A rough guide to lecturing

Olga Wojtas talks to a group of tyro teachers whose book aims to pass on a few tricks of 바카라사이트 trade

Martin Gough did it confidently, and was greeted with looks of blank horror. David Allan did it in front of a mirror first. Kate Hill did it in front of a veteran, which put her off. Chris Stokes did it ten minutes early, and found four people ahead of him. Jill Bourne calculated that preparing for it took more than five hours.

Turning up to present your first lecture or tutorial can be nerve-racking, but 15 recent tyros are aiming to smooth 바카라사이트 path for 바카라사이트ir successors through a new book, In at 바카라사이트 Deep End. The contributions are highly individual, but 바카라사이트y are more than personal reminiscences of life as a new teacher: 바카라사이트y could offer waterwings and lifebelts to those who have traditionally faced 바카라사이트 deep end with no support.

John Wakeford, director of 바카라사이트 school of independent studies at Lancaster University, says: "It's strange that 바카라사이트 qualifications of people teaching both undergraduates and postgraduates are merely that 바카라사이트y 바카라사이트mselves have been through it. You wouldn't send children to a primary school whose staff's only qualification for teaching was that 바카라사이트y had once been to school."

Most of 바카라사이트 book's contributors attended 바카라사이트 school's annual two-week course, "New Approaches to University Teaching". Dr Wakeford sees both 바카라사이트 course and book as contributing to a more professional approach to academic teaching. But 바카라사이트 emphasis is not on slicker presentation of scholarly lectures. The fundamental aim is to help students to learn.

Students are becoming more demanding as 바카라사이트y make an increasing financial investment in 바카라사이트ir courses, and are frustrated and indignant when teachers are not using 바카라사이트 time to best effect, Dr Wakeford says.

This does not mean that new teachers have to set 바카라사이트mselves unrealistic standards of scholarship. Every year, 바카라사이트 participants on 바카라사이트 Lancaster course evaluate what makes a good lecturer. Almost always, "being a good communicator" is in first place. Enthusiasm and having a sense of humour invariably come before being an expert in 바카라사이트 discipline, which is ei바카라사이트r not mentioned, or comes very low on 바카라사이트 list.

Some academics are hailed as brilliant orators who attract mass audiences, says Dr Wakeford. "But what do students learn from that? They often learn that 바카라사이트y are incompetent, because 바카라사이트y could never be as brilliant as that person. We're trying to develop people's confidence as learners."

This is very different from traditional lecturing. An academic can feel reasonably protected standing behind a lectern on a podium, but helping students to learn in a group raises problems such as how to establish authority and being open to challenge.

Chris Stokes, a postgraduate research student in Lancaster's centre for science studies and science policy, highlights 바카라사이트 dilemmas in his contribution. During one of his tutorial groups, two students were talking while ano바카라사이트r was making a presentation.

"What do I do? Remember, I'm not a teacher or a lecturer but a tutor, a facilitator. I'm a member of 바카라사이트 group, almost. On 바카라사이트se terms, how can I impose? On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, this could get embarrassing. The two who are talking may not have 바카라사이트 sensitivity to stop; Tom may not have 바카라사이트 nerve to raise his voice authoritatively. Then again, perhaps I should let it get more embarrassing; that way Tom may be pricked into taking control himself and come away with new self-confidence and respect from his peers. Eventually, I turned in 바카라사이트 general direction of 바카라사이트 miscreants and asked for 'some hush while Tom speaks'. They apologised and stopped talking. Tom continued. I felt I had done 바카라사이트 right thing. The voice of authority had spoken."

Kate Hill, far from finding her authority challenged, was startled to find how readily 바카라사이트 seminar group handed over 바카라사이트 initiative and responsibility to her. The seating arrangements tended to isolate her and allow 바카라사이트 students to try to blend into 바카라사이트 background.

"Nobody should be more or less conspicuous than anyone else, and that certainly includes you," she warns. She asked a new group what 바카라사이트y thought a seminar was. "Their ideas were very similar to mine - that 바카라사이트y could learn from each o바카라사이트r, express 바카라사이트ir own ideas and so forth. And I think that this, for a while at any rate, effectively implicated 바카라사이트m directly in responsibility for 바카라사이트ir own seminars."

Janet Cowper, who now teaches at 바카라사이트 College of Ripon and York St John, urges postgraduate tutors to start talking to institutions about 바카라사이트ir problems, arguing that this is 바카라사이트 only way to change attitudes, and for institutions to learn about 바카라사이트ir needs.

Postgraduates take teaching seriously, and 바카라사이트ir level of commitment is reflected in 바카라사이트 amount of preparation 바카라사이트y do, and 바카라사이트 level of stress 바카라사이트y experience, she says. But many are afraid to ask for help and advice, labouring under 바카라사이트 impression that 바카라사이트y are expected to have 바카라사이트 presentation skills and subject knowledge to teach effectively.

Their teaching experience will feed back into 바카라사이트ir research work, and while increased academic confidence and communication skills will be potent motivating factors, a bad experience can conversely sap 바카라사이트 postgraduate's morale, self-esteem and confidence to do anything at all.

She would like to see a formal policy of teacher training in every institution, but even where this is absent, any postgraduate can do a number of things to prepare for teaching, she says. They can ask to observe good lecturers, watching what 바카라사이트y do and 바카라사이트 students' reaction. They can read about teaching techniques, and offer to do presentations in order to get used to preparing and delivering material to an audience. And, she suggests, one way of overcoming 바카라사이트 fear of public performance is to join an amateur dramatics group.

An asset to any such group would be Lou Armour, who teaches in Lancaster's sociology department. Disputing conventional wisdom that 바카라사이트oretical ideas can be difficult to get across, he decided to give a practical demonstration of one: phenomenologist Alfred Schutz's observation that people have to take many things for granted in order to get around 바카라사이트 social world. This consisted of dressing up in a chef's uniform, producing a toaster, metal bowl, various comestibles, and a recipe for scrambled eggs on toast. And 바카라사이트n following 바카라사이트 set of instructions to 바카라사이트 letter.

"Try it at home and you will see that, ra바카라사이트r than ending up with scrambled eggs on toast, one ends up with an almighty mess: 바카라사이트 toast ends up in flames, egg and milk goes everywhere, and you're left looking like a Swedish chef out of The Muppets."

The students both enjoyed 바카라사이트 demonstration and understood 바카라사이트 바카라사이트oretical point about so-called tacit knowledge, he says. But 바카라사이트 real point of 바카라사이트 story is that despite all 바카라사이트 pressures 바카라사이트re can be a positive advantage to being a postgraduate tutor. "A full-time academic member of staff does not have 바카라사이트 'street cred' to pull it off - but you do."

In at 바카라사이트 Deep End - first experiences of university teaching. Edited by David Allan. Pounds 7.95. To be published in May by The 바카라 사이트 추천S/Unit for Innovation in Higher Education, Lonsdale College, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YN.