Talking ‘pedagogy’ for librarians

Working towards the PgC THE

What we’ll be talking about

• What is the PgC THE?

• Personal journey

• Cons

• Benefits

What is the PgC THE?

• Postgraduate certificate in Teaching in Higher Education

• All academic staff expected to complete 60 credits to gain HEA Fellowship

• Non academic staff can stop at 20 credits

– And become a Associate fellow of HEA

What’s involved: HEA Associate - 20 credits

• Introductory studies, Teaching in Higher Education

– 40 hours of teaching, including teaching prep

– Teaching intervention

• An aspect of learning and teaching practice that you can develop and improve

• With peer observations and student evaluation/feedback

– Provide evidence of learning in portfolio

• Includes reflections, feedback & academic paper on teaching intervention

What’s involved HEA Fellowship – 40 credits

• Further 80 hours of concurrent teaching

• Two teaching interventions

–4 peer observations, 1 report and 1 poster, 2 student evaluations

• Reflective summary

HEA – UK Professional Standards Framework

• Design and plan learning activities and/or programmes of study

• Teach and/or support learning

• Assess and give feedback to learners

• Develop effective learning environments and approaches to student support and guidance

• Engage in continuing professional development

How a librarian might ‘teach’ rather than ‘train’

Topic: Gather information for an early years assignment using relevant subject databases

Task: Students are divided into groups and asked to search for information relating to their topic to become an ‘expert’ in their subject area. Each group has 30 minutes to investigate their topic and when the time is up, each expert group will take turns to come up to the front and demonstrate the database.

Assessment: Poster visualizing their research

Would we have done this before?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/venosdale/7668917432/

http://prezi.com/dtqd8q3ih6h1/catherines-pgc-the-learning-journey/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/venosdale/7668917432/

My intervention The intervention was carried out from November 2009 – January 2010 and involved all 134 students in year 1 of the BA Educational Studies course. I carried out 6 workshops and an online assessment quiz was used to assess the student’s research skills. The quiz covered the catalogue and Library databases and a short online lesson was used to complement my sessions. The assessment was worth 35% of the marks for the module.

Amanda’s Story Next steps • 2nd intervention - Written or oral

report • 3rd Intervention - Research poster • Completion of PGCHE in May 2013

January 2009 Post intervention

Responsibility Librarian Librarian & academic staff

Relation to the curriculum

External Integral

Placement in the curriculum

Isolated workshops

Embedded and assessed

Limits: barriers & obstacles

• Lack of information strategy • Varies from university to university

• Lack of academic co-operation • Not always willing to involve librarians

• Other commitments and responsibilities

Is it worth it? Yes!!!

• HEA professional recognition is invaluable

• Information literacy framework: understanding how to teach good information skills is essential – Formal teaching qualification helps you do this more effectively

• Understanding of learning theory is important

– More realistic expectations of students

• Greater self-motivation to take risks and engage with new

and exciting forms of teaching technology

“The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it”.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Nominalist and Realist", Essays: Second Series (1844).