Students were confused, and I thanked them for it  

Ready to innovate, an enthusiastic teacher was met with silence and confusion by his students. Here’s how sociologist Dietmar Wetzel responded.  

It was such a great idea: replace your bog-standard essay with a complex, multi-dimensional case study that will give … Continue reading...

Intended learning outcome: “I don’t know; let’s find out”  

If we’re serious about research-led teaching, we need to tell our students what we don’t – yet – know. Enter teaching-led research! 

One of the funniest moments of this academic year came when, in the final session with my fourth-year … Continue reading...

When students don’t care, ask yourself: do you?  

I’ve heard a colleague describe their students as ‘wilted parsley.’ If we want to get the juices flowing again, we have to find out what our students are actually interested in.  

When colleagues describe a tired classroom, they tend to … Continue reading...

Quick fixes do exist, but only you will ever know them 

There is no shortage of teaching tips and tricks, and many of them are tried and tested. But the reason why they work is not actually inherent in them.  

At the end of a seminar session we sometimes feel underwhelmed: … Continue reading...

Reading RuPedagogies of Realness

Anything can inspire our teaching, including our favourite TV shows. I was positively dazzled when a dear friend shared a link to a teaching and learning tome I never knew I needed – RuPedagogies of Realness (Bryde & Mayberry 2021). … Continue reading...

Bag for life? Towards a carrier bag theory of assessment

As a secondary school teacher, and now also working as part of the University of Bristol’s BILT team, I’ve spent a fair amount of time reflecting on different experiences of assessment.

Particularly mindful of a new cohort of students, whose … Continue reading...