This is a bookend to several of my other pieces that have highlighted positive qualities of exceptional teachers and leaders in higher education. In this offering I reflect on the sometimes unsavoury aspects of working in complex higher education organisations. I have known many extraordinary colleagues in the sector and yet I can think of... Continue Reading →

Nan Bahr A teacher’s job is to provide for the development of selected students’ knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes. The goal is to prepare students for potential future and roles in society. There has been a long and angry public tussle about who gets to choose the things that need to be learned and therefore... Continue Reading →

Imagine for a moment that you have something important to say. You want to choose your words carefully because you want people to understand your message, and as you wait for your moment to contribute to the conversation a three-year-old sneaks up behind and starts tugging at your trousers. At first, the tugging is just... Continue Reading →

The promotion: Part 1 Let's assume that you're doing well in your current teaching role. You have a hands-on approach to your work and have a direct impact on your students' success. The students love and respect you, and you are delighted with your professional relationships. In fact, you consider yourself to be an exemplary... Continue Reading →

Nan Bahr, April 21, 2021 This paper was presented as my keynote speech to open: International Conference on Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering (ICASTE) 2021 International Conference on Economics, Business, Social, and Humanities (ICEBSH) 2021 The virtual road to a new normal FINALDownload Nan Bahr Keynote speech The Virtual road toward a new normalDownload

Nan Bahr, April 20, 2021 Southern Cross University Abstract Kindness has been generally overlooked as a professional element in constellating a teacher's attributes and skills. This paper takes an Iterative Thematic Inquiry approach to expose and discuss perspectives on the relevance of professional kindness for contemporary teaching. This critical inquiry, in four stages, provides evidence... Continue Reading →

Nan Bahr, March 15, 2021 The wisdom of Pooh Not every student has a great time at school. School can be challenging and confronting in a myriad of ways. Pooh, Winnie the, captures the driving yet poignant sentiment for disengagement from school well: “I always get to where I’m going by walking away from where... Continue Reading →

Nan Bahr, November 12, 2020 Introduction In this paper, I reflect on the desperate need for a backbone, a framework, for attending to holistic student experience in higher education. This emerges from my observation that although various elements of a University community proudly proclaim that they attend to student experience, rarely do they connect beyond... Continue Reading →

Nan Bahr, September 8, 2020 Warning: this blog will be confronting for those who like setting exams or who believe examinations are an unavoidable necessity, I have come to the belief that examinations are an incredibly flawed approach to assessment. I can use my own experience as evidence. I call it the “cram and dump”... Continue Reading →