My teaching toolbox: Make things fun!

Emma Jones

Abstract below...

Learning should be fun and interesting. As educators we need to be creative to enhance our students’ experience of learning. Getting students to engage can be a challenge (Rabinowitz, Kernodle, & McKethan, 2010) therefore Biggs (2003) argues for students to be active in their learning

Informal sessions are a must- where the students feel comfortable to ask questions and have open discussions. It is important to have positive support systems to improve the student-teacher relationship (Mitchell, & Bradshaw, 2013).

. By doing a mixture of activities and adapting various styles of teaching it supports the diversity of students’ learning. It’s important that teachers adapt to students’ learning styles (Race, 2007) and do what helps them learn (Brookfield, 2007).

Building on ideas from colleagues in my workplace and from the teaching team on the PGCert in health and social care education, I created my ‘toolbox’. I want other educators to make learning creative to engage the students and ultimately enhance their experience. Ensuring students’ experiences are high quality is essential in higher education (Browne, 2010)

We all need to keep building our ‘toolboxes’, what are you going to do?

References

Biggs, J. (2003). Aligning teaching and assessment to curriculum objectives. Retrieved from http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd

Brookfield, S. (2007). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. Retrieved from http://www.stephenbrookfield.com/Dr._Stephen_D._Brookfield/Workshop_Materials_files/BCRT_Wkshp_Pkt.pdf

Browne, J. (2010). Securing a sustainable future for higher education. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/31999/10-1208-securing-sustainable-higher-education-browne-report.pdf

Rabinowitz, E., Kernodle, M. W., & McKethan, R. N. (2010). The effective use of PowerPoint to facilitate active learning. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 81(5), 12-16.

Race, P. (2007). The lecturer’s toolkit: A practical guide to assessment, learning and teaching. Routledge, UK: Oxford.