People talk about pedagogic innovation like it’s a magic bullet that’s going to solve all education problems… it isn’t!

It’s also not a light switch you can just turn on and off on demand.

[A Rant Thread] Firstly, innovation isn’t a solution, it’s a process. Innovation is the point between chaos and order where you explore novel ideas. It isn’t safe, it’s inherently unknown. It’s impossible to innovate without taking some risk…

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To end the year, here are some of my favourite teaching tips. From planning, delivery, assessment, and pastoral care. These are written largely from a perspective of engagement, inclusion, and compassion. Recognising that all students are on different journeys. [thread] [2/x] Planning / Recognise that the context of your subject changes every year. Even if you are teaching fundamental skills or subjects that are rooted in fundamental truths, your students change. Every new cohort comes with a different experience, and you need to respond to that

As 2021 ends, I've reflected on my year. Its been a challenging time, and like most people in the world, my family have been through some hard times during the pandemic. But, I want to end the year on a happy note. So these are some of the things I'm thankful for [thread] I became a National Teaching Fellow. I actually applied for this in 2020, but just missed the cut. After a lot of hard work 2021, was my year. Getting the call from @dixxyD telling me I'd got it was amazing. So proud to join that prestigious community. [2/11]

Super pleased to announce the programme for #PracticalPedagogy1 . There will be three streams of talks for a full day of practical pedagogy.

chrisheadleand.com/practical-peda…

Please share with your colleagues and institutions. It is going to be great!
[thread] The #PracticalPedagogy1 conference is the natural evolution of the @pedPancakes seminars, and it sits as part of that initiative. It will be a unique, fun, and fruity blend of academic development and knowledge exchange - all with in a friendly and supportive community [2/8]

[Face to Face Apprehension Thread]

After 18 months teaching online I recently taught my first face to face "large" lecture as part of the @UniofLincolnSWC WOW summer school. Honestly, I had forgotten how much I loved delivering an in-person session. But it made me think [1/20] Firstly, the student's were clearly apprehensive themselves. Many new students, will have spent much of the last two years online or in small isolated bubbles. University transition is challenging for most students, but next years will come with a unique experience [2/20]

A thread of threads. Going to create a super thread of all my teaching tips and videos to keep them all in one place. I’ll keep updating this over time. [1/n] Student Engagement in the Blended Classroom - a thread capturing some thoughts, ideas and tips about how to support online student engagement

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https://twitter.com/ChrisHeadleand/status/1302212795979702272

Some ideas for online icebreakers (Teams Calls, Zoom etc).

1) "Post a GIF Response" Ask students a question that can be answered with a GIF. For example "Post a GIF that describes your hopes and dreams" - Really fun way to enable a little creativity and humour. [1/n] 2) "Top Tips" Ask everyone in the meeting for their top tip around a common subject. For example "Post a tip for cooking your favourite dish" [2/n]

Building Simple Games in #MicrosoftForms [thread]

Games can be a great way to engage students, and there are loads of ways to play games in a face to face session. However, with the shift to online/blended learning, we need some new approaches. This is one in MSForms [1/11] There is a type of game called a "branching narrative game" these games are non-linear and provide experiences that vary based on the decisions that the player makes throughout the game. If you have played a narrative-driven game, you will likely have experienced this [2/11]

Dyslexia and Inclusive Online Education (A Thread).

To start this one off I want to stress that much of this is from my experience. I'm dyslexic. However, dyslexia is a broad spectrum. Not every dyslexic student will be like me, and I am not like every dyslexic student. [1/n] I wanted to frame this with a little bit of my personal experience... because it will put some of my tips and ideas into a little context. My experience has also framed many of my positions regarding the attainment gap for disabled students. [2/n]

Pastoral Care in the digital classroom. I've been thinking a lot about how we support the learning community, and how we develop/deploy pastoral activities into the online space. I did some whiteboarding earlier and thought I'd share some thoughts and ideas I've had [thread] Firstly, I've started with the assumption that we may go into lockdown again (nationally, locally, or a quarantined bubble) removing the opportunity for face to face engagement. I've also assumed that people's home environment will be vastly different. (2/n)

I've been chatting to some colleagues about student engagement in the blended classroom. There are some understandable worries about participation in online engagements. So I thought I would throw together this thread with some thoughts, advice, and tips. [thread] Firstly, remember that the online space is very different from the physical, and there are many reasons why a student may be struggling to participate... 👏THIS 👏DOES 👏NOT 👏MEAN 👏THEY 👏ARE 👏DISENGAGED. (2/25)