Nan Bahr's Blog
A comment from a popular online blog: “Yes, they do have to be smart and most of my colleagues are smart. By which I mean: They are smart enough.” (Quora, 2017) Given that a good teacher can’t be dumb, how smart do they need to be to be good, and are smarts enough? The literature... Continue Reading →
With the Universities working to respond to students in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, I’m hearing phrases like “pivot to online” and “flip to online” as though there is a switch to flick. Academics are recording full lectures and simply loading them up for their students. Near enough is good enough. It’s been a... Continue Reading →
Metacognition is the process of thinking about thinking. It is the first of three main processes and capabilities that work together for self-regulation. A student who is metacognitive about their study, is practiced in reflecting productively on the way they are working toward a goal, and whether they are working in the right ways for... Continue Reading →
First of all … we agree that attrition in higher education is a bad thing, right? It’s sad for the students who harbour an abiding sense of incompleteness. It’s sad for their families and children who learn that dropping out is ok, and they never get a chance to benefit from improved employment prospects. And... Continue Reading →
I can’t stop thinking that our work in the service of others, as teachers, social workers, carers, police, and so forth, is hampered by a tendency to over complicate things. Our support for people facing life transitions is a perfect example. For children, we have separate transition models to guide their move into kindy, school,... Continue Reading →
A quick scan of the gender profile of leaders in the education sector shows that women are still underrepresented, generally speaking, in leadership positions. In this blog, I try to map the current situation, suggest reasons for the disparity, and provide some recommendations for remedial action. But first, why? Education is often identified as a... Continue Reading →
My mother’s reminder to me as I grew up was to think carefully before I gave anyone the benefit of my opinion. She told me to ask myself before I made any comments about people: is it right, is it necessary, is it kind? The first two are easy questions, but kindness is elusive and... Continue Reading →
I’ve often been mystified and amazed by those people that seem to defy the rules of natural progression and race to the top of their field at blistering speed. I call them jets. These people, I think, have some common characteristics that I’ve noticed. I wonder what would happen if the general Joe Blows of... Continue Reading →
It occurs to me that I have not ever discussed the importance of music making and music learning for a positive education. As a longstanding tubist (tuba player official term), I strongly believe in the power of music engagement and learning for an excellent holistic education. It is clear to me that musicianship is a... Continue Reading →
I've decided to submit an application to the Higher Education Academy in the UK for a Fellowship. There seems to be quite a lot involved. Although a teaching and learning philosophy statement isn't exactly required (although the suggestion is that it might be helpful), I have had a go at one below. The difficulty is... Continue Reading →
