Teaching 101: advice for university educators

By Eliza.Compton, 22 September, 2022
Teaching concept
What key skills do new teachers need to connect with students, develop professional confidence and thrive?
Teaching 101: advice for university educators
What key skills do teachers need to connect with students, develop professional confidence and thrive?
Teaching concept

Teaching is much more than standing in front of a lecture hall or leading a tutorial. University educators may devote a significant proportion of their time to teaching, but only a fraction of this will be spent in a classroom with students. Deciding teaching modes, planning course material, learning new edtech and doing research to refine tutorial questions and reading lists will all challenge academics taking their first steps as teachers. This collection of resources offers support for lecturers, from pedagogy and classroom management to building confidence and support networks, managing workload and finding inspiration to enrich your teaching practice.

Getting started
Resources
By Eliza.Compton, 1 September, 2022

How to get through your first year of teaching

View
Young Asian woman working at laptop in library wearing headphones
For any new teacher, standing in front of a class is daunting – professionally and emotionally. Here are some tips to help you prepare, adapt and conquer nerves and self-doubt
Reading time
4minutes
Book and laptop teaching concept
By Eliza.Compton, 31 August, 2022

Targeted teaching: meeting students where they are

View
Asian teacher
Teaching students according to their strengths and shortcomings, stimulating their interest in learning and building confidence in learning, is not only part of Chinese education philosophy, it promotes students’ all-round development
Reading time
3minutes
Pedagogical tips and tricks
Resources
By Eliza.Compton, 17 May, 2022

Eight tips to boost active listening in university students

View
Dog with ear cocked listening
Active mental engagement enhances students’ understanding and their ability to remember the ideas we teach. These simple tools and skills can help to move students from passive to active modes of listening and keep them there
Reading time
4minutes
Lesson planning jigsaw concept
Connecting with students
Resources
By Miranda Prynne, 25 August, 2022

Make classroom connections by drawing from the slow movement

View
Tortoise walking down a road - representing how slow and steady can be more effective than fast
An introduction to the slow movement and its ideology to show how it can inspire approaches to building connection in the classroom, purposefully scaffolding moments of connection into teaching and relating these to learning
Reading time
6minutes
Student and tutor in front of computer
By Miranda Prynne, 14 July, 2022

Build your teaching presence to better engage students

View
Image showing one person striding off with a crowd following
A strong ‘presence’ in the classroom can help imbue students with a passion for your subject and willingness to learn. Catherine Wehlburg explores simple ways to enhance teaching presence
Reading time
4minutes
Taking teaching online
Resources
Ants working together
By dene.mullen, 18 August, 2022

Communities of practice: how to help them thrive

View
Communities of practice are an excellent way for staff and faculty to share knowledge
There are few better ways for staff to build and share knowledge within institutions, but while communities of practice can evolve organically, they also need nurturing
Reading time
4minutes
Ideas to enrich your teaching
Resources
Stages of plant growth