Philosophy of Learning and Teaching Statement

Teaching Portfolio: Part 1Student Name: Tracey Dalton

Word count: 17,000Date: 13th January 20111. Context and Background

(i) My Current Teaching Responsibilities

I have been teaching at third level for the past 2 academic years and the current academic year. I primarily teach a Higher National Diploma in 3d design in Dublin Institute of Design, an Edexcel/Btech accredited course which spans two years full-time/part-time study. This course enables students to become 3D Designers, with the option of continuing to study at advanced entry level to second or third year, for a general degree level course in Interior Design in Griffith College, Dublin or an honours degree in Interior, Product and Furniture Design in DIT Mountjoy Square, or similar.

In the first year of the course I teach Drawing Techniques and Approaches teaching students about colour theory, technical drawing, sketching, perspective drawing, rendering techniques and model making. I also teach AutoCAD, starting with basic 2d drawing, leading on to 3d AutoCAD. The students get various small projects to assess their progress and learning, two essays and a written exam in Colour Theory. Halfway through the college year around February the students are given a major project an Apartment design. This leads on to lectures on planning, construction, ergonomics, analysis of spaces, use of concept and sample boards etc. This is a substantial project which spans approximately 12 weeks. In the second year of the course, the students move on to commercial design. They must complete three projects: an office design, retail design and hotel design.

In the upcoming academic year, there have been two new choices introduced as options for students. The HND students can choose to major in Graphic Design or Product Design as well as the existing option of Interior Design. I also teach short courses in 2d AutoCAD which are City and Guilds awarded. I have taught Fs courses in the college which were outsourced through tenders. These were 2d and 3d AutoCAD courses which were full-time and ran for ten to twelve weeks.

(ii) A Summary of Prior Learning

I had been an interior designer for ten years before teaching and I completed art, design and construction related courses prior to and during my career.

A summary of prior learning would read as follows:

Education

1991 1992: Certificate in Fine Art, Ballyfermot Senior College, Dublin.

Course content: painting, life drawing, crafts, still life and photography.

1992 1996: BA Honours Degree in Spatial Design, DIT Mountjoy Square.

Course content: Interior design, fabric printing, autoCAD, furniture, theatre and exhibition design, model making, philosophy & psychology of design, history of art & design, professional practice and technical drawing. 1997 1998: Post Graduate Diploma in Graphic Repro. Technology, DIT Bolton St.

Course content: graphic design, QuarkXpress, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, printing,print finishing, design administration and typography. Jan. 2007 May 2007: Construction Studies Module, DIT Bolton St.

Course content: This was a night course in construction studies involving all areas of the construction industry, including building, plumbing, joinery etc. through written and detail drawing.

Work HistoryAugust 1996 September 1997: Position: Graphic Designer

Company: Prospect Design ltd., Dublin.

Job Description: I designed flags, banners, leaflets and brochure using various computer

software. I often dealt with clients personally and over the phone.

August 1998 March 2003 and April 2004 to November 2005:

Position: Senior Interior Designer

Company: McNally Design Group, Dublin.Job description: I worked for McNally design over a 7 year period and I rose from a junior status. I developed projects from a clients brief, onto presentation stage and frequently to finish, which involved preparation of tender drawings/packages for all trades involved and site visits. My skills gained from this position included presentation skills, liaising with clients and suppliers within the building and fit-out trade; technical drawing, autoCAD, perspective drawing, directing a design team, from builders to quantity surveyors, purchasers, sales and marketing staff, working to strict deadlines and budgets. McNally design is an international company, with a strong reputation in design for the leisure industry i.e. pubs, restaurants, night clubs, cinemas, golf clubs etc. varying from traditional to modern and from conservative to innovative.

May 2003 Aug. 2003:

Position: Interior DesignerCompany: Peddle Thorp, Darwin, Australia.

Job Description: I was an interior designer/draftsperson, working on datacad software, aiding architects in medium to large projects in the healthcare, domestic and commercial sectors of the industry. I liaised with clients, presenting architectural drawings and sample/presentation boards and dealing with interior and architectural issues. Peddle Thorp are a large architectural corporation throughout Australia and SE Asia.

Dec. 2005 to July 2008: Position: Senior Interior DesignerCompany: Oppermann Associates, Dublin.Job description: I entered Oppermann Associates as a senior designer.

This involved managing various projects over the time, from feasibility stage, planning drawings, presentation, tender/construction drawings, site visits through to practical completion. I gained a much greater knowledge of statutory issues, doing 2 planning permissions and dealing with county councils. I managed junior designers on various projects and on other projects. I worked solely with the client and my senior director. I also worked with architects on public and private sector work, mainly at presentation stage. Oppermann Associates is a prominent medium sized Architectural practice, with interior projects from all sectors i.e. retail, leisure, corporate and domestic.

Due to the economic downturn, I was made redundant by Oppermann Associates. I am still a designer but I have had to reinvent myself through teaching. I had to learn a lot of new topics to become a good teacher. I had been using AutoCAD for almost 16 years, but it is totally different to use something in a work setting as opposed to teaching someone how to use it. The same applies to other topics such as retail design or history of design. I have had to learn how to teach others through study, research, and trial and error over the past three years.

(iii) An Individualized Learning Plan for Module 1

I have chosen to do the PG Diploma in Learning and Teaching because I have reached a point in my teaching and design career where I feel I have reached a high personal standard. I would like to grow and improve my teaching skills through the reflective process which is predominant in this course and which not only talks about teaching, but emphasizes the importance of good learning. I think it is probably a surprise to most students on this course that the way students learn is not just about the way we teach.

I hope to learn new methods of teaching through the various lectures which the course encompasses. It looks at all aspects of teaching and learning, through lesson planning, reflective practice, micro-teaching, student centred learning etc. I am finding the course very interesting and eye opening in many regards. I hope to improve my skills in certain areas which I feel I am weaker at; For example, applying the unit outcomes in the correct manner i.e. teaching the correct subject matter to cover the criteria to successfully complete and learn a particular unit.

For example, problem solving strategies that involve thinking like a physicist wont be of much help in solving problems of medical diagnosis. (Biggs, 2007, p.66)

I struggle between the concept of covering a unit as opposed to applying the learning to a real world environment. My dilemma is that the two areas, while they should always cross over, do not necessarily. There may be a subject on the course programme which I feel may not have any use or bearing on a real life professional experience. I would like to tie the two together and reach a satisfactory conclusion. I fluctuate between thinking I have taken a surface approach to teaching rather than a deep approach and vice versa. I am starting to realize, as I read literature on the subject of teaching and learning, that I use both methods. It is making me reflect on this issue and ask myself if I am using the correct method in the correct context. I try to spend more time on subjects I feel I need to get a deep understanding of the practical issues of drawing, designing, researching, specifying and quantifying etc. when managing a design project and I try to make it as real to the workplace as possible. I realize now that this process is constructive alignment(Biggs, 2007).

Constructive alignment is common sense. Mothers, like driving instructors,

use it all the time. What is the intended outcome? That the child can tie her

shoes. What is the TLA (teaching and learning activity)? Tying her shoes.

What is the assessment? How well she tied her shoes. (Biggs, 2007, p.61)In other areas such as Professional Studies and Colour Theory I currently use more of a surface approach as I feel these are items which you need to know about but they will not necessarily be used in your everyday work. I have used exams for these topics as opposed to essay type assignments.

In conclusion, I have many questions to ask myself about the quality of my teaching and as to how much my students are learning. I hope to learn new methods to improve the learning and work ethic of the weaker student, not taking the blame the student (Biggs, 2007, p.17) stance, which is the easy way out. I have a certain level of fear about the balance of course workload and my own workload, but also a lot of excitement about how much I will change, grow and learn by the end of Module 1.

Heavier workloads have become a fact of life for most lecturers..Managing your workload may increasingly seem like a balancing act between teaching, research and administration. (Race, 2001, p.222)2. Personal Learning and Teaching Development at Third Level

a) Personal Learning & Teaching Philosophy Statement

What do you think are the aims of higher education?Never mind the teaching feel the learning! (Race, 2001, p.1)

I think that the aim of higher education is to enhance the knowledge of the student, in a particular chosen area, which the student has either previous knowledge of, or has an interest in learning about the particular topic, or it is both of the above combined.

Higher education will delve deeper into the chosen area. Even if a student has never studied the subject before, the third level institute/university will start at a basic level of introduction to all students and will delve into the subject in depth, reaching a deep knowledge of the subject by the end of the course. Factors that could come into this process and usually do would be that the student must possess certain criteria to enter a course in a particular chosen subject before they may gain entry to the 3rd level institution. These criteria are obtaining a certain minimal level of points from secondary school examinations or possessing the appropriate grade in specific subjects which would be compulsory for the course chosen. Alternatively they would have the required professional qualification or third level qualification from previous studies in the case of students wishing to obtain a place in a Post Graduate or Masters etc. level of study.

It is not always the case that previous criteria are required to enter a course ie. in privately run institutions so the level of teaching in this case must start from the basics of the topic and work to a higher level of knowledge. I work in this in this discipline myself presently and have encountered the challenges this poses to both the teacher and student.

What is your understanding of teaching, learning, knowledge or other key concepts in higher education?

Teaching in higher education: My understanding of teaching in general is when a person ie. the teacher imparts knowledge of a particular subject onto another who may have some or no previous knowledge of a chosen / necessary area of study. This ranges from the moment of birth when other living things/inanimate objects teach us the skills to survive and slowly become more independent in the world, through to pre-school, primary school, secondary school and onto higher education.

Teaching in higher education involves increasing the students knowledge of a particular chosen area. It usually takes away the factor of being forced to study a topic, which occurs in primary and secondary level, but this is not always the case. In some circumstances the student may have wished to study a different course, but had not obtained the required criteria, or they may be doing the course to get a particular job at the end of it. Therefore they have chosen the topic you are teaching them as a second preference. This adds to the challenge of how you will motivate them through your teaching. To be a good teacher, I believe one must possess several criteria. These would include passion, motivation, and higher knowledge of the subject matter, relevant work experience, coherence, confidence and good organisational skills.

Good teaching is getting most students to use the level of cognitive processes needed to achieve the intended outcomes that the more academic students use spontaneously (Biggs, 2007, p.11)Learning in higher education: I think that learning in general is when we gain knowledge on a particular topic through the use of the five senses, which we experience from another living thing or inanimate object. Similarly to teaching, it is something which we take part in from birth, through our primary and secondary school years and on to third level education. We also learn many things through our life experiences outside of state education, such as our life/work/travel experiences. Learning in higher education is influenced by how we are taught by our teachers in the institute/university which we are attending, but is also affected by the students perspective on learning. This refers to Phenomenography (Sonnenman,1954; Marton, 1981) which states that the student learning context refers to the idea that the learners perspective determines what is learned. (Biggs, 2007, p.20) and Constructivism (Piaget, 1950), which emphasise that the learner constructs knowledge with their own activities, building on what they already know. (Biggs, 2007, p.21)

I would agree with these statements because the teacher may think that their method of teaching is communicating the intended learning outcomes, but it is down to a multitude of factors. The academic, diligent students may fully comprehend what the teacher is communicating but the other students may not. There are two types of learning ie. deep and surface. The goal is that through the quality of teaching complying with the intended learning outcomes or goals, the weaker students will obtain the criteria required to get to a deeper level of learning and knowledge about the chosen topic, rather than skimming across the surface of the subject, just to gain enough knowledge to pass.

Knowledge in Higher Education: My understanding of knowledge in higher education is when we have gone through the learning process about a topic through what we have been taught. We then have knowledge on the subject that we didnt possess before. The level of knowledge obtained is determined by the quality of teaching and the level of subsequent additional learning that the student has carried out after the teaching. The teaching could have taken a surface approach which would help the student gain only a fraction of knowledge on the topic. If it took a deeper approach the student would be given more information. However, the knowledge gained is then determined by the students approach to learning. If the teacher took a deep approach to teaching and the student only took a surface approach to learning the material, the knowledge gained is not as great as it could be with a deep approach. The desire for the student to take a deep approach is determined by factors about both teacher and student.

What are your personal and professional values, beliefs, goals and commitments about learning?

Values and Beliefs: My personal and professional values and beliefs about learning would be that social constructivism (Vygotsky, c.1929) is one of the most important aspects to good quality learning in life and work. Without the guidance of others we cannot learn to become the person we would like to be or achieve our goals. Of course, this could become a negative, depending on who we learn from, which emphasizes the importance of positive, passionate, motivational teaching.

Goals and Commitments: My personal and professional goals and commitments about learning would be to gain knowledge through my current studies and past work experience to improve my teaching skills and teaching methods. Then I can help my students to learn more through constructive alignment (Biggs, 2007) of teaching. I hope to learn to structure the course and project based criteria and curricula to teach deeply about topics which will align directly with intended learning outcomes and that the student will learn how to execute these activities to a high standard. This would apply to the deep and surface learners alike. The goal is to help the surface learners to change into deep learners.

What actions do you take to implement your intentions?

I intend to reflect on my teaching practice in various ways. These would include reflective writing, tutor and peer assessment and the dissection of my course material to date and use of group learning with students.

I will use the reflective writing process on a weekly basis to analyse my teaching through anticipatory, contemporaneous and retrospective reflection (Loughran, 1996). I can compare and contrast work through experiential learning with past lectures or classes. I can make decisions or realisations during lectures due to issues that may arise and I can make sure I am well prepared for upcoming lectures. Ever since I started teaching two years ago, and recently started my PGD in Third Level Learning and Teaching, I find myself improving my lectures from the year before. I believe this to be necessary, to keep current and to find visually better and more user friendly ways of giving a particular lecture.

Tutor and peer assessment will also help me to improve my teaching for better student learning as they will give constructive criticism and positive feedback to emphasize areas where I am achieving the intended learning outcomes, or not. Palmer (1998) argues that if we want to grow in our practice we must look to our fellow teachers from whom we can learn more about ourselves and our craft. As I have mentioned previously, I am re-formatting my lectures as I work through the term. The lectures were sufficient last year, but I am now using more efficient technology to do the lecture. I have also started to incorporate more group learning into my class, where it is appropriate in practical class settings, and I have found it to be successful. For example, in a technical drawing class, my students had to survey a room in groups of three and then to use their sketch to draw it to scale. I kept the students in their groups of three, with only one student drawing the survey to scale on the drawing board. It was generally the students with some previous knowledge who took on this task and I found that the other two students learned from watching that student, even more than if they were drawing alone. It also created a better sense of community. I intend to incorporate more deep approaches to assessment. I currently use a lot of deep approaches to project work, but other areas which are a single topic or unit are assessed with an exam format. I hope to add experiential, hands on methods of assessing these areas, along with the exam format. For example, in the Professional Studies (of Interior Design) unit I give an exam which covers the professional practice of a designer. I will introduce some action based projects, such as contacting business and state bodies related to the field and making queries about a topic eg. planning permission.

In conclusion, I believe the learning process as a teacher should be never ending. Striving to gain more and more knowledge to impart to students in a socially constructive manner is the goal for quality student learning; just throwing pebbles in the pond, .. I just wanted teachers to believe in themselves and believe in the children (or students) they taught. Waters (as cited by Wilby, 2010)b) A Reflection on Practice and Summary of Learning

(Please see Appendix 1 for Evidence of Weekly Reflective Blog.)

Summary through weekly workshops are as follows:

Week 1: Induction

The first week of the course was about introduction to my fellow classmates, an overview of the course and the written portfolio for module 1. We also had a group work session where we had to think about what was good teaching and what was good learning. The second question was more difficult to brainstorm and proved to be an opening point to the module ahead of me. It was an eye opener really. I was also asked to write briefly about why I am a teacher. This is what I wrote down on that day:

I am a teacher because I love to pass knowledge to students, in my chosen field. I like showing other people how to do things and use my real life experience to give answers to problems when doing projects. I get a sense of achievement at the end of a class, when it has gone well and I have helped everyone to the best of my abilities. I think it is a great stepping stone from working in my chosen field, to them go on to teach others about my work experiences. It makes me feel like I always have to be prepared and learn more, so that I am keeping up to date wit current trends in my profession. I initially became a teacher by fluke and cannot believe that I can stand in front of a class. It is great way to overcome fear of talking in public.

I still agree with what I wrote down that day but can now see that it is quite teacher centred and there is not much talk of learning and student centred teaching and learning.

Week 2: Student Centred LearningThe week before we set up our blogs we had a class with Vincent Farrell on 'Student Centred Learning'which was extremely interesting. It showed a different method of teaching called 'The Market Place' (The Teachers Toolkit by Paul Ginnis, 2002). It makes the students learn for themselves and pass on the learning to each other. It allows the teacher to become observer and backgroundsupport. As a colleague stated the following week, it was a 'Revelation!' This is one of many new learning experiences.

I have been using much more group work in my lectures and I intend to use the Student Centred ethos when I find an appropriate lecture for it. I am in a visual field, so students may spend more time making sure that there drawings are perfect. Vincent Farrell mentioned that the only time it wasnt as successful for him was when he used it with a group of fine art students. He mentioned a You Tube video called Confessions of a ex-lecturer by Robert Mazur, a former Physics professor at Harvard, which demonstrated how student centred learning could be put into practice and how little students learn through the rote method, in terms of real life skills.The value of student centred learning is that it places learners at the heart of the learning process and meeting their needs, is taken to a progressive step in which learner-centred approaches mean that persons are able to learn what is relevant for them in ways that are appropriate. Edwards (as cited by ONeill and McMahon, 2005)Week 3: Teaching Portfolio and Reflective Writing In this session I was taught how to create a reflective blog using Blogger.com. I had not known how to use this tool before. I have found it very useful and have been a consistent blogger. I will endeavour to use this tool to reflect on my teaching in the future, into the second module also, if necessary.

Other topics that emerged in this lecture were reflection, scholarship of teaching and the teaching portfolio. We learned about Gibbs(1988) reflective cycle and experiential learning; and also Kolb &Frys (1975) learning cycle model. This class was like a synopsis of what was to come in the module. We learned about the three stages of reflection anticipatory, contemporaneous and retrospective (Loughran, 1996). All of this would emerge in reflections for my portfolio. We learned about the value of writing a journal in our profession: Journal writing can be viewed through many different lenses: as a form of self expression, as a record of events or as a form of therapy. It can be a combination of these and other purposes. (Boud, 2001)Week 4: Learning Theories

I found this class very interesting. We discussed various different theories such as: Behaviorist Paradigm (Pavlov's Dog) by Ivan Pavlov(1849-1936), Reinforcement Theory by B.F.Skinner (1904-1990)- the study of using both positive and negative rewards in order to get the required outcome eg. penalties for handing an assignment in late. We did cognitive exercises (how the brain processes problems) which showed that the brain can omit and add things to something which is not there if it has seen it before. We also learned about drip feeding information which is referred to as 'chunking' (Bruner). Social Constructivism Vygotsky (1896-1934), tells us that without social interaction, development and learning cannot take place.

On reflection, I can see how I have used some of these theories in my teaching. We carried out the exercise of writing in words how to show someone how to tie a shoelace. This showed us that it is important to explain things clearly to students. This reminded me of some notes I put together on camera views and 3D rendering in AutoCAD. I carried out a group exercise with my first years, using the how to tie a shoelace / buckle a belt / make a paper airplane but through drawings only. It was very successful and enjoyable for the students and they learned that it is important to communicate clearly to others with their designs.

Week 5: Lecture Design & Delivery

In this class with Risn Donnelly, we learned how to design a lecture in groups of three and then one member of the group had to present the lecture design. We were also given tips to break the class time into different teaching techniques eg. giving quick general knowledge questions on return from a break. The most interesting thing I learned from this lecture is about the crossover between being a teacher and a student at the same time. Before the lecture I had been preparing my lecture for Technical drawing for first year HND students. I was trying to figure out how I was going to organize each step of the class - which is 2 hours long. In my group, we used my technical drawing lecture as a template and it was all worked out clearly.

The next day I performed the lecture and it worked out very well with a great mix of activities from teacher to student lecture, group survey of room, feedback on room sketch and execution of survey on the drawing board. The students were then ready to perform their home survey assignment for the following week.

Week 6: Lesson Planning and Interactive, Innovative Teaching Methods In this lecture we looked how to set up a lesson plan and looked at statistics on how we learn. It shows us that that only five per cent of learning occurs during lectures compared to seventy five per cent from practice by doing something, or ninety per cent from teaching others how to do something. This is quite a surprise, but I am relieved that about fifty per cent of my teaching is involved in practice by doing something, such as drawing or teaching autoCAD. M. Fitzmaurice (personal communication, October 13, 2010) cited Carl Rogers: Learning how to learn is the element that is always of value now and in the future. Rogers, 1938, p.18.Teaching methods were analyzed in terms of advantages and disadvantages ie. lecturer presentation, structured exercise, case study and group discussion. I have used all of these methods, except case study. I find the chapter in The Lecturers Toolkit by Phil Race on assessment methods relates to some of the issues that were raised in this class. I find them a useful list to refer to for ideas on assessment which I can put into practice.

Whether we think of ourselves as lecturers, or teachers, or facilitators of learning, the most important thing we do for our students is to assess their work. (Race, 2001, p.31)Week 7: Microteaching 1

For my first micro teaching session I chose to do an AutoCAD demo. Everything went to plan and there were no problems in the session. I got good feedback from my tutor and colleagues, some of which were that teaching in a computer lab has the best variation of lesson time - with lecturing and then observing the students carry out the exercise. I learned about new technologies I could use such as 'Screenr' and 'Jing' which are software which enables you to record your screen and then save the recording, which could be e-mailed to students as tutorials on an autoCAD topic.

I enjoyed watching the rest of the team teach, even if some topics were a bit 'over my head'. We had great feedback from each other and from our tutor. It was an enjoyable session. I intend to use web software in the future when I am teaching CAD topics to see if they are a useful aid to students.

Week 8: Educational Theory & ContextThis week I had a class with Vincent Farrell which focused on the sociology of teaching and learning. It covered 'academic tribes'. This looks at the difference between career and research based lecturers (Macfarlane, 2004, p.7-8) and the epistemological differences between soft and hard applied disciplines in relation to teaching, learning and assessment (Trowler, 2006). We spoke about massification(Macfarlane, 2004, p.9) and its impact on teaching and learning.We also looked at the Securing a Sustainable Future for Higher Education (Lord Browne, 2010) in the UK, which has come up with the theory that there should be no limit to subscription to study at eg. Manchester Universityand that universities that are under performing should be eventually closed if they don't 'pull up their socks'. The students will get a 30 year loan from the state, for both full and part-time courses as part of the proposed new system. It does promote competition and pushes universities to excel. On the other hand, not everyone will be able to go to Manchester due to geographical location and I do think that if universities closed down in other areas there has to be grey areas as to why things were not working. Some good lecturers would be caught up in the fallout.

An article in a new system of education called The Melbourne Model (Fearn, 2009) was discussed. See reflective blogs in Appendix for longer version of views on this.

In reference to this lecture, I am working in a private college myself and know about the how profit can become the main concern to the management - especially if they are concerned more with making a profit and not the quality of education and courses available. In terms of personal goals, I aim to get out of this situation as soon as I can, which may be later rather than sooner in the current economic downturn.Week 9: Research Skills & Writing TutorialIn this lecture, Risn Guilfoyle showed the class various ways of researching, using the web. We learned about the why, where, when of a website and how we can use this to assess the validity or suitability of a website for our needs. We learned about search strategies and how we can narrow a searchby using advanced searches. We were introduced to the 'British Education Index' and 'Academic Search Premier'. Risn also directed us through the DIT library website.

I found this class useful because there were many things that I was not aware of. It will help me to gain information quicker when doing a search. It also helps me to search the DIT library. I will use these strategies to help me research for my teaching portfolio.Week 10: Practising with Learning & Teaching Media/Styles

In this lecture Muireann O'Keeffe demonstrated various digital medias/technologies and tools. These included Wikis, Google Docs, Blogs, Micro-blogs - Twitter, the NDLR, Social networking - Facebook, Social bookmarking - Delicious, discussion forums, Video Sharing -You Tube, Podcasts and Txt tools. I learned a lot at this lecture about technologies I have never used. I am interested in trying out video sharing - using websites like 'Screenr' or 'Jing'. I am also interested in trying out 'Delicious'. I think that these technologies could definitely aid my teaching and the video sharing could aid student learning at home. I am sure I am not alone in thinking that I have lived without these things for so long but do see the advantages of them. I am going to try out creation of a video and see if it benefits students.

Week 11: Micro Teaching 2For my second micro-teaching class I decided to try something that I hadn't used before. I got the inspiration from a night during 'Dublin Design Week' where I went to see 12 Professionals speak for 20 seconds on 15 slides using PowerPoint, on a chosen topic, relating to their profession. I found out that this technique is called 'Pecha Kucha'.

I decided I would create my own topic relating to my field. I chose to do the topic of 'What does an Interior Designer do?'. It all worked out in the end and I think it came across well and I achieved my goal. I was nervous before the presentation, but it probably didn't show. Others in the group thought this was a useful technique to get around a big class size, when presenting. It is not suitable for deeper topics, as the slide changes every 20 seconds. I enjoyed the presentations of the other members of the group. Some of it was not my subject - and therefore - over my head eg. the maths in Eoin's 'electrical engineering' lecture.

I am setting a presentation project for my first year interior/graphic/product design students using the Pecha Kucha method in January. I am going to choose the topic Where I come from? and get students to relate it to their chosen area for example, using only graphic design to communicate. A lot of my students are international so it should prove engaging and everyone will learn something new from it.

Week 12: Seminar on Critical Thinking @ Trinity Science Gallery

I attended the 'Critical Thinking' seminar at TCD. We broke into groups after the initial opening talk. My group was The Arts - Art, Design, Media, Journalism, Architecture, Languages and Music. We analyzed how we thought lecturer's and students should apply critical thinking in their studies and how we would apply it - the main points made were - the ability to see another view, take a deep approach to learning, accept when we can come up with a better solution to a subject, to take the disobedient route/solution as a result of critical research into theories/history of a subject - which results from stepping back from something. We would apply it through reflection, innovation and Bloom's taxonomy.

On reflection, I thought the discussion was useful. I have to admit though, that after reading 'Teaching for Quality Learning at University' by John Biggs, I feel that I knew a lot of these theories beforehand. A lot of his theories and those he references in his book were mentioned. I think it was a good method of recapping mentally. It would be a good learning mechanism for anyone present who is not currently doing a teaching & learning qualification. In the future, I will refer to literature by John Biggs and other literature by authors such as Phil Race and Bruce McFarlane, which has been drawn to my attention during the first module if I need help or advice on an issue in my teaching career.

Week 13: Student Inclusivity

This lecture was about including non-traditional students in the 3rd level environment. These are students who may have learning difficulties because they have a physical or mental disability, visual/hearing impairment, or students where English is their second or even third language. It looked at ways to deal with this issue. The first is to include disabled students in mainstream education, looking at the advantages and disadvantages of this. The student could be 'integrated' or 'included'. (Jordan, Carlile & Stack, 2008) The difference between these two words is that 'integration' implies that the student must fit in with the mainstream class environment; whereas 'inclusion' implies that the disabled student will be helped by the community to fit in, satisfying their learning needs. The text also looks at schools/education specifically for disabled students, or segregated education. (Jordan, Carlile & Stack, 2008) The main disadvantage is that the students are not in contact with the mainstream students and it does not prepare them for the 'real world' when they leave. Presently I don't have any disabled students in my classes. I do have a lot of international students, so this is more of an issue for me. I already have introduced methods of making exams easier for international students, such as allowing them to draw diagrams to answer questions, where applicable. Luckily, the area which I teach in is predominantly visual, so it is not as much of an issue.

Week 14:

a) The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

In this lecture, Marian Fitzmaurice referred to the fact that teaching is often referred to as not being as scholarly an activity as other areas in education are, such as research, application of research integrating discoveries through research across disciplines. It mentions Boyer's belief that we must forget about the teaching versus research debate and accept that teaching should also be thought of as a scholarly activity. (Boyer, 1990) Good SoTL involves critical reflection, a willingness to share pedagogic research with other teachers, constantly evaluating our practice and keeping up to date with the latest research in our field. This all leads to better student learning experiences. M.Fitzmaurice (personal communication, December 8, 2010) referred to John Dewey (1933) and his concept of comparing teaching and learning to buying and selling in a market. You wouldnt buy a product which was not good quality.

This lecture also spoke of the biggest challenge to 3rd level teaching, being massification, similar to points mentioned in Teaching with integrity (Macfarlane, 2004, pp. 9-11). The lectures also referred to enrolment of non-traditional learners (Cottrell, 2001) and the impact this is having on third level education. M.Fitzmaurice drew our attention to a journal article she had written on a case study carried out by the DIT School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science, on problem based learning and non-traditional students. An important point was that material to everyday life was emphasized as much as possible (Fitzmaurice, 2010, p.49), which correlates with Skelton (2005) and his view that as teachers work and interact with students in real-life situations they create a local knowledge of teaching rooted in practice. Therefore, teaching mirrors other professions, which they are teaching to students.

We can use our reflective portfolios to engage in the scholarship of teaching. Teaching could be rewarded through 'excellence awards' and teaching fellowships to give an incentive to engage in the SoTL, such as The Carnegie Foundation or the Advancement of Teaching in the United States whose mission is to support tighter connections between teaching practice, evidence of student learning, the communication and use of this evidence, and structured opportunities to build knowledge. (retrieved November 24, 2009, from www.carnegiefoundation.org) and the NAIRTL in Ireland.Critical Incident Analysis can be used to help us improve and reflect on our teaching.I will use what I have learned in this lecture to complete my reflective portfolio and carry it through my career. I have been practicing a lot of what has been mentioned here in my portfolio to date.b) Facilitating Group WorkIn this lecture we analyzed, in groups, what we thought of group work and its positives and negatives. Some positives were brainstorming, as it helps the weaker students through working as a team. Student centred learning, as it is a social experience, and it encourages the students to work out problems for themselves. Some negatives were that some members can be freeloaders, not everyone enjoys group work, there is usually a dominant member of the group, there can be conflict with different personalities and it can be hard to assess. A 'Template for group learning contract' was handed out which tied in with the strategy designed by Tuckman ie. 'Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing'. I found that this lecture is useful because there are techniques that are shown which could be used for group work sessions with students, showing them how it works. Another good point that came out of the session was the use of 'Peer Assessment' among student groups to grade fairly and try to prevent freeloading in group work. I intend to highlight the Tuckman strategy to students where applicable, when they are doing group work.

Week 15: Student Inclusivity / Portfolio Workshop

In week 15 Michelle Garvey from TCD gave us a lecture about the 'Trinity Inclusive Curriculum' project (Garvey, 2010) she has been working on. It talks about issues of inclusivity mentioned above. We took part in an on-line self assessment questionnaire on inclusivity, which asks questions about our methods of teaching and whether they are inclusive. Some of the issues mentioned are out of our control such as room lighting; others were quite useful, such as legibility of power point lectures. The demo films were quite useful. It takes a while to fill out the questionnaire, so could put tutors off completing it. I will use what I have learned in this lecture to help me complete the section of my portfolio which relates to this topic.

3. Teaching Demonstrations and ReflectionsMicro - Teaching Session 1: Lesson Plan

Please lecture notes for this session attached in Appendix 2.Observers: Muireann OKeeffe and Team C

Observee: Tracey Dalton

Course Title: Higher National Diploma in 3D Design

Date: Wednesday 20th Oct. 2010Class: 1st year full time/part-timeLength of lecture: (First 7-10mins of a ) 20-30mins lecture; 60mins. practical.

(Note: Full-time students have a 3 hour class for same lesson)

Class Lesson Title:

Introduction to 3D AutoCAD for use in Apartment Design Project.Number: 1 of 4/5 (Term 2)

Aim:

The student has previously completed their 2D plan layout for their apartment project. This lesson will introduce the student to the first steps we take to make the transition from a 2D plan to a 3D model using AutoCAD.

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this class the student will be expected to be able to:

Navigate the Views toolbar to start to draw in a 3d view.

Master the basic modeling tools ie. Extrude, Subtract and Union.

Navigate the Visual Styles toolbar to enable viewing in different modes where applicable.

To create a basic 3D model of their 2D plan.

Micro - Teaching Session 1: Reflections

I. Framing:

What did you set out to do? What lesson did you set out to teach?For my first micro teaching session I chose to do an autoCAD demonstration. The topic was Moving from 2D CAD to 3D CAD with the 'Apartment Project'. It was first year class in Interior Design, in term 2 to 3.What was the rationale behind your approach?I chose this demonstration / topic as a fool proof option, something I am confident to teach. I also thought that it was something new to my colleagues which they would find interesting, as nobody else would be using autoCAD for their teaching demonstration.

II. Implementation:

How did you present your material to your colleagues? What techniques did you choose to employ and why?I used my computer and the overhead projector screen to show the lesson and I handed out my lesson plan which showed the various learning outcomes for the session. I was not nervous because I felt that I knew the subject well and it was only for a short period of time. Everything went to plan and there were no problems in the session. What were your colleagues reactions to the lesson?I got good feedback from my tutor and colleagues, some of which were that teaching in a computer lab has the best variation of lesson time - with lecturing and then observing the students carry out the exercise. I learned about new technologies I could use such as 'Screenr' and 'Jing' which are software which enables you to record your screen and then save the recording, which could be e-mailed to students as tutorials on a CAD topic.

III. Results:

What did you learn about your own teaching in terms of any of the following: content, organization, delivery, style?The organization of my lesson plan worked well. I showed finished rendered visuals which would be achievable after 4 or 5 3d CAD lessons. Showing the student where they would be getting to after a series of sessions. In terms of delivery, I learnt that I was coherent and it was easy to follow what I was teaching. Unfortunately, my video taped demonstration got corrupted, so I could not refer to it for critical analysis. However, I will use my second micro-teaching session to assess my delivery in terms of body language and verbal delivery. Would you give the same class again? What did you do that you felt was successful? Unsuccessful? I would give the same class again. I have given this class several times before and I enjoy it because the students get very excited when they see what they can achieve with the help of 3d CAD. I felt that my colleagues had an interest and got excited about the end product so it was a successful class in this regard. In this particular session I didnt feel that anything went unsuccessfully. It was a fool proof topic when you know the programme very well, of course. How would you change your approach to this material or your methods of delivery in the future? For this particular lesson, I feel my approach to this material was appropriate. I might try to move around the room more, but I have to move around the computer lab when teaching anyway, helping students.What were your reactions to receiving and giving feedback?I enjoyed this experience. Receiving feedback was not an issue for me. It is good to get feedback as normally we are not observed. In giving feedback, I do find that I am a visual person and will usually comment on the use of good visual methods of teaching. Some of my colleagues topics were subjects that I would not know a great deal about, but it is still possible to give feedback on their delivery. It is, of course, easier to give positive feedback, but we all learned from each other. What themes emerged in the feedback about your teaching? Anything surprising?The advantage of teaching a subject which requires one to check on a one to one basis whether students can master the techniques being taught, was said to be the best combination for a teaching environment, as it is pro-active and students have little time to get bored. There was no surprising feedback from this session. It is a very black and white topic.What were your strengths? How can you build upon them?I was well prepared and took my colleagues slowly through to process. I spoke clearly and was confident about the lesson. I can build upon this by always remembering to talk to students about the intended learning outcomes at the beginning of a lesson so they have an end goal in sight when they master the lesson.What are some specific areas for improvement? Take the time to identify 2 specific action steps for addressing these areas.As mentioned above, I could identify the intended learning outcomes at the start of a class more often. I could list these ILOs at the beginning of handouts and/or on the overhead if applicable to the lesson. I could ask students at the end of a lesson if they feel they have achieved the intended learning outcomes.

Micro-Teaching Session 2: Lesson Plan

Please see PowerPoint handout notes for this session attached in Appendix 3.Observers: Muireann OKeeffe and Team C

Observee: Tracey Dalton

Course Title: 1st and 2nd year HND in 3D Design Part-Time

Date: Wednesday 17th Nov. 2010Length of lecture: 7 minutes approx.

Inspiration: Pecha KuchaPecha Kucha Night was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of chit chat, it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It's a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace. (www.pecha-kucha.org, November 10, 2010)I was at a Dublin Design Week Pecha Kucha night in the Sugar Club on 2nd November 2010 where twelve professionals from various fields web design, product design , graphic design, advertising design, journalism, advertising and psychology. They presented with 15 slides at 20 seconds each ie. 5 minutes on a topic relating to their field which they are interested or passionate about.

Idea: I will give this exercise to students in relation to an upcoming project. I will give permission to add a short video link of a max of 2 minutes. Learning Outcomes:

- To communicate under a time restraint, getting a message across in a short time.

- Be innovative in use of powerpoint presentation using eye-catching text, graphics and imagery.

My Chosen Topic: What does an Interior Designer Really do?Micro - Teaching Session 2: Reflections

I. Framing:

What did you set out to do? What lesson did you set out to teach? For my second micro-teaching class I decided to try something that I hadn't used before. I got the inspiration from a night during 'Dublin Design Week' where I went to see twelve professionals - mainly in the design field - speak for 20 seconds on 15 slides using PowerPoint, on a chosen topic, relating to their profession. I thought that this could be a useful tool for students to use to present on a topic or doing an interim critique during a project. What was the rationale behind your approach?I found out that this technique is called 'Pecha Kucha'. It was invented in Japan in 2003 by creative professionals and means 'the sound of chit-chat' in Japanese. Now 'Pecha Kucha' nights take place all over the world. I decided I would create my own topic relating to my field. I chose to do the topic of 'What does an Interior Designer do?'. This was sparked off by an episode of 'Grand Designs' which particularly annoyed me. People have a perception of what they think an interior designer does and I intended to give them the facts. II. Implementation:

How did you present your material to your colleagues? What techniques did you choose to employ and why?I presented my material on PowerPoint as mention above. I also handed out a copy of the presentation in colour in handout form 6 slides per A4 size page (see attached), along with a lesson plan explaining the Pecha Kucha method of presentation. I inserted a You Tube video clip from Grand Designs Falmouth halfway through the slide presentation. I used a lot of humour in the slide presentation, which helped to get my message across.

What were your colleagues reactions to the lesson?My colleagues were in agreement with me about the ignorance of the presenter of Grand Designs - Kevin McCloud and I got the message across. Others in the group thought this was a useful technique to get around a big class size, when presenting a project topic. We agreed that it is not suitable for deeper topics, as the slide changes every twenty seconds. I also changed certain colleagues opinions on the topic.

III. Results:

What did you learn about your own teaching in terms of any of the following: content, organization, delivery, style?

In terms of organization, I put a lot of effort into this presentation. It took several hours to watch the episode of Grand Designs and write down the important quotes and pick the audio clip. The Powerpoint presentation also took a lot of time. I took a gamble and hoped it would pay off successfully. I think all of the time and effort was worth it as it achieved the message I wanted to give and was a good use of the Pecha Kucha method.Would you give the same class again? What did you do that you felt was successful? Unsuccessful? Yes, I would give the class again, or demonstrate the technique to be used as a method of critique on a project concept especially when the class is quite big and time is lacking. I felt that the use of the technique was successful in getting a message across in a short amount of time. I dont think the demonstration was unsuccessful, but the one concern I would have is that the students could use the excuse that they dont know how to time their PowerPoint slides or even use PowerPoint, for that matter, so they would have to be taught how to do this and download a copy of the software themselves. How would you change your approach to this material or your methods of delivery in the future?I was happy with the material presented and the method of delivery. I could use other examples of Pecha Kucha to be found on the website Pecha Kucha 20x20 to give other examples to students. It would be a good example of using example of using the internet as a teaching aid. What were your reactions to receiving and giving feedback?I enjoyed the presentations of the other members of the group. Some of it was not my subject - and therefore - over my head eg. the mathematics in Eoin's 'electrical engineering' lecture. I would need more than 10 minutes to figure out these mathematical problems. I enjoyed the physics demo on the speed at which a car would topple on a turn - by Shaun. He had added AV clips and animation software aswell as large visual diagrams. It also had maths on the whiteboard. It definitely showed Shaun was trying something different. I gave this feedback to my colleagues. It is more difficult to give negative feedback but it can be constructive too.What themes emerged in the feedback about your teaching? Anything surprising?The feedback given to me for this session was positive. It was a surprise to my colleagues to see a technique used which only one of them was aware of, but there wasnt any surprising feedback given to me. One colleague commented that it could not be used for an in depth subject but this is a fact and is no surprise.What were your strengths? How can you build upon them?My strengths were that preparation and a good concept can pay off with this presentation method. It can be built upon by using this work ethic in all teaching I do.What are some specific areas for improvement? Take the time to identify 2 specific action steps for addressing these areas.I could improve my PowerPoint and downloading skills.

I need to find out more presentation techniques in PowerPoint such as use of animation.I could not extract the audio clip from the episode of Grand Designs Falmouth as I had hoped to do, because it was copyright protected. However I could practice this technique so I know how to add it seamlessly to a presentation.Tutor Assessment: Lesson PlanPlease see Tutor Observation form and Lecture Notes for this session in Appendix 4.Observer: Muireann OKeeffe

Observee: Tracey Dalton

Course: HND in 3D Design

Location: Dublin Institute of Design, 4th Floor, Dawson House, Dawson St., Dublin 2

Date: Monday 18th Oct. 2010

Time: 1.30pm to 3pm

Length of lecture: 20-30mins lecture; 60mins. practical.

(Note: Full-time students have a 3 hour class for same lesson)

Class Lesson Title: AutoCAD Lesson: Learn how to use the Drawing Tools: Polygon, Ellipse, Arc & Donut

Number: 3 of 10 (Term 1)

Aim: The student will learn how to use the 4 commands and when the lecture is completed they will complete an exercise using these 4 commands.

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this class the student will be expected to be able to:

Master the use of the 4 drawing tools listed above.

Complete part/all of the exercise provided. (Part-time hours do not allow enough time for full completion in class for some students)Lesson Content:

Re-cap on last weeks lesson.

Demonstrate polygon tool. Student Practical.

Demonstrate arc tool. Student Practical.

Demonstrate ellipse tool. Student Practical.

Demonstrate donut tool. Student Practical.

Students practice the tools through use of activity hand-out.

Teacher assists students with issues or problems with activity.

Teacher discusses next lesson coming up after mid-term break.Tutor Assessment: Reflections

I. Framing:

What did you set out to do? What lesson did you set out to teach? I had my tutor assessment with Muireann OKeeffe. It was a 2d CAD class with 1st year HND students. The subject was 'drawing an ellipse, polygon, arc and donut'. The class was a 1.5 hour session. Muireann observed for approximately forty minutes.What was the rationale behind your approach?I chose to do this 2d CAD topic as my first tutor observation as it is a subject I know well. I was confident to concentrate on clear delivery and interaction with students.II. Implementation:

How did you present your material to the students/tutor? What techniques did you choose to employ and why?I used autoCAD on the overhead projector in a computer lab setting, with notes handed out to students. I chose to take one drawing tool at a time and then get the students to try it out for themselves, moving on when they had all completed the task. I used this technique because it is the most pro-active teaching and learning experience. What were the students/ tutors reactions to the lesson?The session went well and I got good feedback from my tutor. Muireann gave me some good advice - namely waiting for answers from students a bit longer and/or asking questions of the students more. Also, she recommended some software I could use to do demos like 'Screenr'. I was aware of Muireann in the room but I chose a tried and tested class for my first assessment, so I wasn't particularly nervous. It was a good first experience of tutor assessment.III. Results:

What did you learn about your own teaching in terms of any of the following: content, organization, delivery, style?I learned that my delivery was coherent and the students could keep up with my pace of teaching. The content was easy to understand and was just the right amount for this session.

Would you give the same class again? What did you do that you felt was successful? Unsuccessful?I have given this class numerous times and it is successful. I felt that the students successfully completely the tasks given, so that pace was right. How would you change your approach to this material or your methods of delivery in the future?

I could explore more advanced setting with these drawing tools to see if students can deal with them. I could also wait for students to respond to questions instead of telling them the answers straight away.What were your reactions to receiving and giving feedback?

I was very pleased with my tutors feedback as it was my first time being observed. She thought I delivered well and the students were very engaged. I would be giving feedback to students in this case and this is part and parcel of teaching in a lab setting, so it is second nature to me, remembering to encourage and will the students to succeed and see and end goal. What themes emerged in the feedback about your teaching? Anything surprising?The themes were that I was clear and well paced. It was a pleasant surprise more than anything, as I had been concerned that I may say a certain phrase a lot or have a certain body language I am not aware of.What were your strengths? How can you build upon them?My strengths were my ability to deliver the lecture with clarity and the ability to interact with students to see if they can carry out the exercises and have patience whilst doing so.

I can build on these strengths by continuing to use this method of teaching as it is a good way of making students feel that they are achieving their goals in a nurturing way.What are some specific areas for improvement? Take the time to identify 2 specific action steps for addressing these areas.Areas for improvement would be: using software to demonstrate tools that students could use to practice at home. Another item mentioned by my tutor was to ask students more questions and wait for answers. I have tried out some software and intend to use in the future. I have taken the advice about asking questions more and waiting for answers and use this frequently in my teaching now.Peer Assessment

Please see Peer Observation form and lecture notes for this session in Appendix 5.

Observer: Johanna Cleary ( for first hour only*)Observee: Tracey Dalton

Course: HND in 3D Design

Location: Dublin Institute of Design, 4th Floor, Dawson House, Dawson St., Dublin 2

Date: Tuesday 9th Nov 2010Time: 10am to 12.45pmLength of lecture: 2hr45mins lecture;

Class Lesson Title: Part 1 (1 hour): 'Colour Schemes and Colour throughout Historical Periods'.

Part 2 (1.5 hours): Group sketching exercise in communicating without words.Number: 6 of 10 (Term 1)

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this class the student will be expected to be able to:

Understand the use of colour through historical periods. Get an idea of how and why particular colours were used.

Communicate to others through imagery alone.

Work and communicate as a team.

Lesson Content:

Re-cap on last weeks lesson. Lecture on colour through historical periods. Commence with ancient historical periods.

Progress onto the Middle Ages.

Finish lecture through more modern history ending at 1900s.

Fifteen minute recess.

Hand out brief on communicating through sketching/imagery only.

Divide class into groups.

Observe sketching.

Group presentation.

Peer Assessment: ReflectionsI. Framing:

What did you set out to do? What lesson did you set out to teach? Fellow student Johanna Cleary assessed my teaching in my college - Dublin Institute of Design. The class took place on Tuesday 9th Nov 2010. It was a 2hr45mins session. The first half was 'Colour Schemes and Colour throughout Historical Periods'. Then there was a group sketching exercise in communicating without words for the second half of the class.What was the rationale behind your approach?I was teaching the final lesson of five on Colour Theory. This was a final synopsis showing 'Colour Schemes and Colour throughout Historical Periods' which incorporates terms familiar to students from previous lessons. It gave an overview of colour through history of art and design, rather than an in depth view as the students have a separate unit in Historical and contextual referencing.II. Implementation:

How did you present your material to the students? What techniques did you choose to employ and why?I presented my material on PowerPoint. I also handed out a copy of the presentation in colour in handout form 6 slides per A4 size page (see attached). I used the colour wheel/colour bands and tied them together with imagery which showed examples of each type. What were the students reactions to the lesson?Some students were engaged, but others have a tendency to fidget and doodle through this particular topic. III. Results:

What did you learn about your own teaching in terms of any of the following: content, organization, delivery, style? I learned from Johannas observation that my delivery was good and the content was well organized but the slides came across a bit dull on the overhead.Would you give the same class again? What did you do that you felt was successful? Unsuccessful? I would do the same class again. I felt the delivery and use of imagery helped to explain the topic easily. Although, this subject does not interest everyone, so it is difficult to engage all students in a semi darkened room. How would you change your approach to this material or your methods of delivery in the future? Through Johannas comments, I can see that there needs to be more student involvement in this lecture, by asking them if they aware of the various historical periods mentioned, or suggesting they visit buildings which reflect a certain period. What were your reactions to receiving and giving feedback?I received a lot of feedback from Johanna and there were lots of good tips for more student engagement from her. I found this very helpful. This type of lecture doesnt easily lend itself to giving feedback to students. It is a one way lecture which is why it is more of a challenge. Students dont ask too many questions because some of them may feel they already know about the subject or are not that interested in it.What themes emerged in the feedback about your teaching? Anything surprising?I think the feedback was positive and had a theme of student engagement being required more. The surprising thing was that I had not thought of relating the lecture to, Georgian Dublin, for example. It has to be said though, that the Georgian era is just a small part of colour theory, as it is covered by another lecturer in detail under the module of Historical and Contextual Referencing.What were your strengths? How can you build upon them?My strengths were the clarity of my lecturing and the level of detail that went into my lecture. I can build on this by getting into more detail with anecdotes about the various images I am showing. Johanna also mentioned that I could incorporate the sociology of the period into the lecture and how it affected the design of the period eg. Victorian morality.What are some specific areas for improvement? Take the time to identify 2 specific action steps for addressing these areas.I could improve the student interactivity and engagement in this topic.

I could do this by introducing hands on exercises , which I do already as sketchbook tasks, but they could be group exercises in class. I could bring students out on a field trip to a Georgian / Victorian / Tudor building to show the design elements / colours in situ.4. Evidence from Practice:

a) Critical Incident Analysis1. Choose a critical episode.

The incident I have chosen as a critical incident is the theft of my USB key by a part-time first year HND Interior Design student.

2. Describe the incident.

When and where it happened:

The incident happened in April 2010. It took place in the computer lab in the college I teach in (Dublin Institute of Design).

What actually happened?

I was teaching an autoCAD lesson in the computer lab. This class is three hours long. It starts at 10am and runs until 1pm. I teach autoCAD for the first half of the class and I talk to the students on a one to one basis, moving around the room in a clockwise direction. The students sit on the perimeter of the room, at their computers. I talk to them about any autoCAD issues they are having and I then ask them to show me their current work on their project which was an apartment design project. I assess and give them constructive criticism and advice on the work they have done.

At the beginning of the class, I switched on the lecturers computer and overhead projector. I placed the USB key into the computer hard drive and I retrieved my current lesson from it and commenced the lecture. On completion of the lecture I proceeded with my one to one discussions with the students. I went around the room until I had got all of the way around and arrived back at the lecturers computer. Bearing in mind, there may have been a couple of students who may not have been happy with the feedback that they received on their Apartment project, but this will generally be the case, as you have to give honest, constructive criticism in order for them to learn and improve. When I had seen all students, I proceeded to close the lesson on screen, turn off the computer and unplug my USB key.

As I approached the computer I noticed that the USB key was not there anymore and the lesson was still on screen. I was surprised and a bit shocked. There were two students remaining in the room it had gone past 1 pm at this stage and I said instantaneously, out of surprise, that my USB key was gone. Of course, the two students, one of whom was sitting adjacent to the lecturers computer, said they had not taken it. I had not meant to imply this and I knew they had not taken it. What were you thinking and feeling at the time and just after the incident?At the time and just after the incident I was shocked and confused. I was thinking about all of the confidential information that was on the USB key and it was now in the hands of a student. There were projects for the following year and various codes for exams, along with students grading etc. I then went through a period of doubt in my mind and wondered if I had removed the USB key myself and put in my pocket or placed it somewhere else maybe into a students computer to show them something we had discussed. However, I knew this was not the case. I dropped in to the design studio, straight after class, where a few of the students from that class were having lunch. Most students had gone out to lunch. I mentioned that my USB key was missing and that if anyone had seen it they could hand it in. I did mention that I knew I probably wouldnt get it back. I told my colleague and college director about the incident and suggested that in their next class, after lunch with my colleague that he mention the incident to the whole class and suggest that if anyone found the USB key they could place it anonymously on top of the lockers outside of the staff room.

The Easter break followed this incident and it was on my mind every day over that time and I was not sure if I wanted to teach a class, knowing that somebody had stolen from me. I felt I was in a no win situation. Only one, or maybe two, people stole the key, so everyone else was totally innocent. The worst part was knowing that the majority who had not committed the theft would think that I thought of them as a thief. I would never know who took the item, even though I naturally had suspicions of who it might be, my suspicions could be completely wrong and there is no way of really knowing the truth. I also felt that there would be a lack of respect or bitterness in the classroom if I was to teach this class again. There is also the thought that some students would think that I probably lost the key myself and nobody had stolen it. It had put me in a very difficult situation. As Nadelson (2007) cites Simon et.al. (2003): educators were concerned about academic integrity, particularly about how to respond when inappropriate behavior was suspected in their classrooms.I spoke to my college director and told him I was thinking about passing the class on to another colleague even thought it would put me at a loss of three hours per week in pay. He felt I was blowing it out of proportion and to forget about it. I spoke to a colleague, whom I knew was looking for extra hours and could teach the subject competently. I asked her if she would like to take the class for the last five weeks of the term. She said she would be happy to take on the hours and she had met the class before so they would be familiar with her. I did not tell her about the incident, as I didnt want her to go into the class with this knowledge. My college director agreed that I should not tell her about the incident and agreed to her taking over the class. I was concerned of how this would have a lasting effect on me in the eyes of management, which has been found to be a common concern among educators. Much has been written on this subject (McCabe, 2002; Simon, 2003; Bandura, 1991), summarized: Being uncomfortable also related to the belief that there was not enough evidence to report situations and that formal academic misconduct proceedings (against a student), would reflect negatively on their performance. (Nadelson, 2007, p.7)After the Easter holidays, my colleague started teaching autoCAD / Interior design to the class. She informed me that everything had gone well and there were no comments made. The following week she had completed her three hour session. At the end of the class, a couple of students asked where I was and when I was coming back. She fetched another colleague and he then asked the college director to speak to the class. He explained that whether incorrectly or correctly, I had decided that I couldnt teach the class any longer. There were comments such as we are thieves! and the college director told them they had been given a competent lecturer and they would be taken care of until the end of term, to get their assignments completed.

As I mentioned earlier, I felt I was in a no win situation, because if I had spoke to the students about this issue I would have got the same response of you think we are thieves! I was sorry that it had come to this. In a staff meeting, after the incident, the college director said that it had been handled badly in general, taking some blame himself. 3. Interrogate your description. Why did this incident stand out?

I think this incident stood out because I had been teaching for almost two years and had taught many different classes - approximately fifteen and this had never happened before. I had used my USB key many times and it had never been taken. There was always a high level of trust between the students and me. I had sometimes gone home and realized that I had forgotten to remove my USB key from the hard drive, but it was always there, untouched and a member of staff had placed it in my drawer at my request.

What was going on?

As mentioned previously, I have described the setting and incident.

Where there different levels of behaviour or activity?

The students were sitting at their computer stations. There was interaction with tutor and student. There were one or two students who may not have been completely happy with the feedback on their projects.

Did personal bias or a particular mindset contribute to the event?It is hard to answer this question, because in light of the incident, I could never be sure if this was the case. However, I did recall the one or two students who were not happy with their project feedback and wondered if I had angered or offended them, which lead to them taking the USB key out of spite. I do recall one conversation clearly, where a student asked for feedback on her layout plan. I could see that the layout was not working functionally and told her that it might have to be looked at again. She was quite annoyed and made the comment that she was hoping to get this issue sorted today. This is not the way good learning occurs. To simply show her a better layout would have meant that she was not problem solving for herself. The design process involves a lot of problem solving hence the phrase back to the drawing board! In the architecture and design industry, as a junior designer, you are told to re-design schemes by clients and senior members of staff if they are not working. She needed to learn this lesson. However, I did wonder if she was angered by the lack of full approval and possibly took the USB key, but of course, this may not be the case at all. If she was in this mindset it would correlate with studies in this area which find that some students blame teachers for leniency in their environment:Students reported that their propensity to act in a dishonest manner was related to instructors leniency and the perceived probability of a faculty members acting on observed misconduct. Interestingly, some students blamed the teachers for inappropriate behavior because they felt that certain faculty allowed students opportunities to be dishonest and thus were culpable for the students actions. (Nadelson, 2007, p.2)What questions, problems or issues are raised by the experience?

I think it raises the question of why a lecturer would carry their work around on a USB key. I know that many do. Are they so busy with their work and overloaded with commitments that they dont take the simple step of saving their work onto the college server. The problem/issue it raises is how to deal with theft of property in the third level environment. Without knowledge of who the thief is, there is no proof or ability to deal with the matter. It raises the problem of knowing there is a thief in the class and how to continue teaching the group. Should you forget about it and move on or deal with it as I did in this scenario?

Can external sources (literature / research / theory) help?I have tried to find literature/research and theory on the topic but I cannot find anything directly relating to it. An article called Academic Misconduct by University Students by Sandra Nadelson from her book Plagiary: Cross-Disciplinary Studies in Plagiarism, Fabrication and Falsification. (2007) has been helpful as this critical incident is primarily about a breach of trust and this article asks questions as to why students are dishonest. I think Teaching with Integrity by Bruce Macfarlane (2004) may have some theories I could apply, such as absolutist and situationist (Macfarlane, 2004, p.119) reactions to scenarios such as mine. I probably could be said to have taken a situationist approach, in choosing not to continue to teach the class. There is also a case study (Macfarlane, 2004, pp. 74-76) on plagiarism which raises similar issues.What were the influencing factors?

It is hard to say what the influencing factors were in this case, other than temptation, or spite, as previously mentioned. As Nadelson (2007) cites Pulvers & Dierkhoff (1999) Dishonest students found their classes to be impersonal and less satisfying; they also felt that they received less individual attention than more honest students. This could be the feelings of the perpetrator, but with this matter, it is impossible to conclude the existence of a causal relationship. (Nadelson, 2007, p.2)Could the event be interpreted differently from another point of view?

I do think it could be interpreted differently from another point of view. I know this first hand because of the opinions of my college director. I think that unless you experience property theft of this nature you might perceive the person to be blowing things out of proportion. My college director and a colleague didnt seem to think it was a big deal, but it is different when you have to teach a class again and deal with the situation. I also think it could be interpreted differently by the students, who might think that I lost it myself or I am accusing them of being a thief as I have discussed earlier.

Learning

What can be learned from this event/episode?

The most important thing that can be learned from this episode is the importance of saving all course work onto the college server, so that it is unnecessary to carry around an external drive. It is also very important to make sure to save your lecture notes to more than one location. Luckily enough, I always carry out this practice and I did not lose any work permanently, but this could be the case for other lecturers, some of which have told me that this has happened to them. Also, I have witnessed students permanently lose their work because their USB key was corrupted and they had not saved it to ant other location.

How can it be made sense of in the light of past experiences / learning experiences in the PG Diploma?

This precise issue has not been discussed so far in the PG Diploma, but I have read other case studies in Teaching with Integrity by Bruce Macfarlane, which could be used as guidance for how to deal with this incident through group opinion forums or peer advice. It is the sort of issue which could give rise to differing opinions. I mentioned it briefly in last weeks session (10th November 2010) and other class members came forth with one story after the next, of theft or sabotage by students and lecturers. I had initially thought that it wasnt a good topic for critical incident analysis because it is not a course/learning topic but I do think it is an important issue in third level education in this technological age.

Has this experience changed the understanding of aspects of practice?

I think it emphasizes the importance of an unspoken trust between teacher and students. I had always enjoyed this trust and I still do, only for this one incident. I have learned my lesson and always save each lecture to the server before I go to the classroom. The issue will not occur if the temptation is not there in the first place. Another thing I have learned is to only place current lectures on the USB key and then add and remove as the lecture is required or completed. In a private college, we do not give out soft copies of lectures and do not have a blackboard learning system like DIT Webcourses. Maybe this issue would not arise if I could use this system.

There should also be a written Code of conduct in the student handbook which relates to issues like this. Official procedures could be set up when and theft/plagiarism has occurred. This has been proven in studies by McCabe et.al. (2001 to 2003) to make students have greater morals and ethics: As a result, when collegiate honor codes are used, students act in a more appropriate manner and are more likely to report other students for honor code violations. (McCabe, Trevino & Butterfield, 2001).How does it relate to Philosophy of Teaching?

I think it relates to the professional values and beliefs about teaching and learning in the philosophy of teaching. The issue of trust, or lack of it, is one of the core values of teaching and learning. When there is a property theft, whether between student/teacher or student/fellow student, it breaks down that trust and it is a difficult situation to deal with there can be theft in all aspects of our lives and we have to move on.

What can be done to progress a resolution of the problem it suggests?

As mentioned previously, prevention is the best cure, not allowing theft to occur in the first place and a Code of Conduct could be set up to deal with issues like this. Key principle driven interventions (Nadelson, 2007) against student misconduct are: decreasing the opportunities students have to be academically dishonest and dealing with academic dishonesty when it happens (McCabe and Pavela, 1997; Taylor et. al., 2006)4. Find a colleague to:

Share your account of the episode; Discuss your interpretation; Modify your analysis,where necessary, in the light of peer suggestions, advice and perspective.I have shared this incident with the colleague who taught the same class at that time. He had to pose the question about the theft in his afternoon class. He is in agreement with me about the incident. However, he stated that he cant get an understanding of what it feels like because it has never happened to him and therefore doesnt know whether it would bother him deeply. He agrees that it is an issue of trust and how to deal with breech of trust. He has mentioned in the past that he didnt feel that the lecturer who took my place was able to handle the job and he had also thought of me as a crutch to lean on; that I held the class together and he felt at a loss. I regret this, but at the same time, I should not have been thought of in this way he should feel as strong in his role. I wasnt aware of this until I chose not to continue with teaching of this class. I am still not sure if it was the right decision, but I would have looked like a pushover if I had continued. It was the right decision for me at the time.

Curiously, when that class did their final presentation I was told that one student had produced a very professional presentation. This student would not have been considered at the top of the class. It turned out to be the student I had an instinct about, but you just never know b) Inclusive Teaching

Inclusion extends beyond equity and its associated legislative frameworks to encompass approaches in which each individual is valued and respected, differences between individuals are seen positively and the diversity of an institutions social capital is seen as a quality outcome. Cones et. al., 1983 (as cited by Griffiths, 2010, p.7) As a case study for Inclusive Teaching I am choosing a full-time higher national diploma in 3D Design, which I am currently teaching. The reason I am choosing this class is because I am concerned about their progress and motivation. It is the first time I have taught a class where I am worried that they do not have the passion or drive to excel. They are also a good example of massification (Macfarlane, 2004) in third level education. University students are no longer a small, socially homogenous elite who are necessarily in love with their subject.(Booth, 1997)What are the specific needs/requirements of these students?

To assess the specific needs/requirements of these students it is best to start with a description of the students. As an overview, I find that students who study the same course on a part-time basis tend to be more mature, usually working in a related field or a totally different area ad there is usually a mix of mature, Irish and international students, with no first generation students. The full-time classes tend to be smaller in size, younger, with more first generation students and there is also a tendency to attract international students from outside the European Union.

This specific class is small, with nine students. Firstly, it is made up of four Irish students. Three of them, all male, are first generation students and one of them, a female, attended the first year of a design degree in another design college. One of the males is very talented and passionate about design, but has surprised me by not submitting projects to deadline. The other two male students seem to be a bit distracted, with a low attention span. One of them strikes me as having a possible learning disability but nothing has been mentioned to me about this, so I cannot be sure. He has a very low attention span and is producing sub-standard work, even though he is never absent. He does not seem to be able to follow instruction. The other student is only slightly better. The female is a front row student, with good design ability. However, she has also surprised me by not submitting project work to deadline. Also, she does not always bring her project work in for feedback on a week by week basis. These are all first generation students, more or less, and I dont think they understand the concept of deadlines which may be weeks down the line, or at the end of a term. They are still in a secondary school mindset. One student has even referred to me as Miss several times and I had to ask him to stop doing so. They all have specific needs/requirements and I am contemplating having a discussion with them individually. However, this is not necessarily part of my job description and I may need to discuss it with colleagues and management.

Secondly, there are five international students in the class. They comprise of an Estonian and Brazilian female, two Chinese males and a Mauritian male. The Brazilian female, in her mid twenties, is the most mature member of the class. She has studied and worked as a graphic designer in Brazil. She has talent and a good work ethic and is a promising student. She is also in Ireland to improve her English and have new life experiences. The Estonian female is young and has studied tourism previously, but is a first generation design student. She works well, getting average results, but has potential. The two Chinese males are similar in ways, in that they are both talented artists and have potential, but they struggle with the language barrier. On