Talking about Teaching 2015 – Call for Contributions
Talking about Teaching 2015 is our annual event that gives staff an opportunity to engage in conversations about learning, teaching and assessment. This year the theme for the event is “Inclusive Learning, Teaching and Assessment”. Inclusive learning and teaching refers to any number of approaches that meets the needs of students from a variety of backgrounds, learning styles and abilities. With the emphasis on equality and diversity, the conference aims to provide opportunities for staff to share ideas and consider ways in which we can adopt inclusive pedagogies for the future.
Call for Contributions
You are invited to contribute to the day through facilitating a workshop or leading a teaching and learning conversation (TLC) based on your own and/or others’ scholarly work, which highlights good practice and innovation as it relates to the theme of the event.
We welcome sessions that focus on:
- Diverse methods of assessment which draw on skills other than the written word
- Supporting students in developing their assessment literacy
- Moving away from reasonable adjustment towards inclusive assessment
- Making teaching practice culturally inclusive
- Creating accessible resources
- Using technology to enhance inclusive pedagogies
- Designing inclusivity into curriculum
- Creating safe and inclusive spaces
- Inclusive research and development
Submissions for either the parallel workshops or the TLCs should be submitted using the template below. The deadline for proposals will be 14th November 5.00pm. A panel will review the proposals and inform applicants by 5th December.
[gview file=”http://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/moodle/files/2014/10/Talking-about-Teaching-2015.pdf”]
Keynote speakers
Chris Bradshaw & Bob Matthew “Developing an Inclusive Curriculum”
How can we say that our curricula are designed in a truly inclusive way?
To date many initiatives have looked at diversity in terms of one specific protected characteristic be it disability, or international students and have identified strategies that assist these students to participate more fully. However, we do not think this is a sustainable approach. Given the growing diversity of the student body in UK HE, the Single Equality Act and the advent of fees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland the time is right for a fundamental rethink about what we mean by the inclusive curriculum. This session based, in part, on the authors’ participation in a Scottish Funding Council funded project will look at current thinking on the inclusive curricula and offer some examples of possible ways of moving forward. In particular we will look at design, delivery and assessment and touch on the role of academics in preparing curricula that meet the needs of a wide range of students.
Chris Bradshaw was, until October 2014, an equality and diversity practitioner in HE and led the SFC project in Scotland. He is a qualified teacher and has spent most of the last 10 years working on inclusive practice in HE. He works at the University of the West of Scotland.
Bob Matthew is director of the Centre for Academic and Researcher Development at Durham University. He is an engineer by discipline, and works in a Faculty of Education at Durham University.
Amanda Smith and Dai O’Brien “Making the university inclusive for students and staff: a BSL teachers’ perspective”
In this presentation, Amanda and Dai will discuss the definition of ‘inclusive’ practice and point out some of the hidden challenges and contradictions that this can involve. They will use examples from their own experiences as recipients (victims?) of inclusive practice as pupils and students to illustrate the difficulties that students can face when they are on the receiving end of inclusive practice, however well-meaning it is. They will then go on to discuss how their own practice has been influenced by their need for inclusion in their lessons as BSL teachers. In their classes, adaptations are not only needed by the students, but Amanda and Dai both have their own communication needs that must be planned for and incorporated in every lesson. Finally, they will conclude by suggesting that in order to ensure the university is inclusive for students, inclusive attitudes must first come from the staff.
Bookings now open!
To book a place on this conference, please click here.
The video from “Talking about Teaching 2012” will give you a flavour of the event:
If you would like advice or information about the conference please contact Emma Sunley (add@yorksj.ac.uk).
