Blog

Posted in Writing

Pedagogy of Excess

‘Pedagogy of Excess: An Alternative Political Economy of Student Life’, written by myself and Andy Hagyard,  is published this week in a volume entitled The Marketisation of Higher Education and the Student as Consumer, published by Routledge. This book is edited by Lizzie Nixon, Mike Molesworth and Richard Scullion, all of whom work at the University of Bournemouth.

For more information about the book see http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415584470/

Pedagogy of Excess looks to the world-wide social protests of 1968, in which students played a central role, for inspiration for the notion of research-engaged teaching.  Grounded in critical social theory and based on  historical material that deals with the events in Paris, Pedagogy of Excess describes 1968 as a moment when the students became more than students, and acted as revealers of a general crisis by demystifying the process of research. The students did this by engaging in various forms of theoretical and practical activity that took them beyond the normal limits of what is meant by  higher education. It is the notion of students becoming more than students through a radical process of revelation that  provide the basis for  our concept of  Pedagogy of Excess.  At the end of the chapter we  discuss Pedagogy of Excess in relation to other critical pedagogies, and set out a curriculum  based  on the principles of pedagogical excess.

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Praxis

Last week was an important  time for Student as Producer:

Andy Hagyard and I attended an induction session for the projects that have been funded by the National Teacher Fellowship Project fund. This fund is providing £200k over the next three years to fund Student as Producer. The event was held at the Higher Education Academy’s HQ in York.  For more information about the NTFS scheme see – http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/supportingindividuals/ntfs/ntfsprojects.

Student as Producer held its first online meeting of the Steering Committee using FlashMeeting software – http://flashmeeting.e2bn.net/. The system is fun and easy to use, and is a great way to speak with colleagues around the world, including Germany and Australia. We are writing up meeting notes which will be posted shortly.

The Project Management Group held a meeting, which was well attended with colleagues from all parts of the university, including representatives from the faculties, the library and Registry. Minutes will be posted soon.

The Vice Chancellor has been making a series of presentation to all staff. In these talks she has been stating her commitment to Student as Producer and how she regards it as a key initiative for the University. This support is vital for the success of the project and it is much appreciated by all of us working on Student as Producer.

Student involvement is key to the success of the project. Working closely with the Students Union we are starting to identify students who can act as advocates for the project.

Events to look forward to this week  include the publication of a chapter co-authored by myself and Andy Hagyard. The title of the chapter is ‘Pedagogy of Excess – An Alternative Political Economy of Student Life’. It will appear in an collection edited by Mike Molesworth, Elizabeth Nixon and Richard Scullion called The Marketisation of Higher Education and the Student as Consumer. The book is published by Routledge.

Posted in Writing

Ideas

Student as Producer runs on ideas. In this paper (see link below)  I set out some of the ideas that have influenced the ways in which I teach and how they have been important in designing Student as Producer. These are not the only ideas on which Student as Producer is based. Student as Producer is grounded in a wide range of progressive pedagogical approaches that are derived from the ways in which academics at Lincoln and colleagues at the participating universities  teach and students learn. This paper has been written to provoke discussion and debate.  I very much welcome any comments.

http://learningexchange.westminster.ac.uk/index.php/lej/issue/current

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The Sheffield Companion to Inquiry-Based Learning

University of Sheffield

Student as Producer is working closely with colleagues from the University of Sheffield. They have recently completed a project linking academic research and the undergraduate curriculum. They refer to this form of pedagogic practice as Inquiry-Based Learning ( IBL).

The Sheffield Companion to IBL offers an overview of themes in the conceptualisation, design, practice and development of inquiry-based learning from the perspective of work carried out through CILASS at The University of Sheffield.

The Companion is intended for those in universities who teach, or who support or develop learning and teaching, including academic staff, practitioner-tutors, librarians, educational developers and learning technologists. It is also intended for students who work in roles as tutors, learning mentors or partners with staff in educational enhancement activities.

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ibl/resources/sheffieldcompanion

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Undergraduate Research in Australia

Professor Angela Brew, from the University of Macquarie, has initiated this website on research engaged teaching in Australia and around the world. Macquarie University is one of the collaborating universities on Student as Producer. Professor Brew is a member of the Student as Producer Steering Committee . For more information on Professor Brew see – http://www.altc.edu.au/altc-national-teaching-fellow-angela-brew.

For access to the undergraduate research website see –www.undergraduateresearchAustralia.com

This website is designed to provide information and resources for people interested in enhancing students’ engagement through involving undergraduates in research and inquiry across the curriculum and in scholarship schemes.

It is intended to be used by:

  • academics wishing to give students a research experience within their undergraduate degree;
  • academic managers, administrators and other university personnel involved in implementing policy and strategy related to undergraduate research; and
  • undergraduate and postgraduate students with an interest in being involved in research and inquiry.

The website is hosted by Macquarie University and funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC).