Law

Make use of interest in the “real world” (Eke Bont)

I remember taking research methods classes in my undergraduate degree and finding them simultaneously dry and intimidating. Having to teach them myself this year, I found that using real-world examples in my teaching greatly motivated students and increased their enthusiasm. For example, I drew on my own recent PhD research experiences of interviewing former IRA members to give examples of common challenges such as in access to participants, gaining ethical approval, etc. This allowed for common research obstacles to become more “real”, as well as allowed them to get to know me better as a researcher who is also still learning the ropes rather than as just a teacher.

The students also practised a form of qualitative analysis on newspaper articles on a murder case. This particular exercise motivated much greater participation and engagement than in previous activities, and I could tell how much more enthusiastic they were in the class discussions that followed. Given that they were all criminology students, I attributed this change in engagement to the fact that they were excited about applying their new skills in research methods to a topic they were genuinely interested in. This shows the value of using real-world topics of interest in specific cohorts to transform a usually quite monotonous and dry task into something more exciting. Additionally, applying new skills/knowledge to real-world contexts allows students to recognise the value of what they are learning and how they might use it in the future, as well as encourages learning efficiency (Chew, 2013). Therefore, I will definitely continue to incorporate real-world topics of interest when designing activities, as it encourages student engagement and learning, and can be a great way to break the ice.  

Chew, S. L. (2013). Helping students to get the most out of studying. In V. A. Benassi, C. E. Overson, & C. M. Hakala (Eds.), Applying Science of Learning in Education: Infusing Psychological Science into the Curriculum (pp. 215–223). Division 2, American Psychological Association. http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/asle2014/index.php

Response

Thank you very much for drawing attention to the importance of using real-world examples and your own experiences! I teach research methods and statistics as well, and as you mentioned, I have also found that providing examples from my own research makes students more excited about the topic, which can otherwise be quite boring. I moreover talked to them about my own struggles with statistics, from when I was an undergraduate, and they seemed to appreciate the honesty and believe in their own skills more. (Gaia Giampietro, Psychology)

Response: 

Thank you for this  - I think your insights are invaluable and sadly have hit upon the zeitgeist. For many 'the troubles' were consigned to history but with the prospect of The Good Friday Agreement being abandoned, we are faced with countenancing political violence in Northern Ireland again. Your experience with the former IRA members has led to making the abstract, real. And this is a core lesson for criminology too. Criminal law is made real through the analyses of actual cases and each of these gains gravitas every time they are used as precedent. They are real then, also through continuous use. Criminology is abstract by definition. It is the study of the nature, extent, aetiology and control of law breaking behaviour. Getting students to apply real world circumstances is a brilliant  way of getting to the crux of it. Can it really be considered science if we are studying human nature? Is it a discipline on its own or only when tethered to other socio-politico or legal constructs? Can it be value - neutral? Is it really critical? Each of those questions can be considered in the light of how a crime (murder in your sessions) has been considered in the media rather than in dry black-letter  legal reports.

(1) The Criminology Theory Reader (1998) Eds. Henry, S. Einstadter, W.

Kish Alam (English)

Beyond the tutor notes (Victoria Adkins)

Having never taught in higher education before, I was nervous about my role as a seminar tutor/facilitator and how I would be perceived by the students. However, over time and having had the opportunity to get to know the students a little more, I realised that I did in fact have more to offer than “facilitation”.

I was open with the students that I was a PhD student at Royal Holloway and soon, once they became comfortable, they began to ask about my research. As the students seemed quite intrigued by our shared “student” status, I also began to refer to my own professional experience during teaching. The module was based on Professional and Legal Skills, with a particular focus on self-reflection. Rather than simply telling the students that self-reflection is important, I told them about the requirements of self-reflection that I had to meet during my time in employment, by way of performance reviews. I found that by making this link between their learning and a real-life example, students were more engaged with the material and with me. 

I also felt that this helped me build rapport with the students (perhaps I suddenly became more human than teacher?!) The most rewarding of this rapport building was when students would wait after class to ask questions about my path to the PhD, including my previous employment. I found that students have lots of access to CV building exercises, the do’s and don’ts of interviews and the entry requirements for courses, however they do not necessarily have access to real life stories of career and educational paths. Except actually they do…

…every individual they are being taught by has come to their position from a unique path and no doubt has collected some interesting stories along the way. So, my “innovative” offering for this platform is quite simple…we have a lot to offer beyond the tutor notes in front of us and we can use our experience to build rapport with students and as a result enhance their learning. 

Response

I have found your reflection incredibly striking and something that has mapped onto my experience in higher education teaching. At first, I was also reluctant to reveal my status as a PhD student. I was anxious that my students would feel that my seminars were less valuable than those taught by senior academics. However, once my students learnt that I exist as both a RHUL student and member of staff, the levels of engagement within my seminar increased. I absolutely feel that being open with the students put them at ease, and helped to build my rapport with all members of the class. (Briony Hughes, English)

I very much appreciated your personal experience on this matter. I definitely agree with you that we are on a unique path and everu individual has something different to offer. I think building rapports is immensely important. I very much enjoyed reading this. Farah Akthar (Department of Psychology)

Thank you very much for drawing attention to such an excellent point! Students (especially at a university level) are often thirsty to learn about the real-world and teachers could facilitate their understanding and access to the inner workings of employment. Even though it seems obvious that every teacher has their own experience, path and stories, new teachers are often overwhelmed and unsure on how much they should share. I have also found that self-reflection and rapport building could be useful in the classroom environment and result in more engaging and interactive sessions. However, when sharing stories “beyond the tutor notes”, teachers should be very careful not to violate any ethical issues by exposing confidential information on organisations, events, individuals, etc. (Mikaella Milikouri, Management)

I completely agree, and echo the points made in this post. I think from my experience both as a student, and as someone with a bit (but not a lot!)  of experience of teaching/tutoring, it's very important to establish good rapport with the students. As you have mentioned, it is important that the students see the teacher just like a fellow human being, capable of making mistakes who has gone through the same journeys as the students. By doing this, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated and honest when approaching their learning. However, this also provides a challenge for the teacher, where their authority is not undermined and they are not seen as "friends", which may lead to some ethical/safe-guarding issues. Finding the balance is important to maximise a healthy and effective learning environment. (Nali Moftizadeh, Psychology). 

Thank you very much for sharing your experience in "humanising" the classroom experience and making it more relatable to the students. As I have shared on here, students do not just want to be one of many. They want to feel noticed and their views valued. While our experiences can help build this rapport, their experiences which they opt to share with us and their colleagues in the sessions can also strengthen the rapport. It is a two-way street of great value! (Kenneth Ghartey, Law)

Teaching by facilitating questions (Emese Szász)

Questions play an important role in and facilitate discussion and dialogue and, therefore, are an essential part of teaching and learning, as well (Benson, 2018). While there is much attention paid to getting students to answer questions in class, getting students to ask good questions, however, is commonly less emphasized and understudied. Furthermore, even when questions are encouraged by teachers, it is especially challenging for staff to facilitate questions which goes beyond simply fact questions which could be easily googled (Benson, 2018). But what techniques can help teachers to get students to come up with good questions? 

First, there is an increasing tendency nowadays to replace “Are there any questions?” with “What are your questions?”. I find this a useful and easy technique as a first step to start with. Asking “What are your questions?” takes students’ questions granted and, therefore, makes questions and discussions as a natural and organic part of the class and the learning process. 

Second, facilitating “why” questions is also beneficial. “Why” questions not only require and mobilise higher-level cognitive skills, such as creation and evaluation (Bloom, 1956), but it also easier to receive a longer and more comprehensive answer, which otherwise would be hard to look up. This also shows students in a good light, as these questions demonstrate understanding of the material and are considered creative; and they are not easily to find, as the answers might be sometimes subjective, practice-orientated and complex.

Third, the aim is to get all students to participate. Two creative techniques I have seen in adult teaching were especially beneficial. Faculty had received the critique that they had chosen repeatedly the same participants to speak in discussions. Following up on the feedback, staff decided to give a paper for everyone to write questions throughout the session and hand it over to the staff who then randomly answered the most relevant questions without knowing who wrote them. Another example they used were a small voting machine given to everyone so that participants could vote for several options by pressing the appropriate buttons. Results then would be automatically generated and presented on the screen. I found these techniques better than for example using ‘Mentimeter’ or other quizzes on mobile phones where participants might also be distracted by news/messages.  

References:

• Bloom, B.S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. New York, NY: Longmans, Green.

• Benson, S. (2018). How to Use Questions to Promote Student Learning. In: The Scholarly Teacher. https://www.scholarlyteacher.com/post/using-questions-for-student-learning

Response

Your post is a good example of how teachers can facilitate student-centred learning. If students are able to ask questions independently, they will be able to lead seminar discussions and develop their ability to appraise the seminar materials critically. Furthermore, if a significant part of the seminar is devoted to students’ questions, it will help to ensure more influence of students over the curriculum, as students’ questions will determine the topics for discussion in each seminar. In my seminars, I would like to try your suggestion on distributing the paper where students may write their questions.  I feel that such an approach may help students who feel uncomfortable about asking questions in broader group discussions. Another approach I remember from my own studies is to encourage students to submit questions to the readings before the class as a form of a pre-class exercise. Asking good questions is quite challenging and requires time. If students have time before the class to come up with questions, they will be more confident about asking them in class, and the discussion will be more focused on the thought-out criticism of the material being studied. (Zhamilya Mukasheva, Politics and International Relations)

Taking Advantage of Student Relationships to Increase Attendance (Khadijah Na'eem)

A problem I faced during the teaching of an undergraduate essay based seminar was an unspoken consensus among students that they did not need to attend all or even most of the sessions. I am sure students had worked out that they only needed to attend sessions relevant to their essay. That problem was exacerbated by teacher strikes, fear over covid-19 before classes were moved online and most significantly, being occupied with their assignment deadlines which were during term time.

I have been thinking considerably about what to do about this problem for next year. I began suggesting to a senior colleague that attendance seminars be made compulsory when he made a suggestion. He told me to set presentations to students during the first session when attendance is likely to be high. Working in pairs or groups, students would take turns to present for 10 minutes at the beginning of each seminar. The presentation could be on a simple topic that introduced the sessions topic and discussion. He suggested that using this strategy would result in an unspoken obligation between students to attend each others presentations, ie. if student Y had attended student X’s presentation, student X would feel a responsibility to attend student Y’s presentation in order to return the favour. In this way, I could improve attendance without making students feel like they are being forced to come. It would also mean students improve their group work and presentation skills as they prepare for their presentation slots.

I do not know whether this is going to work, but I am excited to try it for next year!

Skills Development through Curriculum Design (Ayodeji Ogunrotifa) 

The teaching of the Introduction to Criminology seminar for first year undergraduates during the last term has enabled me to apply my collaborative teaching philosophy that encourages or challenges students to work up to their potential and to relate theory with practice in social life. To facilitate the collaborative learning approach, I allowed some time for the students to engage in hand-on exercises, actively participate in small group and class discussions, including using Question & Answer techniques, and ensured that the students interacted with me on a one-on-one basis during the class. 

By splitting the students into small groups in my teaching, it has enabled students to learn from each other’s pool of knowledge and skills, as both the shy and vocal students were able to collaborate and discuss their allocated topics together in a group way. Putting those shy students into small groups where they would be engaging with vocal students, has helped to stimulate them into the art of conversations and brought them out of their comfort zones. As the Criminology course seminar was structured to facilitate shared learning experiences for students across all seminar groups, sixteen students were divided into four groups and were asked to undertake presentations on four criminological topics for four consecutive weeks. This presentation afforded the students the opportunity to present their ideas individually to the class audience as part of the group they belonged and demonstrated their understanding of the course. At the end of the presentation, one experience that I found interesting was that skills development should not only be central to collaborative learning but be rooted at the heart of curriculum design.

I realised that communication skills, analytical skills, problem-solving skills, presentation skills are of critical importance to the students’ academic development but are lacking as far as the presentation suggests. It is my position that the first-year students should be more exposed to skills development earlier in their university education. However, the seminars do not give space for the development of these skills. The problem lies not only in the way seminars are organised and structured but the way in which the curriculum for some courses are designed. If University education is to rise to the challenges of skills deficit in this new decade, pedagogical approaches that prioritise skills development should be accorded a fifty percent priority in curriculum/course design. 

Response:

The information provided here demonstrates a new way to approach teaching other than the conventional ways. I enjoy reading this post and I learnt a lot from it, as it affords me the opportunity to see skill development as part of teaching, and to consider skills development as a significant part of curriculum development. This is also useful in bringing the best out of students. Maud  Kai Korley ( School of Management)

Relating to students in different teaching capacities (Anna Davies) 

This academic year has marked the start of my teaching career, and it has been quite a varied experience. I have taught a combination of classes; from freshers who have just arrived in an intense induction course, to a number of cover lessons for staff on sick leave, and in the spring term I taught consistently on two courses. This has given me a wide range of experience to learn from, and has shown me how classroom dynamics change depending on the experience of the class, how well you know them, and how well they know each other. 

For instance, with my fresher groups, I was aware that this was a completely new experience for them, and that they were still getting to know one another. So, I made sure I had allocated time for ice-breakers. These were simple exercises such as going around the room, saying their name, where they are from, and what they are looking forward to most at university, for instance. This seemed to help the class relax, and generally set a constructive tone to take the class forward.

I have tried to take this forward with all my new classes. However, it has been more difficult to implement when I only have a class once or twice, for instance when covering sick leave. It is also easy to take for granted when taking second years, who are already familiar with each other. I realised this can somewhat place the teacher on the back foot, in contrast to teaching freshers who also are all new. Therefore, I realised that it is good practice to keep up momentum with these ice-breaker exercises in the class, not only for the benefit of students, (new and experienced) but to help myself understand where the students are coming from. Later in the term, I found that repeating the exercise (in a less static form - perhaps adapted to “what you are enjoying about the course so far”) helped the students to warm up, but also helped me to gauge where they are at in terms of developing their confidence and engagement. 

In summary I think a lot can be said for taking those 5 minutes to establish/maintaining a relationship with the class, as the responses and engagement during the class was always improved when this occurred. This isn’t particularly revolutionary, but when covering sick leave or jumping into teaching a new topic for the first time it can be easy to forget and take for granted.