In my previous article (‘The delivery metaphor of teaching and learning’) I outlined some of the problems of treating knowledge as something to be ‘delivered’ or ‘transmitted’ to students. In this view of teaching and learning, the teacher’s role is to transmit knowledge and information, the learners’ role is simply…>
Career Development
Working Abroad as an Academic
A career as an academic often comes with the opportunity to spend some, or all, of your career working abroad. But what should you consider before making the big move? Institutional Reputation It is important when considering such a big move that you carry out thorough research, especially when considering…>
Teaching From the Podium
Communication comes in many different formats. In modern society, the physical contact of communication appears to be diminishing. We are often hidden behind screens. Sending messages. Providing feedback. Giving instructions. Completing forms. This virtual world of communication lacks warmth, authenticity, integrity, and emotion. I miss the times of sitting with…>
Balance for a Better Life
Many of us crave a work-life balance. We are inundated by social media, tons of information to take on, staggeringly long to-do lists, and pangs of guilt as we fall hopelessly behind with our commitments. The better job we do in our professional work, the more responsibility we receive. We…>
Liminal Spaces: Finding research funding when working overseas
Let’s say you want to publish a monograph, attend a conference, and fund a research project and other activities to build an international academic profile as a scholar working overseas. These are all astute and indeed necessary endeavours if trying to advance in the academic ranks; nonetheless, they require a…>
Research Roles Within The NHS
Academics with a specialism in the field of medicine or biology may find employment outside of Higher Education in the NHS. The National Health Service employs over 2.1 million people in the UK in total, including clinical academics.
Undergraduate Dissertations: Getting the Balance Right
This is the time of year when many final-year undergraduates are grappling with a substantial piece of written work in the form of a dissertation. Despite this usually being a fractional component of the larger degree the dissertation can carry disproportionate weight in the mind of the student, drawing attention…>
Taking the Next Steps in your Career
Many of us change career several times over the course of our working lives. Whether you are early on in your career or have years of experience the guidance below can be applied when considering your next steps. Self-assessment Perhaps you are about to enter or re-enter the workforce. You…>
The Power of Positivity
Do you want to learn a simple trick to help you guarantee career success? It’s called Positive Thinking and it can have a huge impact on your career potential. A single positive thought can be viewed as having the same effect as dropping a pebble in a lake. The ripples…>
The ‘Delivery’ Metaphor of Teaching and Learning
Many of us might remember learning about metaphors in school mainly as a poetic or linguistic device which we were encouraged to identify and discuss when analysing literary texts. Metaphors can help us understand complex ideas and systems by simplifying them; equally, they can confuse or constrain our thinking by…>