a sentence to invite some on-going on-line discussion on what is being provoked by it????
Any other comments will be gratefully received, and I will get it polished shortly. I will turn into a pdf – keeping the one page format for each section – and also have some hard copy leaflets made up
Thanks again
John
John Lea
Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit
Canterbury Christ Church University
North Holmes Road, Canterbury, CT1 1QU
Telephone: 01227 767700 ext 3850
PGCLT(HE) administrator:
Nicky Galer [log in to unmask]
Telephone: 01227 782952
|