Treasure Island Pedagogies: Episode 35, the one with the Pirate

Posted on: 7 October 2024 by Dr Tunde Varga-Atkins in General

Host and Guests In Online Meeting 35
(Host and Guests in Online Meeting)

In Episode 35, in addition to lightbulb moments, treasure island pedagogies/props and luxury items, our discussion covered AI and academic literacies, role play, how to create a safe space for learning and co-constructing learning with our students – with a special pirate intro and outro from Tadgh!

Speakers:  Charlotte Haberstroh, Gwen Moore, Tadhg Blommerde

Date: 7 October 2024

Treasure Island Pedagogies: Episode 35 podcast

(Treasure Island Pedagogies Episode 35 - Podcast Transcript)

Read or listen to find out our guests’ lightbulb moments, teaching props, pedagogies and luxury items that they would take to their Treasure Islands for precious contact time with students. 

Charlotte Haberstroh

King's College, London

  • Original discipline: Senior lecturer in education
  • Current Role: Academic Developer
  • Lightbulb moment:  Getting students involve in co-constructing embedded critical academic literacies (reading, writing) within a particular programme and how much their involvement improved our resources and what we learnt as educators about the student experience. The importance of these critical thinking is not going away in the era of AI!
  • Teaching Prop or Pedagogy: Role play or acting where students can act out roles in an authentic but simulated environment in a safe space.
  • Luxury item: Fully-fledged library, I love browsing books.

Gwen Moore

Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland

  • Original discipline: Music/Music Education, Teacher Education.
  • Current Role: Associate Professor of Music Education.
  • Lightbulb moment: The similarities between music teaching and learning and learning to teach in HE/academic practice – taking risks, Process over product, mitigating fear of failure.
  • Teaching Prop or Pedagogy: Icebreakers to create a safe space for students to work together in groups, peer learning and teaching, learning to create a piece of music or soundscapes from scratch with a real performance at the end but it’s the process (not the product) that’s important!
  • Luxury item: Guitar and my vinyl collection.

Tadhg Blommerde

Northumbria University, Newcastle, England

  • Original discipline: Emerging Technologies
  • Current Role: Senior lecturer in Entrepreneurship
  • Lightbulb moment: Why do students cheat so badly when using generative AI, which made me make changes in my module to instruct students in using GenAI, learning the limitations and its benefits through having to engage in critically analysing its outputs. Students realise they “can’t outsource their thinking!”
  • Teaching Prop or Pedagogy: Transformative experiential learning: helping students prepare for the real world, including hands on experience with GenAI or learning by doing, e.g. interviewing skills.
  • Luxury item: Love to listen to high quality music so a Tidal HiFI Plus subscription with high-quality headphones.

Any sparks? How might our joined-up Treasure Islands look like?

There was a lot of discussion about creating a safe space for learners, meeting them where they are at and letting them take risks- and how we are perceptive about the ‘vibe in the room’ to ensure this space remains safe. We also highlighted the importance of letting go as educators when our students take us by surprise by engaging in different, novel ways we have not thought of or designed for.

Links / resources

Charlotte's Links:

Gwen's Links

Tadhg's Links

Facilitated by Dr Tünde Varga-Atkins, Sound: Chris Loxham/Sandra Samaca, Web design: Dennis Wong, Neil Murray @LivUniCIE