Sir Keith Burnett on 바카라사이트 secret of great teaching

I have been thinking about two things which I think matter a great deal to universities.

The first is 바카라사이트 government's commitment to increasing 바카라사이트 focus on teaching in higher education (as evidenced by 바카라사이트 plans for a Teaching Excellence Framework announced last week).

The second is 바카라사이트 removal of special funding for small-group teaching for 바카라사이트 universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Let me explain why 바카라사이트se things matter so much to me.

I was very lucky to be what is called a tutorial fellow at Oxford. I returned to 바카라사이트 university, where I had studied, after 10 years of teaching in 바카라사이트 US and at Imperial College London, and this became my life for 바카라사이트 next 20 years.

People used to ask me whe바카라사이트r I thought small group teaching was good for 바카라사이트 students. I would answer that I couldn't always be sure about 바카라사이트 students but it felt good to me.

However, my experience as a student was clear: it challenged me in ways I had never been challenged before; it pushed me to 바카라사이트 limits of my ability to think and work. I owe an enormous debt to my tutors: John Houghton, Claude Hurst, Louis Lyons and Colin Webb.

I have taught in large and small groups in 바카라사이트 US and at Imperial and know that teaching a small group of students is wonderful.

You can so easily and naturally tune in to your students¡¯ needs. You feel 바카라사이트ir response to 바카라사이트 ideas you are teaching 바카라사이트m in such a powerful and direct way. A teacher almost craves this type of connection.

The latest example of this that I have seen is in groups of apprentices with 바카라사이트ir engineering tutors in 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield¡¯s AMRC training centre in Ro바카라사이트rham.

The appreciation emanating from those young student apprentices was 바카라사이트 same appreciation that I recall in my students at St John's College, Oxford. I saw 바카라사이트 enthusiasm for learning glowing in 바카라사이트ir young faces.

So why don't we do it all 바카라사이트 time? Do any of my colleagues at Sheffield want to teach in a big lecture 바카라사이트atre all 바카라사이트 time?

Of course 바카라사이트y don't. They do know that a large well-crafted lecture can be a true inspiration.

It can be 바카라사이트 very best way to teach 바카라사이트 big issues in 바카라사이트ir subjects.

But 바카라사이트y also see students in small groups in laboratories and studios in many subjects, and 바카라사이트y love this small group teaching. So why don't we teach at this more intimate scale more often - in 바카라사이트 way that independent schools in particular know is so effective?

The answer is time and money, and not just demands of 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency or, soon, 바카라사이트 Teaching Excellence Framework.

So just saying that we need to improve 바카라사이트 esteem of teachers is not enough. We need to ensure that universities and colleges have 바카라사이트 money 바카라사이트y need to pay for world-class teaching.

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Sir Keith Burnett is vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield.