For our first cohort session, we reviewed some quotes from well know academic practitioners and writers, and asked to select in quotes that resonated with us in our groups of 2/3 people. We chose:

‘If students’ initial ideas and belief are ignored, the understanding that the develop can be very different’

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A. L., and Cocking, R. R. (Eds). 2000. How People Learn:
Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. National Academy Press: Washington D.C. p.10.

In our group, we all had different responses to the quote but essentially with the same meaning: teachers have to meet students where they are at regarding their ideas, thoughts, beliefs and aspirations and work together from there. Connecting with students has to be a key component of effective teaching, otherwise, there will be lots of room for misunderstanding.

The following quote baffled us and seemed somewhat in appropriate:

‘In its earliest conception, erotic potency was not confined to sexual power but included the moving force that propelled every life-form from a state of mere potentiality to actuality. Given that critical pedagogy seeks to transform…to some extent it must rely on the presence of the erotic in the classroom’

hooks, b. 1994. Teaching to Transgress. Routledge: London. P.194

I was very dismissive of the quote at the time perhaps due to the competition for attention it had with other quotes or perhaps because the idea of the erotic in the classroom seemed to be something I could not relate to. And then, we were told that that quote had been from ‘Teaching to Transgress’ by bell hooks, which I have actually read. It had become unfamiliar to me out of context, or perhaps it was an indication that I need to re-visit again to go deeper into what it was trying to teach. Re-visiting the quote, I was reminded of ideas from another feminists writer, Simone de Beauvoir, about transcendence and immanence. In her book, ‘The Second Sex’, she states that what sets humans apart from other mammals (or life-forms) is the ability to transcend challenges posed by nature and our environment through striving and innovation. Erotic could therefore be replaced with passion, drive, purpose or transcendence – reaching and exceeding one’s potential. I think what bell hooks is saying is that fostering critical thinking requires the presence of transcendence in the classroom. Going beyond the generally accepted knowledge.

Later in the session, we presented the teaching materials that we have developed as part of our course to our group for discussion. Interestingly, the layout or template of the studio brief had been developed by the Stage Leaders and not by myself nor co-tutor, although we had produced the content. The feedback received from my group recommended rearrangement of the headings, so I didn’t feel that l I necessary got a lot out of that task in terms of reflecting on my practice.

The next two sessions, however, felt more provocative in terms of prompting reflections on my own preferred teaching methods, including how I incorporate learning outcomes. The formats and strategies that we discussed were:

• Lectures or large group teaching
• Presentations/crits
• Small group teaching
• One-to-one teaching

I will expand on some of these in upcoming posts, including my thoughts on the supporting reading. Generally, I discussed my most effective method, small group teaching, with great enthusiasm to my group, with a question posed in return that I need some time to think about and perhaps experiment during my teaching sessions to uncover the answer. The question was:

‘If the approached worked last year in terms of the level of your students’ participation in discussions, why is it not working this year?’