The Journal of PGR Pedagogic Practice is a co-created peer-reviewed journal organised by a multidisciplinary team of postgraduates for all postgraduates, and anyone interested in supporting their teaching practice. We provide a space for postgraduate researchers (PGRs) to share their unique perspectives on their teaching practice, their successes and their failures, and their experiences in higher education. We hope to offer comforting examples and thought-provoking reflections for the wider community of PGRs. To others, we hope they are indicative of the sort of novel pedagogies PGRs have cultivated and the challenges they faced in their teaching. The Journal is published by Warwick PTC.
Journal of Pedagogic Practice: GTAs’ (Re/De) Constructing the Learning and Teaching Space Piece By Piece”
This editorial introduces our fourth issue- “GTAs’ (Re/De) Constructing the learning and teaching space piece by piece.” First, we outline how we continue to build upon the successes that previous JPPP issues have already achieved. Following this, we explain what we mean by the theme and how the nine articles in this issue contribute to this theme. Finally, we conclude the editorial by reflecting on the journal's fourth year and offering some thoughts for future JPPP issues
Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Afterword: "Growing our own: enabling PGR teachers to flourish in authentic ecosystems"
Postgraduate researchers who teach (PGR teachers), or Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) play a valuable role in global Higher Education, being a central part of the teaching workforce. PGR teachers are noted, amongst other things, for their ability to relate closely to students, bringing research-informed perspectives and providing effective and nuanced support to students in a massified HE sector. However, in spite of their longstanding presence, they are ubiquitously described as being in a ‘liminal space’ in the literature, and as early career colleagues, often have less professional experience and reduced agency to make pedagogical decisions, all whilst experiencing precarity and other challenges relating to occupying an impermanent role. Professional development opportunities for PGR teachers are reasonably widespread but do they enable the best way for PGR teachers to grow and thrive in their teaching work? This Afterword, drawing on the contributions of authors in Issue 4 of the JPPP, considers how PGR teachers are deploying the outcomes of professional learning, and where the ‘best space’ might be for them to develop and evolve as practitioners. It reflects on the structure and rationale established in the Warwick Postgraduate Teaching Community and argues for the support and initiation of similar PGR communities of practice across the sector, as being optimal spaces for PGR teachers to thrive, learn and grow with peers.
Copyright (c) 2024 Sara Hattersley https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Navigating pedagogical dilemmas in interdisciplinary education: a reflective practice perspective
Interdisciplinary education is increasingly recognized as essential in higher education for addressing complex real-world issues. Although this paradigm shift began in the 20th century, challenges in interdisciplinary pedagogy persist, including classroom preparation, delivery, assessment, and feedback. One significant challenge is disciplinary distance, the disparities between disciplines that hinder effective interdisciplinary teaching and learning. Additionally, the varying degrees of disciplinarity—from intradisciplinary to transdisciplinary—complicate this landscape. Despite interdisciplinary pedagogy's potential to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving, it presents numerous dilemmas. As a graduate teaching assistant, I have faced several such dilemmas. This reflection discusses these interdisciplinary dilemmas and explores epistemological and pedagogical practices to navigate them. Leveraging my experience as a PhD researcher and educator, I examine how teachers with multidisciplinary backgrounds can navigate the complexities of interdisciplinary education.
Copyright (c) 2024 Grace Kamanga https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Exploring the ‘Invisible’ in GTAs: Reflections on Intuition and Post-Graduate Mentoring
Postgraduate researchers who teach (Graduate Teaching Assistants) always navigate their academic spaces among several psychological factors in their routines from both inside and outside. They can often be observed attending to students, advising them on their problems and sometimes even relying on their seniors for various topics. In such situations, practitioner intuition remains a well-known and relied-upon source of GTA's decision-making skills but also an underexplored area of investigation, especially in mentoring and language teaching literature (Ushioda, 2023; Burns & Williams, 2023 & Kumar, 2024). Based on this premise, this reflective paper aims to simplify and understand the GTA's pedagogic intuition towards success and failures in PG thesis writing contexts from peer-mentoring perspectives. The initial sections of the paper, imagining GTA's as mentors and their learners as mentees, establish what GTA intuition can be thought of, how it is related to Vygotsky's ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) and the potential operations based on an intuitive decision-making model. The latter part of the paper offers detailed practical insights about these theoretical connections through my own workings of intuition while scaffolding the PG mentees to plan, execute and write their theses. Detailed reflections of both the GTA/mentor and the mentees elicited through think-aloud and discursive puzzling measures are reported extensively. Lastly, the paper advocates for more work towards exploring GTA's intuition in mentoring scenarios (and otherwise), getting more awareness from their cognitions and becoming more intuitive practitioners.
Harnessing the power of peer dialogue to support GTAs’ professional development: Two reflective stories
Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) have played an essential role in supporting teaching and learning in higher education institutions (HEIs) across the globe. Enhancing GTAs’ professional development (PD) is critical for ensuring the quality of higher education. The influence of peers in GTA’s PD has been widely acknowledged (e.g., Bale & Moran, 2020; Dobbins et al., 2021). However, there is limited research on the benefits of peer dialogue, one of the most accessible means of harnessing peer powers in GTAs’ PD. This qualitative study aims to explore how peer dialogue can contribute to GTAs’ PD. This study will use data from two narratives detailing the experiences of peer dialogue, completed independently by two senior GTAs in a UK-based university, who are also the first and second authors of this study. Through thematic analysis, the two researchers will first identify the themes of the data separately and then work together to synthesize the key themes from the data, to uncover the key benefits of peer dialogue in promoting GTAs’ PD. The findings of this study will add to the literature on the power of peers in GTAs’ PD and provide insights into the positive impacts of engaging in peer dialogue activities to promote GTAs’ PD. This study will have significant implications for GTAs interested in seeking PD opportunities and for stakeholders who support GTAs in higher education. By highlighting the benefits of peer dialogue, this study also underscores the need to create a supportive environment or platform for GTAs to be engaged in open and collaborative peer dialogue.
Copyright (c) 2024 Meifang Zhuo, Yanyan Li https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Tackling the Tumbleweed: Reflections on increasing seminar engagement from an introverted GTA
Pedagogical literature identifies established links between student engagement with learning and subsequent academic attainment. During my first year as a GTA, the main challenge I experienced was getting students to verbally engage in seminars, both with myself and their peers. I was surprised by how challenging I found teaching a seminar with limited verbal engagement, and how difficult it was encouraging this during seminar discussions. In this piece, I critically reflect on my experiences as an introverted GTA trying to ‘tackle the tumbleweed’. To commence, I consider the preconceptions I had about what constituted an ‘engaged’ seminar group, and examine varied definitions of (verbal and non-verbal) ‘student engagement’ within the seminar context. Then, I reflect on the techniques I used to encourage both verbal and non-verbal engagement in practice, plus further approaches I will trial in future teaching. In the concluding section, I provide advice for other GTAs and raise wider, external factors likely impacting engagement that lie beyond GTA control.
Copyright (c) 2024 Virginia Thomas-Pickles https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Merging Self-Regulatory Strategies with GTA Pedagogical Practices: Enhancing Student Autonomy and Engagement
Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) play a dual role in higher education, balancing their research responsibilities with teaching duties. This dual identity provides a unique vantage point for GTAs to implement innovative teaching practices that encourage students to utilize self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies. This paper explores how GTAs can adopt teaching practices centered on promoting SRL among students. Drawing on data from focus groups and surveys conducted with five GTAs, the study identifies key techniques—such as reflective journals, peer assessments, and technology-enhanced learning tools—that GTAs can incorporate into their teaching. The intervention was conducted over one semester in an English proficiency course tailored for students with low English proficiency. Findings indicate that these strategies not only enhance student engagement and motivation but also improve critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The paper underscores the positive impact of SRL on student learning outcomes and discusses how GTAs can effectively integrate and promote these strategies in their pedagogical practices.
Copyright (c) 2024 Nikita Goel https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Navigating the liminal space: Enhancing film teaching through anonymous feedback, digital collages, and advocacy
This reflective piece focuses on the strategies of designing seminars that foster inclusivity and belonging, mainly when teaching in a liminal space as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA). It requires a commitment to understanding diverse student needs, including A-level subjects, learning difficulties, neurodiversity, LGBTQIA+ identities, ethnicity, socio-economic backgrounds, and more. Alongside the module convenor’s guidance and departmental procedures, a GTA’s identity and expertise play a crucial role in shaping the classroom atmosphere. My interdisciplinary PhD research, which focuses on co-creating films with participants facing mental health challenges, informs my view of students as co-creators. As a Staff-Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) representative, I am dedicated to upholding students’ dignity, autonomy, and contributions to the university and society while aiming to provide them with the ethical understanding needed to navigate complex 21st-century challenges. After each seminar, I value anonymous student feedback to tailor my content, listening to their needs and questions, and incorporating audiovisual and interactive material to promote participation, especially among quieter students. With this piece, by sharing my lived experiences as a GTA, I intend to contribute to a collective knowledge base and foster dialogue and collaboration among my peers.
Copyright (c) 2024 Hande Cayir https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Enhancing Student Engagement and Belonging in Legal Education: The Impact of Personalized Teaching and Continuous Professional Development
This paper explores the development of effective teaching strategies within legal education, specifically in the UK, emphasizing personalized teaching, interactive learning techniques, and continuous professional development (CPD) of the teacher. Drawing on reflective teaching practices, this study investigates how personalized approaches—such as the correct pronunciation of students’ names and tailored feedback—foster student engagement and a sense of belonging. Additionally, the implementation of mock courtroom scenarios and technology-enhanced learning tools like VEVOX and Padlet are analysed for their role in promoting higher-order thinking and inclusivity. Continuous professional development informed the decolonization of the curriculum, challenging systemic inequalities in legal education. The findings highlight the importance of integrating personalized attention, interactive methods, and CPD to enhance student engagement, well-being, and the creation of equitable learning environments.
Copyright (c) 2024 Farzan Dar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Cultivating Care in the Classroom: Bridging Cultural Approaches in Malaysian and UK Higher Education
This paper investigates the role of care in the classroom by examining the impact of a care-infused virtual drama approach on English as a Second Language (ESL) learners at two Malaysian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), incorporating teacher reflections and insights from student interviews. Due to the prevalence of power imbalances (Nawi, 2014) and authoritarian practices (Tee et al., 2018) in Malaysia, this paper further explores the perspectives of three Malaysian Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) at the University of Warwick to understand their experiences and understanding of the notion of care within the context of a UK higher education institution. Through one-on-one semi-structured and pair interviews conducted online via Microsoft Teams, these GTAs shared how they manifest care and provide support for their learners at the University of Warwick. The insights from Malaysia and the UK accentuate the significance of fostering care in diverse educational environments, revealing its potential to enhance students’ engagement and well-being across cultural and institutional settings.
Copyright (c) 2024 Shakiratul Hanany https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Editorial: “GTAs’ (Re/De) Constructing the Learning and Teaching Space Piece By Piece”
This editorial introduces our fourth issue- “GTAs’ (Re/De) Constructing the learning and teaching space piece by piece.” First, we outline how we continue to build upon the successes that previous JPPP issues have already achieved. Following this, we explain what we mean by the theme and how the nine articles in this issue contribute to this theme. Finally, we conclude the editorial by reflecting on the journal's fourth year and offering some thoughts for future JPPP issues.
Copyright (c) 2024 Meifang Zhuo, Adam Read, Farzan Dar, Irsa Ajmal, Yanyan Li, Youn Affejee https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Exploring the value of PGRs who teach (PGWT) in supporting undergraduate students’ sense of belonging: A Student Staff Partnership Project
The aim of this research was to explore the impact of interactions between undergraduate students (‘students’) and the postgraduate researchers (‘PGWT’) who teach them, on students’ sense of belonging. Meaningful interactions between staff and students have been identified as a key aspect of students’ sense of belonging. The unique space that postgraduates who teach occupy- both student and teacher- is widely recognized in the literature and through this dual role PGWT can provide a valuable bridge between students and academic staff. Due to the nature of their teaching - which is typically small group teaching characterised by proximity and informality - opportunities can arise for discussion of matters from the wider student experience beyond the curriculum. Activity-oriented focus groups were conducted with module leaders, PGWT and their students in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Hull to explore each groups’ perspectives, and the results were thematically analysed. Findings show that whilst students didn’t explicitly recognize or use the term ‘belonging’, through resonance, rapport and academic enrichment PGWT created environments which aligned with definitions of belonging, including building meaningful relationships, contributing to the student experience, and creating informal spaces where students discussed both learning and personal matters. PGWT were relatable, providing authentic examples and being role models. Our findings suggest that being a teacher enables PGWT themselves to feel part of, and that they belong in, the University community. This research adds to the literature on students’ perceptions of PGWT and provides recommendations for future practice.
Copyright (c) 2024 Brenda Grant, Catherine Lillie, Michelle Smith, Amy Tomlinson https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Afterword: EDI and the PGR teacher experience: issues, opportunities and aspiring to an inclusive future in Higher Education
PGR teacher ‘liminality’ is well documented, but when seen through the lens of equality, diversity and inclusion, the story becomes more nuanced. This Afterword looks through this lens, considering affordances, opportunities and issues arising for PGR teachers, thinking about their place in a sector which increasingly seeks inclusion. The author makes observations relating to recent institutional evidence and published literature, as well as considering how EDI can be most meaningfully understood in professional learning. She concludes with a celebration of PGR contributions to EDI and a stance that PGRs need to be central to the ambitions of inclusive University futures. It is a privilege to be invited to write the Afterword for the JPPP, the third issue of this journal and, therefore, the third year of the Warwick Postgraduate Teaching Community (WPTC). Building on the eloquent contributions of our PGR authors in this issue, I would like to conclude with some thoughts about the wider context, the issues related to PGRs and equality, diversity and inclusion and how this fits with my own work, in professional learning.
Copyright (c) 2023 Sara Hattersley https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Advocating for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Postgraduate Pedagogies
I have come to the realization that equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are critical components of a good postgraduate education. However, EDI can be difficult to achieve, especially in postgraduate pedagogies that are frequently characterized by hierarchies and power asymmetries. This review paper explores some strategies and practices that can be employed by postgraduate teachers to advance EDI in postgraduate pedagogies. These include: confronting unconscious bias, privilege, promoting representation and embracing students’ voices, and implementing support structures to address the unique challenges faced by students in postgraduate pedagogies. Furthermore, I will discuss the benefits of implementing an EDI-focused approach in postgraduate education. This will highlight how EDI can foster interdisciplinary collaboration and inclusive education system that will consequently lead to a more diverse and representative academic community, contributing to the development of inclusive practices in various professional fields beyond their institutions. The study uses secondary sources, such as journal articles and focused research findings on the topic. The sources used aim to highlight existing issues in postgraduate pedagogies as related to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion-EDI. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for concerted efforts from postgraduate teachers to prioritize and advocate for EDI in postgraduate pedagogies, because an EDI-focused postgraduate education can become a catalyst for producing graduates that will contribute to the development of inclusive practices in various professional fields beyond their institutions, and this will truly reflect our diverse and multi-cultural society through the ideals of education.
Copyright (c) 2023 Emmanuel Nwachukwu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
What ‘Teeny’ Group Seminar Teach Us: Enhancing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in Small Group Seminar through Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) and Anecdotal Pedagogy
This reflective study delves into the nuanced impact of varying class sizes on the pedagogy of teaching literary theories and explores the ways of improving diversity in different classroom settings. It is based on my comparative analysis of the outcomes from teaching two different sizes of small seminar groups previously: one with eleven students and one that had between two and four students in regular attendance (what I term as a ‘teeny group’). To empower students to better empathise with the racial and gender inequalities portrayed in theoretical texts, and to facilitate a friendly and open dialogue for students to share their own perspectives and experiences, I employ technological tools such as Padlet and Vevox as well as my own perspective as anecdotal pedagogy, namely, the inclusion of personal experience into teaching methods and contents. In doing so, I create an online platform to allow my students to share their opinions anonymously and visually and make use of my identity as an Asian woman to encourage underrepresented marginalised groups to get involved in discussions. This reflective piece draws on the article ‘‘Violating Pedagogy’ by Heather G. S. Johnson (2015) as a theoretical framework to demonstrate both the strengths and limitations of the teeny group in comparison with the normally small group and further to evaluate different pedagogic methods in advancing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) from a unique perspective. In doing so, this article contemplates the optimal classroom sizes for effective teaching and examines how various pedagogical approaches counteract the differences in class sizes.
Copyright (c) 2023 Li Lu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Navigating Challenges in Postgraduate Pedagogy: An EDI Consideration to Preparing, Designing, and Delivering Teaching by PGRs
Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs) play an integral role in shaping the pedagogical landscape within Higher Education despite encountering several challenges as they prepare, design, and deliver their teaching. This paper explores these challenges, focusing on the advantages of advancing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in postgraduate pedagogies. Except for barriers from literature, this paper will also include authors’ personal teaching experiences in the module Technology Management for one and a half years. When PGRs prepare and design for the session, they should be aware of EDI issues since students may have different cultures, knowledge, and personalities. Therefore, it is a challenge to prepare and design the teaching to ensure all students can easily understand, participate equally in the session, and have an equal chance to express or share their thoughts and ideas with others after the session. By addressing this issue, this paper will explain things that PGRs should be concerned about and the challenges they face, such as how they would split students into each group, how they support different students with different characteristics, such as disabilities and how to innovate in the method of teaching, etc. PGRs should also consider EDI in their teaching practices, which can be more complex than preparing due to unexpected situations that arise during actual practice. Therefore, PGRs should seek to learn from others’ teaching experiences and seek support when needed. This paper will illustrate challenges aligned with EDI issues that have been faced, such as arguments between students, sensitive questions asked by students and reports from students, and, more importantly, how to perfectly deliver the knowledge that has been prepared and designed to ensure that students can feel that EDI is also a challenge that PGRs faced.
Copyright (c) 2023 Deqing Rong, Haosen Cui https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Co-creative teaching practice and active learning: the opportunity of small group teaching in philosophy
Co-creative pedagogy practices, where the students occupy a central role in shaping the sessions acting as partners in teaching, have an enormous potential in fostering inclusiveness and equality in the academic setting. Giving the students a voice and a role to play in designing and delivering teaching interventions, indeed, ensures that their unique interests and their needs as learners are taken on board, valued, and acted upon. Yet, it is challenging to implement co-creative practice while also following principles of active learning. Engaging students in deep learning through activities and “doing” tasks usually requires a certain degree of preparation which ends up creating a structure for the sessions that is less flexible than hoped, and more difficult to be permeated by and open to students’ individual needs and interests. In teaching seminars in philosophy, I have found myself juggling the challenge of combining co-creative practice and active learning principles. Considering philosophy more as a practice rather than a discipline, I have always thought to my seminars as the ideal space for my students to exercise philosophical skills whose development, strength and autonomy constitute a core element of the learning expected from a philosophy graduate. For this reason, active learning has always been a pillar of my teaching practice. Yet, I was finding difficult to connect it to a co-creative approach to teaching. In this piece, I am going to explain how establishing an ongoing, honest dialogue with my students has revealed to be the solution to my problem.
Copyright (c) 2023 Giulia Lorenzi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Unveiling the Crossroads: Reflections on Teaching Chinese Master’s Students in Chemical Engineering Labs
In recent years, the number of Chinese students enrolled in one-year postgraduate taught (PGT) programmes in UK universities has continued to increase, making graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) need to teach in a more international and diverse classroom environment. Such changes have impacted students' learning expectations and the GTAs’ teaching experiences. Therefore, this reflection paper is based on my personal experience as a GTA to discuss the current situations and problems of teaching PGT students in engineering and provides insights for PGR teachers involved in teaching based on classroom observations and teaching reflection.
Copyright (c) 2023 Ya He https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Creating a third cultural space: What role does intercultural communication play in PGR teaching?
As an internationalised space, the University of Warwick has over 9500 international students and more than 40% international academic staff. Thus, intercultural encounters are ubiquitous on campus, including teaching spaces. Among all the international student groups, the Chinese student community emerges as one of the largest at Warwick. This offers a unique teaching experience for those who are involved in teaching this group at Warwick. Therefore, in this reflective piece, we draw on our own cultural experiences as Chinese PGRs teaching Chinese PGTs in a UK-based university, with the aim to reflect on the different cultural values underlying our teaching practices influenced by both Chinese and British education cultures. We also reflect on Chinese students’ learning behaviours based on our observations and how those are formed and negotiated by us as Chinese teachers/students in a multicultural communication space at Warwick. We propose the adoption of the concept of third culture teaching, a teaching practice that goes beyond either Chinese education culture or British education culture. In particular, we use two examples to discuss the relevance of intercultural considerations in PGRs’ teaching practices, one targeting the perceptions of student-teacher relationships in supervision and the other on the concept of classroom engagement. With this discussion, we make suggestions for the intercultural-related areas for PGRs to ponder upon and prepare for better teaching practices encompassing a wide range of learning needs.
Copyright (c) 2023 Zhaohui Tian, Zi Wang https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
From Learning to Teaching: Incorporating Cultural Familiarity to Enhance GTA Support for International Students' Learning
The Inclusive Education Model (IEM) is stated as one of the priorities of the Education Strategy at the University of Warwick, and is aimed at enhancing students’ learning experience. Although significant progress has been made in the development of inclusion in education, there are still challenges to overcome to ensure that all students, regardless of their diverse backgrounds, abilities, or circumstances, have equitable access to quality education and are fully included in the learning environment. To better support inclusive education, the Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) scheme at Warwick was implemented with the aim of providing various types of teaching support to postgraduate taught (PGT) students. While carrying out our GTA jobs, the authors noticed that the international postgraduate taught (PGT) students in Education Studies were experiencing some challenges during their studies, often caused by the mismatch/incompatibility between students’ previous education experiences in their home countries and the pedagogical approaches adopted in the UK context. Arguably, these challenges could lead to various barriers that might hinder the students from the current educational environment. Through this critical reflection, we aim to raise awareness of hidden/invisible challenges that may have been overlooked. As international students are among those who may not feel fully included when pursuing studies in a host country, our objective is to raise awareness of hidden or invisible challenges that might have been overlooked through critical reflection. Our intention is to contribute to establishing an equitable and supportive educational experience for international students with diverse needs and backgrounds. We intend to contribute to the establishment of an equitable and supportive educational experience for international students with diverse needs and backgrounds.
Copyright (c) 2023 Hong Song, Bing Lu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Designing and evaluating the Supervision workshop series – embracing overlapping and contradictory views
This reflective piece focuses on the workshops of the Superb-Vision Network: a series of student-led workshops to support doctoral students’ learning of their supervision experiences. As a continuation account of the writing in the previous volume of this journal, this piece introduces how the development and evaluation of the workshops has been informed by the principles of educational design research (McKenney & Reeves, 2018) throughout. As a co-created work between three authors, who acted as facilitators and participant in the workshop, this writing discusses how the multiple evaluation/reflection cycles break down facilitator-participant barriers and contribute to methodological inclusion in terms of improving the future workshops. This writing recognises various challenges in incorporating various feedback when evaluating the workshops and centralises inclusivity when facilitating innovation, such as how to embrace participants’ contradictory views and critical feedback. In the spirit of educational design research, the other goal of this piece is to balance the need to develop a quality ‘product’ whilst simultaneously formulating broader design principles to contribute to ‘scientific understanding’, benefiting the development and evaluation of other peer-based learning initiatives.
Copyright (c) 2023 Bing Lu, Ben Sinclair, Youn Affejee https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
STEMinism in the classroom: Reflections from a female GTA
The need for professionals with a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) background is higher than ever before, and this need will continue to rise in future years, particularly for those with a university degree. Applications for STEM degrees in the UK are at an all-time high; however, women are significantly underrepresented in STEM courses at university, have higher dropout rates from these courses than their male counterparts, and even when they obtain a STEM degree, are less likely to choose a career in this field. These issues have been well-documented in the literature for over a decade, yet these issues still persist in the present day. This is a reflective piece from my perspective as a female graduate teaching assistant (GTA) teaching in STEM, highlighting the tools I use in the classroom to try and empower particularly female students and equip them for success. It also reflects on my own experiences, both as student and teacher, and discusses how GTAs working in STEM subjects can be pivotal in addressing some of the gender gaps outlined above.
Copyright (c) 2023 Sophie Kempston https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Exploring Inclusive Practices in Schools: A Systems Thinking Perspective
This reflective paper delves into the examination of inclusive practices in schools through the lens of systems thinking, a conceptual framework. Inclusive education aims to provide equitable educational opportunities for all students, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds. However, the intricate nature of educational systems often poses challenges to effective implementation. This paper advocates for the application of systems thinking as a valuable perspective to understand and improve the implementation of inclusive practices in schools. By conceptualizing schools as dynamic systems and considering the interconnectedness of various elements within them, educators and policymakers can gain deeper insights into the factors that influence inclusivity. The paper outlines the fundamental principles of systems thinking, demonstrates its application in the field of inclusive education, and highlights the potential benefits it offers for enhancing inclusive practices.
Copyright (c) 2023 Reymark Isar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Editorial: PGR Teachers and the advancement of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)
This year’s editorial team is comprised of six individuals (From left to right: Cherisse, Youn, Imogen, Anton, Bhushan, and Yiduo) from across five departments at the University of Warwick. The diversity within the team goes well beyond research disciplines, with four continents represented within this international cast. The team’s ethos is to strive in championing postgraduate students’ work, in their roles as Graduate Teaching Assistants.
Copyright (c) 2023 Youn Affejee, Cherisse Francis, Yiduo Wang, Anton Cleverly, Imogen Knox, Bushan Atote https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Journal of PGR Pedagogic Practice: Breaking Barriers and Embracing Voices; Advancing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Postgraduate Pedagogies
The third issue of the Journal of PGR Pedagogic Practice, published for the academic year 2023-24, is a celebration of our authors’ commitment to reflecting critically on their pedagogies and creating more inclusive educational settings that embrace diversity in all its forms. We hope this issue helps our readers thoughtfully adapt their pedagogies to better serve diverse student populations. Many articles in this issue address how we can effectively break down barriers to establish educational environments that not only recognise diversity but actively nurture inclusion. Another focus of this issue is navigating intercultural communication, a practical application of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), focusing on the complexities of intercultural interactions in educational settings. This year’s issue, with international submissions, is a testament JPPP has established itself as a platform for championing GTAs work beyond Warwick, and we hope that future issues continue to do so, whether it is providing a voice to unsung PGR champions or challenging the status quo in higher education on difficult topics.
Copyright (c) 2023 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
<span class="NormalTextRun SCXW237603093 BCX9" data-ccp-parastyle="Abstract" data-ccp-parastyle-defn="{"ObjectId":"869e6149-885e-4656-b3d2-3997e9096722|97","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[469775450,"Abstract",201340122,"2",134234082,"true",134233614,"true",469778129,"Abstract",335572020,"1",134224901,"true",201342447,"5",201342448,"1",469777841,"Univers",469777842,"",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Univers",469769226,"Univers,Calibri",335559685,"1985",335559740,"240",201341983,"0",335559739,"120",335559738,"120",335551550,"6",335551620,"6",469777929,"Abstract Char",469778324,"Normal"]}" data-ccp-parastyle-linked-defn="{"ObjectId":"869e6149-885e-4656-b3d2-3997e9096722|98","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[469775450,"Abstract Char",201340122,"1",134233614,"true",469778129,"AbstractChar",335572020,"1",134231262,"true",134224901,"true",201342447,"5",201342448,"1",469777841,"Univers",469777842,"",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Univers",469769226,"Univers,Calibri",268442635,"20",469777929,"Abstract",469778324,"Default Paragraph Font"]}">The experience and positionality of PGR teachers is well documented in academic papers, surveys, and discussions in our institutions. In the wake of the pandemic how should we conceptualise their role? What is their place? With reference to the University of Warwick specifically, but looking more widely, this afterword considers the PGR teacher experience, role, and identity alongside a perceived shift in the conversation about what matters now in Higher Education. It argues for a re-imagining of the PGR teacher role alongside more senior colleagues, who should take action to advocate in ways that will break through the liminality.
Copyright (c) 2022 Sara Hattersley https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
<span class="NormalTextRun SCXW42077586 BCX9" data-ccp-parastyle="Abstract" data-ccp-parastyle-defn="{"ObjectId":"ec5732d6-2a98-48cc-9f33-1ecebe2b3b49|97","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[469775450,"Abstract",201340122,"2",134234082,"true",134233614,"true",469778129,"Abstract",335572020,"1",134224901,"true",201342447,"5",201342448,"1",469777841,"Univers",469777842,"",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Univers",469769226,"Univers,Calibri",335559685,"1985",335559740,"240",201341983,"0",335559739,"120",335559738,"120",335551550,"6",335551620,"6",469777929,"Abstract Char",469778324,"Normal"]}" data-ccp-parastyle-linked-defn="{"ObjectId":"ec5732d6-2a98-48cc-9f33-1ecebe2b3b49|98","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[469775450,"Abstract Char",201340122,"1",134233614,"true",469778129,"AbstractChar",335572020,"1",134231262,"true",134224901,"true",201342447,"5",201342448,"1",469777841,"Univers",469777842,"",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Univers",469769226,"Univers,Calibri",268442635,"20",469777929,"Abstract",469778324,"Default Paragraph Font"]}">As universities gradually re-open to face-to-face teaching, innovative approaches that encourage engagement and stimulation in the “new normal” have been readily welcomed. The Superb-Vision Network (SVN) was a response to such a call: a series of student-led workshops to support doctoral students in enhancing their supervision experience. This article is a reflection on the process of setting up the network. We will explain the decisions and actions taken and explore several critical incidents which demonstrate what collaboration between those with dissimilar perspectives and backgrounds can look like in practice. Considerations around sustainability, inclusivity, and safety posed additional challenges that vastly shaped our thinking and plans, allowing us to find balance in our social and educational outcomes. Informed by the notion of “distributed” learning (Lea & Nicolle, 2013) and “dispersed” pedagogic system (Boud & Lee, 2005), this article advocates facilitating a “dispersed” learning community for doctoral students with an emphasis on peer learning (Boud & Cohen, 2014). We hope that this interesting case study will motivate and inspire others to use opportunities, however small, to add value to their community.
Copyright (c) 2022 Ben Sinclair, Bing Lu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Development of Teaching, from Covid-19 to in-person Laboratory Sessions
<span class="NormalTextRun SCXW244508065 BCX9" data-ccp-parastyle="Abstract" data-ccp-parastyle-defn="{"ObjectId":"d77ca3d6-f8a4-4ad7-b618-1725d1222e65|95","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[469775450,"Abstract",201340122,"2",134234082,"true",134233614,"true",469778129,"Abstract",335572020,"1",134224901,"true",201342447,"5",201342448,"1",469777841,"Univers",469777842,"",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Univers",469769226,"Univers,Calibri",335559685,"1985",335559740,"240",201341983,"0",335559739,"120",335559738,"120",335551550,"6",335551620,"6",469777929,"Abstract Char",469778324,"Normal"]}" data-ccp-parastyle-linked-defn="{"ObjectId":"d77ca3d6-f8a4-4ad7-b618-1725d1222e65|96","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[469775450,"Abstract Char",201340122,"1",134233614,"true",469778129,"AbstractChar",335572020,"1",134231262,"true",134224901,"true",201342447,"5",201342448,"1",469777841,"Univers",469777842,"",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Univers",469769226,"Univers,Calibri",268442635,"20",469777929,"Abstract",469778324,"Default Paragraph Font"]}">Teachers who began, like myself, teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic have had to adapt to multiple ways of teaching to accommodate the switch in demand of the student to different styles and methods. What was once dominated by in-person classrooms of 30+ students became a mix of independent learning and tutoring. Those who started their teaching journey through online one-on-one tutoring sessions bolstering up in-person classrooms, have had to adapt to the old method of teaching with students who are used to hiding their faces and muting their microphones. In this article I discuss how my method of teaching has changed, my opinion on the importance of physical presence in a classroom and what we can learn from the teaching styles demanded by the student.
Copyright (c) 2022 Tobias Slade-Harajda https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
<span class="NormalTextRun SCXW92166164 BCX9" data-ccp-parastyle="Abstract" data-ccp-parastyle-defn="{"ObjectId":"97f7f2e1-b111-4936-a93a-fd693c4b4a73|13","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[469775450,"Abstract",201340122,"2",134234082,"true",134233614,"true",469778129,"Abstract",335572020,"1",134224901,"true",201342447,"5",201342448,"1",469777841,"Univers",469777842,"",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Univers",469769226,"Univers,Calibri",335559685,"1985",335559740,"240",201341983,"0",335559739,"120",335559738,"120",335551550,"6",335551620,"6",469777929,"Abstract Char",469778324,"Normal"]}" data-ccp-parastyle-linked-defn="{"ObjectId":"97f7f2e1-b111-4936-a93a-fd693c4b4a73|14","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[469775450,"Abstract Char",201340122,"1",134233614,"true",469778129,"AbstractChar",335572020,"1",134231262,"true",134224901,"true",201342447,"5",201342448,"1",469777841,"Univers",469777842,"",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Univers",469769226,"Univers,Calibri",268442635,"20",469777929,"Abstract",469778324,"Default Paragraph Font"]}">In this article, I reflect on a semester of coaching handball at the University of Warwick. Discussions revolve around creating a training session plan, delivering a training session, and coaching participants with differing goals. I hope to introduce developmental sports coaching in the context of university societies to an academic audience and showcase an alternative pathway to teaching for the PGR community.
Copyright (c) 2022 Youn Affejee https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Learning Management System in Higher Education
Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is broadly used in the United Kingdom Higher Education environment and the rest of the world owing to its feature of being user-friendly as a learning management system (LMS). Since the pandemic, the pivotal role of Moodle is strengthened to facilitate virtual learning during the lockdown and enhance hybrid learning with face-to-face teaching gradually coming back. During the routine tutorials, some students reported their difficulties and concerns about Moodle, such as digital literacy, information density, and feedback. In this reflection, three postgraduate researchers who work as teaching assistants in Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), reflect on the Moodle designing experience. We discuss various manoeuvres like adjusting the structure, using virtual badges to engage students, compressing content, and updating synchronous and asynchronous learning materials to enable students to learn more efficiently. The module design is optimised based on the module nature, learning objectives, expected learning outcomes, and students' learning needs in the hybrid learning environment. With the students' feedback and previous learning experience, suggestions are proposed to contribute to the best practices in Moodle design to improve Postgraduate Taught Students’ learning experience in Higher Education.
Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment
Copyright (c) 2022 Zhizhuo Su, Yiduo Wang, Di Wang https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0