Planning and teaching for effective learning
Contextual Background
For this case study I will be discussing an early session I taught for BA Bags & Accessories. The session was a part of the student’s Introduction to Fashion Bags and Accessories (Intro to) unit. During this, I aimed to explain how to “Research for Design and Starting the Design Process”, see the PowerPoint attached. However, rather than focusing on the title of the presentation, I will explain my session’s introductory part and how I planned my teaching to ensure the lesson was as inclusive as possible for Year 1 students in their early stages of studies at the university.
Evaluation
I started by explaining where on Moodle students would find the Unit’s information, then I located and discussed the Assessment Brief, following “Guidance for inclusive teaching and learning” UAL – Disability service (2019). Although the students had been briefed previously, some were still unsure of how to negotiate Moodle and others were late enrollers, therefore I found showing the Group where essential documents were located key; I decided to include this information having experienced students struggling to navigate Moodle last year. Moodle is a very important platform at the college, and ensuring students understand how to use it early in their education is essential – “Using Moodle for Access and Inclusion” UAL – Disability service (2019).
Next, I presented and explained the “Scheme of Work” document; Students often find this document useful, as it breaks down each weekly task, and they can also use it as a useful critical path tool to plan what they need to do week-by week to keep on schedule for Submission.
Additionally, I showed where to find past student examples of the Intro to Submissions and also reiterated important points from the Assessment Brief (AB) to remind the students (and ensure late enrollers were up to date).
Although this took time from the start of my session, I had planned and predicted there would be late-arriving students and late enrollers, so going through the above would benefit all the students as they would get a better understanding of how to navigate Moodle and find all the required documents, including the AB.
However, I will review my delivery, especially considering our students are creative thinkers, I hope a creative approach will help them navigate Moodle more freely. Nicholls(2002 p.8) “There is no one way to teach, provided students learn a variety of approaches and strategies that may be used. Teaching styles will vary from Group to group and from individual to individual. Teaching is a continuous activity that requires creative thinking and problem solving”.
Moving forwards – Student Participation
Next time I teach this session I would like to involve the students more, rather than just show them where all the information is, it would be great for them to participate and possibly show and teach each other where materials are located, similar to a “show and tell”, or even a treasure hunt- we could make it more of a game format. “Positive impacts of student participation may also be seen as measurable benefits (grades, completion of degree) for the students themselves, not only for the university.” Bergmark & Westman (2018 p.1354)
Similarly, during the research introduction, I explain the difference between primary and secondary research- It would be great to have students explain their preferred Primary and Secondary sources of research rather than me giving them lists, making the session much more interactive.
I presented examples of student projects to explain what was expected, and this worked well, I’m wondering if there could be a more creative approach, e.g., creating a student task, students would be in pairs required to find the student examples on Moodle and choose a couple of pages of their favourite research pages and explain why they think they are effective. This could help reinforce a better understanding of Moodle as well as make students think deeper about what is required of their research and presentation pages. Overall I think the session went well and the students understood the task, however, I would consider different approaches in future to elements of the Presentation to make the session more engaging and interactive to enhance the student experience.
References
Bergmark, U & Westman, S (2018) Student participation within teacher education: emphasising democratic values, engagement and learning for a future profession. Higher Education Research & Development, Volume 37, Issue 7
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/07294360.2018.1484708?needAccess=true (Accessed: 07 March 2024)
Nicholls, G. (2002) Developing Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. England, Routledge Falmer.
Available at https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ECyCAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP13&dq=Planning+and+teaching+for+effective+learning+higher+education&ots=Wanig6PRXG&sig=0guOGvWJOS2yl-uzyTuSd2qs-8E&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Planning%20and%20teaching%20for%20effective%20learning%20higher%20education&f=false (Accessed: 07 March 2024)
University of the Arts London, Disability Services (2019) Guidance for inclusive teaching and learning
Available at https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/sites/explore/SitePage/45680/disability-inclusion-toolkit (Accessed: 07 March 2024)
University of the Arts London, Disability Services (2019) Using Moodle for Access and Inclusion
Available at https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/sites/explore/SitePage/45680/disability-inclusion-toolkit (Accessed: 07 March 2024)
Additional–
Research for Design and Starting the Design Process Presentation PPT