Postgraduate teaching interns’ reflections on the experience of learning

Britta Bienen, who participated in the Postgraduate Teaching Internship Scheme in 2005 and also presented at the Forum reflected on how it influenced her Experience of Learning: Before I even went to the TLF2006 I was rather positively surprised how many contributions there were in the programme. There were a lot of interesting presentations, and I found it difficult to choose talks as it meant missing out on those running in parallel. However, all parallel sessions were organised very well so that it was easy to move between streams.

"Right from the start of the Forum I was taken with the breadth of presented topics reflecting the many facets of the learning experience. The relatively small groups in every session as well as the venues and the casual atmosphere enabled lively discussion after each presentation, which enriched the Forum immensely."

"I was deeply moved by the keynote speech presented by Dr Sue Gordon on her experience and perspective of learning. Professor Johnstone’s keynote, on other hand, provided factual information on Carrick Institute and its role. The experience learning as viewed by five current students, each them in a very different situation, reflected the variety of the topic in yet another way."

"Each component of the Forum, the keynote speeches, the students’ perspectives, workshops, talks discussions, contributed to a well-rounded helpful, motivating and inspiring experience.”Adam Dunn, a fellow Teaching Intern, added that Forum got him to think about the role of teachers spokespeople for good teaching practice: Should motivated teachers simply lead by example in respective work places or should they be evangelistic types and market their experiences to colleagues?"