So, what really makes a good GEES lecturer

1
So, what really makes a good GEES lecturer?

• Paul Wright
• Southampton Solent University

2
What our students say about us

• Paul Wright
• Southampton Solent University

3
Never ask the GEES office a question!

• Paul Wright
• Southampton Solent University

4
Teaching Excellence

• Lubin and Prosser (1994)
• does not imply that good teaching always
  results in high quality student learning but that
  it is designed to do so and that it is practised
  in a way likely to lead to high quality .
• NTFS criteria (from Gibbs and Habeshaw, 2003)
• .an ongoing engagement with the scholarship of
  learning and teaching, an understanding of how
  students learn, a promotion of interactivity, and
  all round enhancement of student learning.

5
Things that I know!

• Students perceptions of the learning context
  predicates their approaches to learning
• Good learning outcomes are achieved by active
  engagement with the learning process
• Learning is promoted through engagement with the
  real world

6
Responses and methodology

• The question changed! Emphasis on what makes a
  good lecturer, rather than a good learning
  experience.
• Does not seem to make any differences as other
  Subject Centres reported similar themes.
• Mix of students
• 19 responses, both pre and post 1992 universities
  taking part.
• 6 essays from Level 1, 4 from level 2, 8 from
  Level 3, and one MSc student.
• Thirteen responses came from female students.
• 5 geology students, 8 geographers, 3
  environmental scientists, and 3 combined majors
  contributed.
• Process
• Essays were made anonymous, and then mixed at
  random and coded.
• There were over 200 or so codings all identifying
  some aspect of teaching, or the teacher, that the
  students perceived as good.
• Thematic analysis

7
(No Transcript)
8
Interpretive Framework
9
Type I Focus on what a good teacher is

• 80 responses from 205 codings
• Character traits of a good lecturer.
• Students were all basically equal, and the
  efficacy of the teacher was based upon the person
  they were, rather than the things they did.
• Students ready to be taught.
• Teacher as edutainer.

10
Type I Focus on what a good teacher is

• Most important Accessible, enthusiastic,
  passionate, humorous.
• Clear sense that we need to be inspiring.
• The idea of a stage performance is important
  theyre not called lecture theatres for nothing!
• Being a human, not just a lecturer also makes a
  good lecturer it is important that lecturers do
  not become rigid automatons.
• A good lecturer is not something which can be
  produced, trained or practiced..You can hear it
  in their voice you cannot read it from a handout

11
Type II Focus on what a good teacher does

• Over half the responses included, but no
  predominant themes
• Implication of what happens out front.
• Three of the more important issues
• Relates theory to real life experiences using,
  for example, anecdote
• Good delivery, diction, and pacing, with
  appropriate handouts, visuals, and web support
• Has an open door policy in order to deal with us
  individually

12
Type II Focus on what a good teacher does

• There were photos of snow-capped Annapurnas in
  Nepal and orogenesis seemed to take on a new
  light
• If at any point.any of us experience problems,
  the department offer an open door policy.Believe
  me, this makes all the difference
• The delivery issues were about communication in
  class, materials for revision, and support for
  work outside of class.

13
Type III Focus on what a good teacher gets us
to do

• 25 responses only!
• Issues of
• Debate and testing ones assumptions
• Dialogue and conversation
• Fieldwork and experiential learning
• Acknowledgement that better learning is
  stimulated by
• Students thinking and speaking for themselves
• Building frameworks by which they can do so
• Teachers caring about the answers
• Nothing to do with oration or Powerpoint!

14
Type III Focus on what a good teacher gets us
to do

• Student input and discussion are fruitful.
  Dictatorial lecturers who impose their views
  without the opportunity for rapport cause
  resentment
• A third year module that finished at Christmas
  changed everything I knew about not only
  geography, but learning as a processWithout
  doubt, its the single most beneficial academic
  experience I will take away with me into the big
  wide world.
• Attaching information to an experience weve had
  is an unbeatable teaching tool
• The social side of lecturers is brought out on
  field excursions..you still cannot help but
  learn more about your discipline

15
Implications Type I

• Can I inspire anyone when teaching Research
  Methods?
• Im grumpy sometimes!
• How do I develop colleagues?
• What about the students? How/when do they try and
  make meaning?
• So what is the student view of learning?

16
Implications Type II

• Expectations of students and institutions
• Opportunities (time) for staff? Focus on more
• An acknowledgement that staff are trying to adapt
  and help as many as possible?
• Development is easy tactics important!
• What about the students? How/when do they try and
  make meaning? What are they doing?

17
Implications Type III

• Environment for constructing meaning and
  validation
• Powerful and articulate understanding of how
  learning works best for them
• Conceptual change? From ready to be taught to
  wanting to learn?
• Responsibility shared
• Focus on different NOT more (Not doing things
  better, but doing better things)
• If this is Excellent Teaching, why do so few
  identify it as either happening or useful?

18
The lecturer as human

• Predominant Theme
• Type I Being funny and personable
• Type II Being concerned and accessible whenever
  possible
• Type III talking to and with us, and being
  concerned about our answers.
• Why the concern?
• Do prior experiences or expectations stop them
  seeing us this way?
• Do we not act this way, so create barriers to
  them seeing us this way?
• Do we hold power over them that stops them
  seeing us this way?

19
Conclusions

• We say know what good teaching is all about
• Students define this in a large number of ways
• Lots describe the way the teacher is
• Most describe what the teacher does
• A few describe how teachers get students to
  actively engage with the curriculum
• We might argue that the last of these is truly
  excellent
• If so, then the challenge is clear