I suspect I am not alone, as a lecturer, in reflecting that some of the most satisfying experiences in a class are when I am there saying nothing and not even interacting with the students. They have been divided into groups, set a task, and they are on their own. Almost instantly there is a hubbub of voices. After a pause of a couple of minutes the lecturer starts to walk round, eavesdropping on each of the groups. .That's where the joy comes - in hearing that there is a profound level of debate going on around the topic set, with theoretical positions being examined, empirical material brought in from prior reading, and a pragmatic approach being adopted to finding a consensus on a viewpoint that can be presented to the whole group later on.
Make no mistake - I do enjoy lecturing. I get great pleasure in seeing that I have captured an audience and in watching their expressions as they follow an argument, or perhaps come to consider a long-held opinion in a new way. And occasionally there are those pin-drop moments when you know they are all waiting to see where you will take them next. But there is equal joy in having set up a task for a group and watching and listening as they set to it with enthusiasm. Of course, for this to happen there have to be interested and engaged individuals involved. But there also have to be a series of questions posed that seem to the participants to be of great relevannce, importance and interest. Both of those conditions need to be fulfilled. I have sat through too many sessions at training events or national consultations and conferences where the enthusiasm of the participants has been dashed when they are given questions to debate which show that the organisers are simply out of touch with most of those present. What follows the command to 'Get on with discussion in your groups' is then silence broken eventually by someone saying 'What are we going to make of this, then?'
Today we had a significant meeting of departmental directors of learning and teaching, along with team leaders in various professional services, to consider some of the big picture issues facing the university over the next few years as well as some of the more immediate matters that we need to deal with over the next year. We had two sets of group discussions, and the enthusiasm generated within these was immense. The questions had been alighted upon after consultation with a number of key individuals, but were unknown in advance to the majority of those present. Some issues posed were controversial, and the tasks set were unusual. But the outcomes were useful and thought-provoking beyond the dreams of the organisers. The material generated was infintely greater than could have been arrived at by virtually any other format.
Over the next few months we will be working on many of the ideas generated, but I will mention one here. There was agreement for all faculties that currently our graduates lack sufficient understanding of the wider context within which their knowledge is set. It is perhaps a familiar issue in English education, with its over-emphasis on specialisation. So there's a challenge for us in the coming months: strengthening the inter-disciplinarity of our students so that they can see how their bit of detailed knowledge fits into a wider picture.
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