Welcome to my reflections blog.
Below, you will find my response to the peer-observed teaching briefing.
Using the menu at the top right, you can select ‘cross-course reflections‘ and ‘seminar reflections‘ to view eight additional posts.
A quick introduction to me and my teaching practice: I am an Academic Support Lecturer at London College of Communication, providing embedded teaching for Screen School and Pre-Degree. I also provide tutorial and open access support to all students.
Outside of work, I live in Greenwich with my partner and our two naughty (but loveable) dogs.
Peer-observed teaching briefing: response
The briefing: 19th January 2022
During the course of the briefing session, I felt increasingly excited about the chance to open dialogues around my teaching. I still feel like I’m so early on in my journey, I’m hungry for development.
The 2004 fictional example of teaching we reflected on in session was very jarring, and I found myself having an emotional response to it. I’ve encountered a number of ‘Stephanie’ and ‘Max’ sub-types in my time, and I’m continually incredulous that they still exist today. It is such a privilege to teach, and the ego must be decentralised. It is damaging for students to exist in those environments – that reluctance to challenge the status quo, that positioning of the educator as an omniscient leader here to fill up the student vessels with their knowledge. It’s encouraged me to reflect on what I actually ENJOY about teaching, and – it transpires – it’s being part of a learning community. That use of the word ‘community’ is deeply intentional, not just to mimic the phrase we find in our quality documents or strategy papers. I am part of a community that, at its most basic, is inquisitive. Students and staff who want to debate, analyse, criticise, disrupt, agree, grow, reconsider – time and again. It’s a beautifully iterative process, and I thrive in that continuously evolving space. To think of an educator, or learner, as stagnant? It’s such a waste for the individuals and the wider world.
It’s a big step to truly embrace the ‘community’ in our practice. The memory of the first time I presented LOs at the top of the class and then – sheepishly – offered, ‘and would you like to add anything else?’…is seared in my mind! Being comfortable to exist in a space of uncertainty, to curate that learning space as a true democracy, to remove the safety net of proactivity and make peace with reactivity and dialogue. That’s teaching. And it’s completely brilliant.
My group’s provocation and my response is here:
https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=224394#p254677