BACKGROUND
Within the Leadership & Management programme 23/24 at FBS, I lead the Marketing Management Unit, which is delivered for Y1 BSc & MSc students, in Block 1. As unit leader, I am responsible for planning and creating all contents to be delivered, as well as delivering most of the teaching sessions.
EVALUATION
Being one of the first units delivered in the programme, most students land on it without any university experience, other than the induction and short introductory units. Lack of confidence is common, and there is a general uncertainty about the standards of university life – academically, but also socially: how we interact with peers and tutors, how the various teaching and learning formats work, what the expectations on them are beyond the assessment briefs, etc. This usually reflects on quietness in the classroom, as most of them would hold back from speaking up and actively participating.
As this is a new cohort, very few members in the teaching team have briefly met them at this point. So, I face the challenge of planning and preparing the unit contents and activities with very little knowledge about the group, their specific needs, strengths and interests that could be used to ease engagement and ensure learning experience efficiency.
Generally, my approach to teaching and my practice style pivot on encouraging and facilitating critical thinking. So, when facing the challenges of unit leading in Year 1 Block 1, I heavily rely on the opportunities offered by the in-person seminars, as working in smaller groups seems to ease ice-breaking activities through critical input and unstructured opinion exchange.
MOVING FORWARD
This seems to work well with most students, allowing me to assess their needs individually and as a group over the first few sessions. However, some students will take longer than others, and some will not get to express or evidence enough to a level that would allow me to take action and tailor my teaching accordingly. For that reason, I want to offer a more flexible learning experience, simultaneously combining different formats that allow them to interact and contribute to the same activity in different ways. I am drawing on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) theory, as I explore and apply the Three Block model for UDL (Katz, 2012) as a method for creating inclusive environments and improving student engagement. Katz’s model consider the areas of social and emotional learning, inclusive instructional practice, and student autonomy, which are particularly relevant for this case. Bringing this model into my practice will include, not just offering multiple alternatives for participation –i.e. encouraging verbal contributions on-site, via Padlet, anonymous formats, etc.- but also designing activities with multiple contribution threads and flexible outcomes; for example, a multiple role-play exercise, or flexible activities with optional requirements.
I am keen to implement some of this as a trial next year, aiming to enhance my teaching sessions to be more creative, inspiring and accessible for the students, but also to help me unlock engagement and communications with those profiles that are more difficult assess individually. The aim is to create a safe and flexible space around this unit -in and out of the classroom- that hopefully gives them a sense of agency and control over what and how they want to contribute and interact, while generating occasions to further assess their learning needs individually and as a group – how the diverse profiles in the group best interact and work together.
As a supportive format to this approach, I also consider opening the Marketing unit by asking students to create their own “marketer profile”. This could be in a digital format and would act as an introductory/presentation card that they could share with myself, their tutor and whoever they wish within the group. It would serve as an initial self-assessment covering aspects such as their expectations on the unit, the challenges they expect to face, and the areas they feel most comfortable with based on their current skills. It would be an opportunity for them to curate a collection of marketing references and examples to their own taste, or things they would like to learn more about.
REFERENCES
Katz, J. (2012). Making imagination real: Inclusive education and the Three Block Model of Universal Design for Learning. Canadian Association of Principals Journal. Summer, 30-34.
Katz, J. and Sugden, R. (2013). The Three-Block Model of Universal Design for Learning Implementation in a High School. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, (141).
Nielsen, J. (2006) ‘Participation Inequality: The 90-9-1 Rule for Social Features’. Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/participation-inequality/
Rose, D. & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age. ASCD.
Ruijs, N. M., & Peetsma, T. D. (2009). Effects of inclusion on students with and without special educational needs reviewed. Educational Research Review, 4(2), 67-79.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and wellbeing. American Psychologist, 55, 68–78.
Tomlinson, C. A., & Imbeau, M. B. (2010). Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD): Alexandria, VA.
Willms, J. F., Friesen, S., & Milton, P. (2009). What did you do in school today? Transforming classrooms through social, academic, and intellectual engagement. (First National Report) Toronto: Canadian Education Association.