Excellence in teaching

Mr Paul Dunham is an associate lecturer in French Studies within the Department of European Languages and Studies, School of Humanities. He received the Excellence in Teaching Awards for the Faculty of Arts in 2000. This award represents a joint effort by the Guild and the University to recognise and reward exemplary teaching.

I came to the world of tertiary education as a mature-age student, having spent some seven years in France and then a further ten years here in Australia, working as a house painter. When I started out in 1990 at UWA I felt I was embarking on an adventure. After gaining an Honours Degree in French Studies I wanted to continue the adventure, so I began a PhD, which is now nearing completion. Because my undergraduate years are not yet too far away I find it relatively easy to relate to the varying concerns students might have. For this reason I place as much emphasis on the pastoral side of my job as I do on the actual classroom teaching.

I am passionate about what I do and I view language on the same level I view art and music. I try in my classes to convey to the students this passion for language, and particularly French, in the hope that they too will become caught up in the enthusiasm and want to learn more. My teaching philosophy is a simple one : if the students are enjoying themselves, they will learn. I endeavour to establish from the outset an informal atmosphere which hopefully is fun.

A fundamental part of teaching is detailed assessment, and it is vital that any feedback should emphasise the positive while not ignoring the deficiencies. Positive comments show the students the extent of their knowledge, whereas corrections provide a tool for further learning. I believe that assessment should be a two-way process and one of the best ways for a teacher to learn is to conduct SPOT surveys. In this way, not only can I see that students appreciate what I am doing, but also that the changes I have introduced in my methodology, as a consequence of analysing their responses, have been effective.

Perhaps the most important aspect of teaching and learning, though, is the students’ motivation. In this respect I consider myself lucky because language students have a natural curiosity and a desire to communicate, and through their eagerness to learn, they have inspired me to do my very best. Their motivation is my greatest asset because they want to learn and I want to teach them — an ideal combination which, if nurtured correctly, provides satisfying outcomes for both teacher and student alike.