Tag: Teaching

  • Neuroinclusive teaching in higher education

    Neuroinclusive teaching in higher education

    Over the weekend, HEPI published a blog on where universities go from here.

    This blog was kindly authored by Lewis Eves, Teaching Associate at the University of Nottingham.

    Neuroinclusivity is increasingly important in Higher Education. A recent survey shows that 22% of UK students have a neurodivergent diagnosis (e.g. ADHD or Autism), with up to 28% identifying as neurodivergent in some way. This constitutes an overrepresentation of neurodivergence among students compared to the general population, of which only 15-20% are diagnosed as neurodivergent.

    Meanwhile neurodivergent disclosure rates among academic staff are significantly lower. In 2023, only 1.8% of academic staff disclosed a neurodivergent condition.

    It’s unsurprising that neurodivergent people would be underrepresented in academia. Academia is structured around neurotypical behaviours, activities and thought processes that are intuitive for those whose brain functions conform to the collective standard.

    As such, academia privileges ways of working that are difficult for neurodivergent people to navigate. The need to excel in, and constantly switch between, research, teaching and administrative tasks poses challenges for neurodivergent staff. This discourages neurodivergent people from pursuing careers in academia. Meanwhile, those who do pursue academia express fear and anxiety that disclosing their neurodivergence might negatively impact their careers.

    The growing gap between the number of neurodivergent academics and students poses a challenge for higher education. How is a traditionally neurotypical environment, lacking in lived experience of neurodivergence, going to adapt to the learning needs of an increasingly neurodivergent community?

    Neuroinclusive teaching

    As a neurodivergent academic, I often reflect on the challenges I faced as a student. I use this lived experience to inform my teaching practice, employing various techniques and measures to support the learning of neurodivergent students.

    Inductive Teaching

    Teaching in Higher Education is mostly deductive. A top-down approach that focusses on teaching staff telling students what is important to know, providing examples and testing students’ understanding.

    This is something that I struggled with as a student, and is something that my neurodivergent students have shared that they struggle with too. I suspect the issue is that the way a neurotypical teacher links ideas and concepts to real-world examples is not as intuitive for neurodivergent students. Neurodivergence means that brains link and connect information differently.

    To address this, I employ inductive approaches in my teaching. This involves focussing first on examples, preferably examples from students’ lived experience, and using these examples to discuss and learn key ideas and concepts. This enables students to connect examples and concepts in a way that is intuitive for them. It is also a more collaborative learning process, promoting discussion and sharing of ideas that I find benefits both neurodivergent and neurotypical students.

    Structure

    Secondary and further education are highly structured learning environments, with students’ learning time being timetabled and supervised. Higher education, however, is much less structured. Some subjects have very few timetabled sessions, with a significant emphasis on independent study.

    Many students struggle with this transition into a less structured learning environment. However, this sudden drop in structure is something that neurodivergent students particularly struggle with. It was something that I struggled with as a student, and now that I teach, it is one of the more common topics that my neurodivergent students wish to discuss with me.

    To help address this issue, I support the structuring of students’ independent study. One method I use is hosting regular study workshops in which students can complete their assignments. I facilitate these using techniques like body doubling. This is a productivity technique commonly used by those with ADHD, which relies on the natural rhythms of productivity in shared workspaces to encourage focus. All students are welcome, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, especially from neurodivergent students.

    Neuroinclusive policy

    In my experience of teaching in higher education, there are opportunities to develop teaching practice to better support the increasing number of neurodivergent students. In my experience of teaching in higher education, there are opportunities to develop teaching practice to better support the increasing number of neurodivergent students. However, this will need to be done sector-wide, which will require supportive and effective policymaking.

    These policies should promote teaching and learning practices that make learning environments more accessible, equitable and inclusive. These require co-creation with the neurodivergent community, who are underrepresented in academia. Accordingly, for policy to promote neuroinclusive teaching and learning for students, it must also promote academic neuroinclusion.

    Achieving this will require a decoupling of academic performance monitoring and career progression from neurotypical behaviours. This will help address barriers to disclosure and empower neurodivergent academics to more effectively inform teaching and learning practices based on their lived experience.

    Research and guidance from UCL lists numerous suggestions that could be incorporated into broader policy. This includes:

    • Promoting greater flexibility and accessibility in research, focussing on the depth of contributions rather than the breadth of activity neurotypical scholars may engage in.
    • Challenging the culture of ‘publish-or-perish’ that privileges quick publication, recognising the value of slower, high-quality research that alleviates pressure on both neurodivergent and neurotypical researchers.

    Changes like these will take time. However, if the higher education sector is serious about creating a neuroinclusive environment and effectively supporting the growing demographic of neurodivergent students, we need to take these steps.

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  • Bridging the Divide: Teaching Across Online and In-Person Classrooms – Faculty Focus

    Bridging the Divide: Teaching Across Online and In-Person Classrooms – Faculty Focus

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  • Sparking civic engagement as we approach America’s 250th

    Sparking civic engagement as we approach America’s 250th

    Key points:

    Imagine students who understand how government works and who see themselves as vital contributors to their communities. That’s what happens when students are given opportunities to play a role in their school, district, and community. In my work as a teacher librarian, I have learned that even the youngest voices can be powerful, and that students embrace civic responsibility and education when history is taught in a way that’s relevant and meaningful. 

    Now is the moment to build momentum and move our curriculum forward. It’s time to break past classroom walls and unite schools and communities. As our nation’s 250th anniversary approaches, education leaders have a powerful opportunity to teach through action and experience like never before. 

    Kids want to matter. When we help them see themselves as part of the world instead of watching it pass by, they learn how to act with purpose. By practicing civic engagement, students gain the skills to contribute solutions–and often offer unique viewpoints that drive real change. In 2023, I took my students [CR1] to the National Mall. They were in awe of how history was represented in stone, how symbolism was not always obvious, and they connected with rangers from the National Park Service as well as visitors in D.C. that day. 

    When students returned from the Mall, they came back with a question that stuck: “Where are the women?” In 2024, we set out to answer two questions together: “Whose monuments are missing?” and “What is HER name?” 

    Ranger Jen at the National Mall, with whom I worked with before, introduced me to Dr. Linda Booth Sweeney, author of Monument Maker, which inspired my approach. Her book asks, “History shapes us–how will we shape history?” Motivated by this challenge, students researched key women in U.S. history and designed monuments to honor their contributions. 

    We partnered with the Women’s Suffrage National Monument, and some students even displayed their work at the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument. Through this project, questions were asked, lessons were learned, and students discovered the power of purpose and voice. By the end of our community-wide celebration, National Mall Night, they were already asking, “What’s next?” 

    The experience created moments charged with importance and emotion–moments students wanted to revisit and replicate as they continue shaping history themselves. 

    Reflecting on this journey, I realized I often looked through a narrow lens, focusing only on what was immediately within my school. But the broader community, both local and online, is full of resources that can strengthen relationships, provide materials, and offer strategies, mentors, and experiences that extend far beyond any initial lesson plan. 

    Seeking partnerships is not a new idea, but it can be easily overlooked or underestimated. I’ve learned that a “no” often really means “not yet” or “not now,” and that persistence can open doors. Ford’s Theatre introduced me to Ranger Jen, who in turn introduced me to Dr. Sweeney and the Trust for the National Mall. When I needed additional resources, the Trust for the National Mall responded, connecting me with the new National Mall Gateway: a new digital platform inspired by America’s 250th that gives all students, educators and visitors access to explore and connect with history and civics through the National Mall. 

    When I first shared the Gateway with students, it took their breath away. They could reconnect with the National Mall–a place they were passionate about–with greater detail and depth. I now use the platform to teach about monuments and memorials, to prepare for field trips, and to debrief afterward. The platform brings value for in-person visits to the National Mall, and for virtual field trips in the classroom, where they can almost reach out and touch the marble and stone of the memorials through 360-degree video tours. 

    Another way to spark students’ interest in civics and history is to weave civic learning into every subject. The first step is simple but powerful: Give teachers across disciplines the means to integrate civic concepts into their lessons. This might mean collaborating with arts educators and school librarians to design mini-lessons, curate primary sources, or create research challenges that connect past and present. It can also take shape through larger, project-based initiatives that link classroom learning to real-world issues. Science classes might explore the policies behind environmental conservation, while math lessons could analyze community demographics or civic data. In language arts, students might study speeches, letters, or poetry to see how language drives change. When every subject and resource become hubs for civic exploration, students begin to see citizenship as something they live, not just study. 

    Students thrive when their learning has purpose and connection. They remember lessons tied to meaningful experiences and shared celebrations. For instance, one of our trips to the National Mall happened when our fourth graders were preparing for a Veterans Day program with patriotic music. Ranger Jen helped us take it a step further, building on previous partnerships and connections–she arranged for the students to sing at the World War II Memorial. As they performed “America,” Honor Flights unexpectedly arrived. The students were thrilled to sing in the nation’s capital, of course. But the true impact came from their connection with the veterans who had lived the history they were honoring. 

    As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, we have an extraordinary opportunity to help students see themselves as part of the story of America’s past, present, and future.

    Encourage educator leaders to consider how experiential civics can bring this milestone to life. Invite students to engage in authentic ways, whether through service-learning projects, policy discussions, or community partnerships that turn civic learning into action. Create spaces in your classes for collaboration, reflection, and application, so that students are shaping history, not just studying it. Give students more than a celebration. Give them a sense of purpose and belonging in the ongoing story of our nation. 

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  • Teaching Students Agency in the Age of AI

    Teaching Students Agency in the Age of AI

    Students have little opportunity to practice agency when an LMS tracks their assignments, they’re not encouraged to explore different majors and colleges shrink general education requirements, according to writer and educator John Warner.

    In the latest episode of The Key, Inside Higher Ed’s news and analysis podcast, Warner tells IHE’s editor in chief, Sara Custer, that colleges should refocus on teaching students how to learn and grow.

    “Agency writ large is the thing we need to survive as people … but it’s also a fundamental part of learning, particularly writing.”

    Warner argues that with the arrival of AI, helping students develop agency is even more of an imperative for higher education institutions.

    “AI is a homework machine … Our response cannot be ‘you’re just going to make this thing using AI now,’” Warner said. “More importantly than this is not learning anything, it is a failure to confront [the question]: What do we, as humans, do now with this technology?”

    Warner also shares what he’s learned from consulting and speaking about teaching and AI at campuses across the country. Ultimately, he says, faculty can work with AI in a way that still aligns with their institutional values.

    Listen to the full episode.

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  • Measuring student global competency learning using direct peer connections

    Measuring student global competency learning using direct peer connections

    Key points:

    Our students are coming of age in a world that demands global competency. From economic interdependence to the accelerating effects of climate change and mass migration, students need to develop the knowledge and skills to engage and succeed in this diverse and interconnected world. Consequently, the need for global competency education is more important than ever.

    “Being born into a global world does not make people global citizens,” Andreas Schleicher of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said. “We must deliberately and systematically educate our children in global competence.” 

    Here at Global Cities, we regularly talk with educators eager to bring global competency into their classrooms in ways that engage and excite students to learn. Educators recognize the need, but ask a vital question: How do we teach something we can’t measure?

    It’s clear that in today’s competitive and data-driven education environment, we need to expand and evaluate what students need to know to be globally competent adults. Global competency education requires evaluation tools to determine what and whether students are learning.

    The good news is that two recent independent research studies found that educators can use a new tool, the Global Cities’ Codebook for Global Student Learning Outcomes, to identify what global competency learning looks like and to assess whether students are learning by examining student writing. The research successfully used the evaluation tool for global competency programs with different models and curricula and across different student populations.

    Global Cities developed the Codebook to help researchers, program designers, and educators identify, teach, and measure global competency in their own classrooms. Created in partnership with Harvard Graduate School of Education’s The Open Canopy, the Codebook captures 55 observable indicators across four core global learning outcomes: Appreciation for Diversity, Cultural Understanding, Global Knowledge, and Global Engagement. The Codebook was developed using data from our own Global Scholars virtual exchange program, which since 2014 has connected more than 139,000 students in 126 cities worldwide to teach global competency.

    In Global Scholars, we’ve seen firsthand the excitement of directly connecting students with their international peers and sparking meaningful discussions about culture, community, and shared challenges. We know how teachers can effectively use the Codebook and how Global Cities workshops extend the reach of this approach to a larger audience of K-12 teachers. This research was designed to determine whether the same tool could be used to assess global competency learning in other virtual exchange programs, not only Global Cities’ Global Scholars program.

    These studies make clear that the Codebook can reliably identify global learning in diverse contexts and help educators see where and how their students are developing global competency skills in virtual exchange curricula. You can examine the tool (the Codebook) here. You can explore the full research findings here.

    The first study looked at two AFS Intercultural Programs curricula, Global You Changemaker and Global Up Teen. The second study analyzed student work from The Open Canopy‘s Planetary Health and Remembering the Past learning journeys.

    In the AFS Intercultural Programs data, researchers found clear examples of students from across the globe showing Appreciation for Diversity and Cultural Understanding. In these AFS online discussion boards, students showed evidence they were learning about their own and other cultures, expressed positive attitudes about one another’s cultures, and demonstrated tolerance for different backgrounds and points of view. Additionally, the discussion boards offered opportunities for students to interact with each other virtually, and there were many examples of students from different parts of the world listening to one another and interacting in positive and respectful ways. When the curriculum invited students to design projects addressing community or global issues, they demonstrated strong evidence of Global Engagement as well.

    Students in The Open Canopy program demonstrated the three most prevalent indicators of global learning that reflect core skills essential to effective virtual exchange: listening to others and discussing issues in a respectful and unbiased way; interacting with people of different backgrounds positively and respectfully; and using digital tools to learn from and communicate with peers around the world. Many of the Remembering the Past posts were especially rich and coded for multiple indicators of global learning.

    Together, these studies show that global competency can be taught–and measured. They also highlight simple, but powerful strategies educators everywhere can use:

    • Structured opportunities for exchange help students listen and interact respectfully with one another
    • Virtual exchange prompts students to share their cultures and experiences across lines of difference in positive, curious ways
    • Assignments that include reflection questions–why something matters, not just what it is–help students think critically about culture and global issues
    • Opportunities for students to give their opinion and to decide to take action, even hypothetically, builds their sense of agency in addressing global challenges

    The Codebook is available free to all educators, along with hands-on professional development workshops that guide teachers in using the tool to design curriculum, teach intentionally, and assess learning. Its comprehensive set of indicators gives educators and curriculum designers a menu of options–some they might not have initially considered–that can enrich students’ global learning experiences.

    Our message to educators is simple: A community of educators (Global Ed Lab), a research-supported framework, and practical tools can help you teach students global competency and evaluate their work.

    The question is no longer whether we need more global competency education. We clearly do. Now with the Codebook and the Global Ed Lab, teachers can learn how to teach this subject matter effectively and use tools to assess student learning.

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  • Teaching visual literacy as a core reading strategy in the age of AI

    Teaching visual literacy as a core reading strategy in the age of AI

    Key points:

    Many years ago, around 2010, I attended a professional development program in Houston called Literacy Through Photography, at a time when I was searching for practical ways to strengthen comprehension, discussion, and reading fluency, particularly for students who found traditional print-based tasks challenging. As part of the program, artists visited my classroom and shared their work with students. Much of that work was abstract. There were no obvious answers and no single “correct” interpretation.

    Instead, students were invited to look closely, talk together, and explain what they noticed.

    What struck me was how quickly students, including those who struggled with traditional reading tasks, began to engage. They learned to slow down, describe what they saw, make inferences, and justify their thinking. They weren’t just looking at images; they were reading them. And in doing so, they were rehearsing many of the same strategies we expect when reading written texts.

    At the time, this felt innovative. But it also felt deeply intuitive.

    Fast forward to today.

    Students are surrounded by images and videos, from photographs and diagrams to memes, screenshots, and, increasingly, AI-generated visuals. These images appear everywhere: in learning materials, on social media, and inside the tools students use daily. Many look polished, realistic, and authoritative.

    At the same time, AI has made faking easier than ever.

    As educators and school leaders, we now face urgent questions around misinformation, academic integrity, and critical thinking. The issue is no longer just whether students can use AI tools, but whether they can interpret, evaluate, and question what they see.

    This is where visual literacy becomes a frontline defence.

    Teaching students to read images critically, to see them as constructed texts rather than neutral data, strengthens the same skills we rely on for strong reading comprehension: inference, evidence-based reasoning, and metacognitive awareness.

    From photography to AI: A conversation grounded in practice

    Recently, I found myself returning to those early classroom experiences through ongoing professional dialogue with a former college lecturer and professional photographer, as we explored what it really means to read images in the age of AI.

    A conversation that grew out of practice

    Nesreen: When I shared the draft with you, you immediately focused on the language, whether I was treating images as data or as signs. Is this important?

    Photographer: Yes, because signs belong to reading. Data is output. Signs are meaning. When we talk about reading media texts, we’re talking about how meaning is constructed, not just what information appears.

    Nesreen: That distinction feels crucial right now. Students are surrounded by images and videos, but they’re rarely taught to read them with the same care as written texts.

    Photographer: Exactly. Once students understand that photographs and AI images are made up of signs, color, framing, scale, and viewpoint, they stop treating images as neutral or factual.

    Nesreen: You also asked whether the lesson would lean more towards evaluative assessment or summarizing. That made me realize the reflection mattered just as much as the image itself.

    Photographer: Reflection is key. When students explain why a composition works, or what they would change next time, they’re already engaging in higher-level reading skills.

    Nesreen: And whether students are analyzing a photograph, generating an AI image, or reading a paragraph, they’re practicing the same habits: slowing down, noticing, justifying, and revising their thinking.

    Photographer: And once they see that connection, reading becomes less about the right answer and more about understanding how meaning is made.

    Reading images is reading

    One common misconception is that visual literacy sits outside “real” literacy. In practice, the opposite is true.

    When students read images carefully, they:

    • identify what matters most
    • follow structure and sequence
    • infer meaning from clues
    • justify interpretations with evidence
    • revise first impressions

    These are the habits of skilled readers.

    For emerging readers, multilingual learners, and students who struggle with print, images lower the barrier to participation, without lowering the cognitive demand. Thinking comes first. Language follows.

    From composition to comprehension: Mapping image reading to reading strategies

    Photography offers a practical way to name what students are already doing intuitively. When teachers explicitly teach compositional elements, familiar reading strategies become visible and transferable.

    What students notice in an image What they are doing cognitively Reading strategy practiced
    Where the eye goes first Deciding importance Identifying main ideas
    How the eye moves Tracking structure Understanding sequence
    What is included or excluded Considering intention Analyzing author’s choices
    Foreground and background Sorting information Main vs supporting details
    Light and shadow Interpreting mood Making inferences
    Symbols and colour Reading beyond the literal Figurative language
    Scale and angle Judging power Perspective and viewpoint
    Repetition or pattern Spotting themes Theme identification
    Contextual clues Using surrounding detail Context clues
    Ambiguity Holding multiple meanings Critical reading
    Evidence from the image Justifying interpretation Evidence-based responses

    Once students recognise these moves, teachers can say explicitly:

    “You’re doing the same thing you do when you read a paragraph.”

    That moment of transfer is powerful.

    Making AI image generation teachable (and safe)

    In my classroom work pack, students use Perchance AI to generate images. I chose this tool deliberately: It is accessible, age-appropriate, and allows students to iterate, refining prompts based on compositional choices rather than chasing novelty.

    Students don’t just generate an image once. They plan, revise, and evaluate.

    This shifts AI use away from shortcut behavior and toward intentional design and reflection, supporting academic integrity rather than undermining it.

    The progression of a prompt: From surface to depth (WAGOLL)

    One of the most effective elements of the work pack is a WAGOLL (What A Good One Looks Like) progression, which shows students how thinking improves with precision.

    • Simple: A photorealistic image of a dog sitting in a park.
    • Secure: A photorealistic image of a dog positioned using the rule of thirds, warm colour palette, soft natural lighting, blurred background.
    • Greater Depth: A photorealistic image of a dog positioned using the rule of thirds, framed by tree branches, low-angle view, strong contrast, sharp focus on the subject, blurred background.

    Students can see and explain how photographic language turns an image from output into meaningful signs. That explanation is where literacy lives.

    When classroom talk begins to change

    Over time, classroom conversations shift.

    Instead of “I like it” or “It looks real,” students begin to say:

    • “The creator wants us to notice…”
    • “This detail suggests…”
    • “At first I thought…, but now I think…”

    These are reading sentences.

    Because images feel accessible, more students participate. The classroom becomes slower, quieter, and more thoughtful–exactly the conditions we want for deep comprehension.

    Visual literacy as a bridge, not an add-on

    Visual literacy is not an extra subject competing for time. It is a bridge, especially in the age of AI.

    By teaching students how to read images, schools strengthen:

    • reading comprehension
    • inference and evaluation
    • evidence-based reasoning
    • metacognitive awarenes

    Most importantly, students learn that literacy is not about rushing to answers, but about noticing, questioning, and constructing meaning.

    In a world saturated with AI-generated images, teaching students how to read visually is no longer optional.

    It is literacy.

    Author’s note: This article grew out of classroom practice and professional dialogue with a former college lecturer and professional photographer. Their contribution informed the discussion of visual composition, semiotics, and reflective image-reading, without any involvement in publication or authorship.

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  • How can we create the conditions to inspire young leaders to say ‘yes’ to teaching careers?

    How can we create the conditions to inspire young leaders to say ‘yes’ to teaching careers?

    This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback.

    Beatrice Viramontes is the executive director of Teach For America Bay Area in California, a nonprofit that prepares diverse, talented individuals to become teachers.

    There’s no shortage of polling or think pieces trying to wrap our collective heads around the youngest group of American adults: Gen Z. While those efforts provide myriad valuable insights, one thing in particular sticks out — members of Gen Z bring to the table unique perspectives on working, careers and what they’re looking for in a job.

    This is a headshot of Beatrice Viramontes, executive director of Teach For America Bay Area in California.

    Beatrice Viramontes

    Permission granted by Beatrice Viramontes

     

    While conversations about the role of the American teacher have long been happening, the arrival of Gen Z to the workplace has forced the conversation to the forefront of priorities for those of us in education. That conversation overlaps with another long-running crisis in education: a shortage of teachers, especially in the most underserved public schools. 

    In a 2024 poll, Educators for Excellence found that only 16% of teachers said they would recommend the profession to others. On top of that, the percentage of teachers who said they planned to stay in the classroom for their entire career was 77%, down nine percentage points from 2022.

    At Teach For America Bay Area, which I lead, we’ve created a collaborative alongside local partners to tackle a key question: How can we create the conditions to inspire young leaders to say yes to a career in teaching and sustain great teachers — of many generations — in the profession?

    We are not the first to begin engaging with this important question. In fact, we’re learning from examples from across the country in the hopes that we can bring to our own community solutions that are working elsewhere. 

    In reimagining the role of the classroom teacher, we can connect with what Gen Z folks are looking for in a job, ignite their spark for education, improve staffing and teacher retention in our schools and, most importantly, best serve our students. 

    Here’s one way we can do this. 

    If you were to walk into most American public elementary school classrooms today, you’d likely see the following: one elementary school teacher, in front of her roster of maybe about 30 children. She’d likely be with that group of children all day — leading their lessons in math, reading, writing, science and social studies. She’d accompany them to lunch and recess, and perhaps would get a break when they went to music, art or PE for an hour. 

    Each day, she has to prepare, internalize and execute those lessons and adjust them to meet all of her students’ various needs — in math, reading, writing, science and social studies. 

    This is probably the elementary school model you grew up with. I know I did. But this “one teacher, one classroom” model, while surely effective for some, doesn’t mesh well with the interests of the next generation entering the workforce, or with the learning needs of all students. 

    There is limited agency and flexibility — in many cases, it’s pretty rigid. It’s linked with fewer people entering the education profession and more people leaving it. 

    It also hasn’t seen a “refresh” in decades. Additionally, it contributes to the burnout of teachers from many generations, not to mention the impact on students. Meanwhile, our world is rapidly evolving and changing. We need to rethink this model in order to accelerate outcomes for students and attract great talent into the teaching profession. 

    In 2019, the Next Education Workforce initiative at Arizona State University created a pilot team-based approach at a single school to try to tackle this workforce design challenge in traditional education. In 2022, they launched a learning cohort for schools interested in exploring new types of staffing models — working with 100 educator teams across 10 school systems in Arizona and California. 

    The Center on Reinventing Public Education has been examining the progress along the way. 

    ASU NEW developed an innovative staffing strategy — allowing multiple teachers to work together across different subjects within a single school, rather than one teacher instructing one classroom of students. In this approach, four to five teachers are taking responsibility for about 100 students, depending on the grade level. 

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  • Reflective teaching: the “small shifts” that quietly change everything

    Reflective teaching: the “small shifts” that quietly change everything

    by Yetunde Kolajo

    If you’ve ever left a lecture thinking “That didn’t land the way I hoped” (or “That went surprisingly well – why?”), you’ve already stepped into reflective teaching. The question is whether reflection remains a private afterthought … or becomes a deliberate practice that improves teaching in real time and shapes what we do next.

    In Advancing pedagogical excellence through reflective teaching practice and adaptation I explored reflective teaching practice (RTP) in a first-year chemistry context at a New Zealand university, asking a deceptively simple question: How do lecturers’ teaching philosophies shape what they actually do to reflect and adapt their teaching?

    What the study did

    I interviewed eight chemistry lecturers using semi-structured interviews, then used thematic analysis to examine two connected strands: (1) teaching concepts/philosophy and (2) lecturer-student interaction. The paper distinguishes between:

    • Reflective Teaching (RT): the broader ongoing process of critically examining your teaching.
    • Reflective Teaching Practice (RTP): the day-to-day strategies (journals, feedback loops, peer dialogue, etc) that make reflection actionable.

    Reflection is uneven and often unsystematic

    A striking finding is that not all lecturers consistently engaged in reflective practices, and there wasn’t clear evidence of a shared, structured reflective culture across the teaching team. Some lecturers could articulate a teaching philosophy, but this didn’t always translate into a repeatable reflection cycle (before, during, and after teaching). I  framed this using Dewey and Schön’s well-known reflection stages:

    • Reflection-for-action (before teaching): planning with intention
    • Reflection-in-action (during teaching): adjusting as it happens
    • Reflection-on-action (after teaching): reviewing to improve next time

    Even where lecturers were clearly committed and experienced, reflection could still become fragmented, more like “minor tweaks” than a consistent, evidence-informed practice.

    The real engine of reflection: lecturer-student interaction

    Interaction isn’t just a teaching technique – it’s a reflection tool.

    Student questions, live confusion, moments of silence, a sudden “Ohhh!” – these are data. In the study, the clearest examples of reflection happening during teaching came from lecturers who intentionally built in interaction (eg questioning strategies, pausing for problem-solving).

    One example stands out: Denise’s in-class quiz is described as the only instance that embodied all three reflection components using student responses to gauge understanding, adapting support during the activity, and feeding insights forward into later planning.

    Why this matters right now in UK HE

    UK higher education is navigating increasing diversity in student backgrounds, expectations, and prior learning alongside sharper scrutiny of teaching quality and inclusion. In that context, reflective teaching isn’t “nice-to-have CPD”; it’s a way of ensuring our teaching practices keep pace with learners’ needs, not just disciplinary content.

    The paper doesn’t argue for abandoning lectures. Instead, it shows how reflective practice can help lecturers adapt within lecture-based structures especially through purposeful interaction that shifts students from passive listening toward more active/constructive engagement (drawing on engagement ideas such as ICAP).

    Three “try this tomorrow” reflective moves (small, practical, high impact)

    1. Plan one interaction checkpoint (not ten). Add a single moment where you must learn something from students (a hinge question, poll, mini-problem, or “explain it to a partner”). Use it as reflection-for-action.
    1. Name your in-the-moment adjustment. When you pivot (slow down, re-explain, swap an example), briefly acknowledge it: “I’m noticing this is sticky – let’s try a different route.” That’s reflection-in-action made visible.
    1. End with one evidence-based note to self. Not “Went fine.” Instead: “35% missed X in the quiz – next time: do Y before Z.” That’s reflection-on-action you can actually reuse.

    Questions to spark conversation (for you or your teaching team)

    • Where does your teaching philosophy show up most clearly: content coverage, student confidence, relevance, or interaction?
    • Which “data” do you trust most: NSS/module evaluation, informal comments, in-class responses, attainment patterns and why?

    If your programme is team-taught, what would a shared reflective framework look like in practice (so reflection isn’t isolated and inconsistent)?

    If reflective teaching is the intention, this article is the nudge: make reflection visible, structured, and interaction-led, so adaptation becomes a habit, not a heroic one-off.

    Dr Yetunde Kolajo is a Student Success Research Associate at the University of Kent. Her research examines pedagogical decision-making in higher education, with a focus on students’ learning experiences, critical thinking and decolonising pedagogies. Drawing on reflective teaching practice, she examines how inclusive and reflective teaching frameworks can enhance student success.

    Author: SRHE News Blog

    An international learned society, concerned with supporting research and researchers into Higher Education

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  • Teaching in the age of generative AI: why strategy matters more than tools

    Teaching in the age of generative AI: why strategy matters more than tools

    Join HEPI and Advance HE for a webinar today (Tuesday, 13 January 2026) from 11am to 12pm, exploring what higher education can learn from leadership approaches in other sectors. Sign up here to hear this and more from our speakers.

    This blog was kindly authored by Wioletta Nawrot, Associate Professor and Teaching & Learning Lead at ESCP Business School, London Campus.

    Generative AI has entered higher education faster than most institutions can respond. The question is no longer whether students and staff will use it, but whether universities can ensure it strengthens learning rather than weakens it. Used well, AI can support personalised feedback, stimulate creativity, and free academic time for deeper dialogue. Used poorly, it can erode critical thinking, distort assessment, and undermine trust.

    The difference lies not in the tools themselves but in how institutions guide their use through pedagogy, governance, and culture.

    AI is a cultural and pedagogical shift, not a software upgrade

    Across higher education, early responses to AI have often focused on tools. Yet treating AI as a bolt-on risks missing the real transformation: a shift in how academic communities think, learn, and make judgements.

    Some universities began with communities of practice rather than software procurement. At ESCP Business School, stakeholders, including staff and students, were invited to experiment with AI in teaching, assessment, and student support. These experiences demonstrated that experimentation is essential but only when it contributes to a coherent framework with shared principles and staff development.

    Three lessons have emerged as AI rollouts have been deployed. Staff report using AI to draft feedback or generate case study variations, but final decisions and marking remain human. Students learn more when they critique AI, not copy it. Exercises where students compare AI responses to academic sources or highlight errors can strengthen critical thinking. Governance matters more than enthusiasm. Clarity around data privacy, authorship, assessment and acceptable use is essential to protect trust.

    Assessment: the hardest and most urgent area of reform

    Once students can generate fluent essays or code in seconds, traditional take-home assignments are no longer reliable indicators of learning. At ESCP we have responded by: 

    • Introducing oral assessments, in-class writing, and step-by-step submissions to verify individual understanding.
    • Asking students to reference class materials and discussions, or unique datasets that AI tools cannot access.
    • Updating assessment rubrics to prioritise analytical depth, originality, transparency of process, and intellectual engagement.

    Students should be encouraged to state whether AI was used, how it contributed, and where its outputs were adapted or rejected. This mirrors professional practice by acknowledging assistance without outsourcing judgement. This shift moves universities from policing to encouraging by detecting misconduct and teaching responsible use.

    AI literacy and academic inequality

    AI does not benefit all students equally. Those with strong subject knowledge are better able to question AI’s inaccuracies; others may accept outputs uncritically. 

    Generic workshops alone are insufficient. AI literacy must be embedded within disciplines, for example, in law through case analysis; in business via ethical decision-making; and in science through data validation. Students can be taught not just how to use AI, but how to test it, challenge it, and cite it appropriately.

    Staff development is equally important. Not all academics feel confident incorporating AI into feedback, supervision or assessments. Models such as AI champions, peer-led workshops, and campus coordinators can increase confidence and avoid digital divides between departments.

    Policy implications for UK higher education

    If AI adoption remains fragmented, the UK’s higher education sector risks inconsistency, inequity, and reputational damage. A strategic approach is needed at an institutional and a national level. 

    Universities should define the educational purpose of AI before adopting tools, and consider reforming assessments to remain robust. Structured professional development, opportunities for peer exchange, and open dialogue with students about what constitutes legitimate and responsible use will also support the effective integration of AI into the sector.

    However, it’s not only institutions that need to take action. Policymakers and sector bodies should develop shared reference points for transparency and academic integrity. As a nation, we must invest in research into AI’s impact on learning outcomes and ensure quality frameworks reflect AI’s role in higher education processes, such as assessment and skills development.

    The European Union Artificial Intelligence Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) sets a prescriptive model for compliance in education. The UK’s principles-based approach gives universities flexibility, but this comes with accountability. Without shared standards, the sector risks inconsistent practice and erosion of public trust. A reduction in employability may also follow if students are not taught how to use AI ethically while continuing to develop their critical thinking and analytical skills.

    Implications for the sector

    The experience of institutions like ESCP Business School shows that the quality of teaching with AI depends less on the technology itself than on the judgement and educational purpose guiding its use. 

    Generative AI is already an integral part of students’ academic lives; higher education must now decide how to shape that reality. Institutions that approach AI through strategy, integrity, and shared responsibility will not only protect learning, but renew it, strengthening the human dimension that gives teaching its meaning.

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  • 5 tips for educators using video

    5 tips for educators using video

    Key points:

    When you need to fix your sink, learn how to use AI, or cook up a new recipe, chances are you searched on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or even Facebook–and found a video, watched it, paused it, rewound it, and successfully accomplished your goal. Why? Videos allow you to get the big picture, and then pause, rewind, and re-watch the instruction as many times as you want, at your own pace.  Video-based instruction offers a hands-free, multichannel (sight and sound) learning experience. Creating educational videos isn’t an “extra” for creating instruction in today’s world; it’s essential.

    As an educator, over the past 30 years, I’ve created thousands of instructional videos. I started creating videos at Bloomsburg University early in my career so I could reinforce key concepts, visually present ideas, and provide step-by-step instruction on software functionality to my students. Since those early beginnings, I’ve had the chance to create video-based courses for Lynda.com (now LinkedIn Learning) and for my YouTube channel.

    Creating instructional videos has saved me time, expanded my reach, and allowed me to have more impact on my students.

    Tips

    Creating educational videos over the years has taught me a number of key lessons that can help you, too, to create impactful and effective instructional videos.

    Be yourself and have fun

    The first rule is to not overthink it. You are not giving a performance; you are connecting with your students. In your instructional video, talk directly to your students and connect with them. The video should be an extension of your personality. If you tell silly jokes in class, tell silly jokes in the video. You want your authentic voice, your expressions, and your energy in the videos you create.

    And don’t worry about mistakes. When I first did Lynda.com courses, any small mistake I made meant we had to redo the take. However, over the years, the feedback I’ve received on the videos across LinkedIn Learning indicated that flawless performances were not the way to go because they didn’t feel “real.” Real people make mistakes, misspeak, and mispronounce words. Students want to connect with you, not with flawless editing. If you stumble over a word, laugh it off and keep going. The authenticity makes the student feel like you’re right there with them. If you watch some of my current LinkedIn Learning courses, you’ll notice some mistakes, and that’s okay–it’s a connection, not a distraction.

    Speak with the students, don’t lecture

    Video gives you the chance to have an authentic connection with the student as if you were sitting across the desk from them, having a friendly but informative chat. When filming, look directly into the camera, but don’t stare–keep it natural. In actual conversations, two people don’t stare at each other, they occasionally look away or look to the side. Keep that in mind as you are recording. Also make sure you smile, are animated, and seem excited to share your knowledge. Keep your tone conversational, not formal. Don’t slip into “lecture mode.” When you look directly into the camera and speak directly to the student, you create a sense of intimacy, presence, and connection. That simple shift from a lecture mindset to conversation will make the video far more impactful and help the learning to stick.

    Record in short bursts

    You don’t have to record a one-hour lecture all at once. In fact, don’t!  A marathon recording session isn’t good for you. It creates fatigue, mistakes, and the dreaded “do-over” spiral where one slip-up makes you want to restart the entire video. Instead, record in short bursts, breaking your content into segments. Usually, I try to record only about four to five minutes at a time.  The beauty of this technique is that if it’s completely a mess and needs a total “do over,” you only need to re-record a few minutes, not the entire lecture. This is a lifesaver. Before I began using this technique, I dreaded trying to get an entire one-hour lecture perfect for the recording, even though I was rarely perfect in delivering it in class. But the pressure, because it was recorded, was almost overwhelming.

    Now, I record in small segments and either put them all together after I’ve recorded them individually or present them to students individually. The advantage of individually recorded videos for students is that it makes the content easier to learn. They can re-watch the exact piece they struggled with instead of hunting through an hour-long video to find just what they need.

    Keep it moving

    A word of caution: We’ve all seen those videos. You know the ones: A tiny talking head hovers in the corner, reading every bullet point like it’s the audiobook version of the slide while the same slide just sits there for 15 minutes with no movement and no animation–not even a text flying in from the left. Ugh. Don’t let your visuals sit there like wallpaper. Instead, strive for movement. About every 30 seconds, give learners something new to look at. That could mean switching to the next slide, drawing live on a whiteboard, cutting to you speaking and then back to the slide, or animating an illustration to show movement. The point is that motion grabs attention. For a video, cut down your wall-of-text slides. Use fewer words and more slides. If you have 50 words crammed on one slide, split it into three slides. Insert an image, a chart, or even a simple sketch. If you’re teaching software, demonstrate it on screen instead of describing it in words. If you’re explaining a process, illustrate the steps as you go. The more movement, the more likely you are to hold the learner’s attention.

    Keep production simple

    The good news about creating educational videos is that you don’t need a big budget or a film crew to get started. All you need is a camera, a good microphone, and a simple video creation tool. Now, I would advise not using your laptop’s built-in camera or microphone. They don’t do the job well. You don’t want a grainy, pixelated picture or muffled audio. They make it too hard for students to focus and even harder for them to stay engaged. For video, I recommend using an external webcam. Even a modest one is a huge step up from what’s baked into most PCs. For audio, go with an external microphone, or even a good-quality headset. For the video tool, I have not found a simpler or easier-to-use tool than Camtasia’s free online, cloud-based tool. The free version lets you record your screen, capture your voice, do slight edits, and add backgrounds.  It is more than enough to create clear, useful videos that your students can actually learn from. Remember, the goal isn’t Hollywood production. You want clear, effective, and authentic instructional videos.

    By using these five tips, educators can create instructional videos to save time, expand their reach, and create greater impacts on their students. Grab a good camera, a decent headset, and free video software, and create your first instructional video. Just simply start. You’ll wonder why you waited so long.

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