PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING: A STATEMENT

I usually say I became a journalist by accident. I needed money to get me through art school so I started writing art reviews for a friend on a local paper.

Suddenly writing became more important than painting, so I dropped out of art school and began an even more precarious life as a freelance journalist. As it turned out I had a series of lucky breaks and quickly found myself editor of a national monthly for gay men. Having made the jump from novice writer to editor in under-eighteen-months, I learned a lot very quickly – learning through immersion, pressure and instinct.

Ten years later, mid-career ennui led me to the UTS Masters in Journalism. After being an editor of both a monthly magazine and a weekly newspaper it wasn’t practical skills I was after, I wanted a space to think about what I was doing. I found it and I’m still there thinking and doing, working on a PhD and teaching young journalists.

That story sums up my philosophy of teaching and learning: we learn by doing and thinking and good teaching assists both thinking through doing and doing through thinking. And around the circle goes. It’s what the literature calls reflective practice.

It also sums up my attitude to the practice versus theory, industry-based versus university-based training debates that still plague journalism education. I believe the most successful courses integrate theory and practice.

So how do I do that?

Case studies bring theory alive and theoretical readings provide a framework for discussion of journalism practice.

My approach to teaching UTS students media studies or supervising the practical work of an intern is similar, it starts with setting up a conversation and good conversation has both ideas and examples.

Most courses still have a way to go before they really achieve theory/practice integration and this is a priority area for improving my own teaching and an ongoing topic for my practice research.

My basic goal as a teacher is to provide the scaffolding students need to climb and explore new subject towers safely and adventurously. The practical ways I do this are familiar: participating in discussions, listening and asking questions, offering suggestions, pointing to resources and being available for consultation.

In all this I have two mantras. Be specific. Make connections.

I always provide specific handouts for each assignment task so that students have the best possible idea of what is expected of them. I use these handouts as a basis for a class discussion which foregrounds learning goals as well as assessment criteria. The handout and discussion lead into an online negotiation process where I assist individual students to arrive at an assignment topic and framework that both stimulates their particular interest and works within the course goals.

It's a circular process where each of the parts are mutually reinforcing.

I organise classes, and assessment tasks to value process and negotiation as well as encouraging clear, strong learning outcomes. In one of the courses I teach, I have worked hard with the course co-ordinator to move the emphasis from an assessment to a learning focus. We introduced work-in-progress seminar presentations that focus on the development and improvement of the major assignment throughout the semester. Students are thus encouraged to do their best possible work over time, integrating feedback from their classmates and myself as tutor, rather than just aiming for a make or break end of semester deadline.

Providing quality feedback, showing enthusiasm, and being available for student consultation are key strategies that I use throughout my teaching. I try to provide opportunities for feedback throughout the course, not just formal written feedback on assignments. This might involve mid semester progress reports or feedback on topic development. As a part-timer I augment my physical availability with email and online contact. Class email lists provide a good way to keep in regular contact, with tips reminders and additional resources. This extends and augments class time.

So what does all this say about my take on the way students learn?

• I believe students learn when they are given a broad canvas on which to play.
• I believe they learn best when they are given a framework or overview and then enabled to specialise in areas that most interest them.
• I believe students need to be both supported and challenged.
• I believe being clear about expectations, learning goals and assessment criteria help students to feel safe in their explorations.
• I believe talking about learning processes as well as course content encourages students to be reflective learners.
• I believe that learning occurs through groups and individuals building associations, exploring patterns and making meanings.

And what helps me help this happen?

Good teaching always involves listening to students, both in class and through formal and informal evaluation processes. Two other things are critical: colleagues and research. Good teaching can only happen in a supportive academic environment. As a junior academic I’ve been lucky to work with a course co-ordinator who encourages discussion and feedback. His desire to constantly improve the courses we have taught provides an important framework and model for my own teaching. I have also undertaken a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching and Learning to introduce myself to educational scholarship and to help me reflect more deeply on my teaching.

I’ve made quite a few career changes in my life: from youth worker, to adult educator, to artist, to journalist, to editor, to manager, to teacher and academic. Through all of that I have in one way or another also been an activist. I believe in helping to bring about change both at the macro and the micro level. I believe both journalism and education matter profoundly in this larger process of change. In the end I hope that my teaching contributes to students become more aware of their role in that change process.

November 2005