David Jaques, BSc, M Phil, Academic Dip Ed, FILT.

David first graduated in Engineering before gaining a diploma in the Psychology and Sociology of Education. He was Head of the Educational Methods Unit at Oxford Brookes University, where he was responsible for the quality of teaching and learning, from 1987 to 1996 until his retirement. Author of the book, "Learning in Groups" which has just been published in its third edition, he has made contributions to higher education through books and training materials for 20 years and has run courses around the world with support from the British Council. More recently he has worked as a consultant and workshop presenter in Hungary and Slovenia and Ireland. He is particularly interested in cross-cultural learning and in how to enrich teaching and learning for both students and teachers. He is a Fellow of the newly-founded Institute for Learning and Teaching in the UK.

Workshop 1: Learning, teaching and assessment

This workshop will make connections between what we know about how students learn and the ways in which we teach (or could teach). We shall use our own experience of learning as a base line before relating this to theory and research evidence on what makes a suitable learning environment for students. Out of this will come questions about the assumptions that underpin some of the traditional methods of teaching: lectures, seminars, tutorials for example, and the way they are organised within the structure of a course. It will also touch on the role of learning outcomes and assessment in determining patterns of student learning.

So, the workshop will address issues such as

Workshop 2: Lecturing

Lecturing is widely regarded as the primary method of teaching and the standard focus of student learning in universities and colleges throughout the world. Yet how effective is it as a method? Why is it given such prominence? What are its limitations? What can we do to improve our delivery of lectures if we take into account issues from Workshop 1 about how student learn? This workshop will address these questions with both research evidence and common sense, and look at

Workshop 3 and 4: Seminars and Group Discussion

Group discussion is an immensely learning method in higher education. It encourages students to organise their thinking by comparing ideas and interpretations with each other and to give expression, and hence form, to their understanding of a subject. But it is important for other reasons too. Cooperation and teamwork have become essential features of most work situations, as have skills in listening, drawing out information, and persuading. There are thus firm links between the experience of democratic group discussion in education and the expectations placed on students to practise professional skills in their future lives. All these purposes are of excellent pedigree. Yet often they are not realised to a satisfactory level and both tutors and students may end up with a sense of frustration.

In this workshop we shall, with the use of video, group interaction and demonstration, look at some of the common problems that occur in groups and develop ways of effectively handling them. We shall also study some successful and popular group techniques which incorporate both principles of good learning, and knowledge of group dynamics.