Researching Teaching

Dr Stacey Fox

A key component of the Internship is the research projects Interns undertake. Asked to investigate an aspect of teaching and learning of concern to them, their faculties and/or the broader academic community, Interns have the opportunity to develop their research skills, engage with the vast body of literature on teaching and learning, and to present their original research at the annual Teaching and Learning Forum.

This introduction to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) encourages Interns to ‘[view] the work of the classroom as a site for inquiry,’ prompting them to ask and answer ‘questions about students’ learning in ways that can improve [their] own classroom and also advance the larger profession of teaching’ (Huber and Hutchings, p.1). A scholarly approach to teaching involves ‘engagement with the scholarly contributions of others on teaching and learning; reflection on one’s own teaching practice and the learning of students within the context of a particular discipline; and communication and dissemination of aspects of practice and theoretical ideas about teaching and learning…’ (Healey, 2000, p. 171). As evidenced by the project summaries and abstracts provided below, the Internship allows Interns to do just this: it inducts them as scholarly teachers and encourages them to think critically about their classroom practices.

Interns’ research projects are valuable to the disciplines in which they are conducted and to the institution more broadly. Many former Interns continue to research their teaching. They present their teaching innovations at conferences, go on to work in teaching and learning, and apply for teaching-related grants. The research produced by the Interns provides important insight into teaching and learning practices at UWA.

References:

• Huber, M.T. and Hutchings, P. (2005). The Advancement of Learning: Building the Teaching Commons. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
• Healey, M. (2000). “A Discipline-Based Approach to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning” Higher Education Research and Development 19:2, pp. 169-189.