Spotlight on the Associate Teachers course

Beverley Tarquini attended the Associate Teachers course in Semester 2 of 2004/5. Now, a year later, Jude Carroll asks her to look back on the impact of a structured programme on her thinking and her teaching. Beverley teaches in the Department of Publishing in the School of Arts and Humanities.

JC: When did you start teaching at Brookes?

BT: In September 2004 as an Associate Lecturer. Before that, my experience of any kind of teaching had been limited to internal and external conference presentations, running author seminars and nurturing and mentoring younger colleagues. I was aware that I needed to 'hit the ground running' and learn quickly.

JC: So, how did you first develop your ideas around teaching?

BT: I was fortunate to join a friendly and supportive department with lots of enthusiasm and an excellent team spirit. I worked particularly closely with two experienced colleagues. They supported me well, generously sharing their teaching tips and easing me gently into my role. I started out supervising small numbers of students in seminars then progressed to making presentations to groups of around fifty. Without this support, what was initially quite a daunting experience would have been potentially terrifying.

JC: What were the next steps for you as a Brookes teacher?

BT: Learning by observing others is helpful to an extent but I also felt the need to find out about specific teaching techniques. I also found the role of Associate Lecturer (where I was teaching for only two afternoons per week) occasionally isolating, and jumped at the chance to join the in-house Associate Teachers Course. [Note: this is an eight-week series of workshops and the chance to gain accreditation by creating a portfolio. It is offered to all staff at Brookes who teach but have less than a .5 contract as a lecturer].

JC: What happened for you on the AT course?

BT: The eight three hour sessions were both informative and fun and the icebreakers were particularly effective. To our enormous relief, we were not obliged to hug complete strangers in these sessions and play strange games for the sake of it but to experiment with different ideas in a variety of situations. An unexpected benefit from the course was the new contacts I made from a range of different disciplines; most of us were only just starting out in any sort of teaching and were not always fully integrated within departments. We felt at ease to raise any issues, either within the session or often with others over coffee. I have stayed in touch with several members of the course and we meet regularly to discuss our teaching development and share common experiences.

JC: Any impact on your teaching?

BT: Lots. For example, it never occurred to me before the course that keeping up with the latest teaching theories and thinking about ways they might improve my teaching could be important. And the value of group work. I had already recognised some of the benefits but working in groups myself on the course showed me the value of utilising different experiences and expertise. It reminded me about ensuring the quieter members feel appreciated and included.

Then there was the idea about different types of marking. It gave me a wider perspective and reassured me I was on the right track. Maybe the biggest change was the idea of not overloading sessions. Yes, have plenty of activities to break up the afternoon and keep levels of interest high but not too much content.

JC: What are you thinking about now as an Associate Teacher?

BT: I need to be proactive, talk to colleagues, not risk feelings of isolation although I am very lucky. I could talk to anyone in my department if I have concerns. Others may not be so fortunate.