Teaching as performance - UoY Forum 36, Autumn 2014

8/11/2019 Teaching as performance - UoY Forum 36, Autumn 2014

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Issue 36 | Autumn 2014

Teaching asperformance

enhancing learning and teaching

2015 Learning and Teaching Conference: call for papersUse of Performance in Discipline Teaching

TRANSMISSION News, events

New Learning and Teaching Forumwebpages http://yorkforum.org


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EditorialThe other day I received the first draft of this new issue of

Forum magazine and I found myself drawn into the portaldepicted on the cover page. This portal was leading to animmense amphitheatre full of students and lecturers frommany different disciplines.

There were two main areas: home teamand visitors:it appeared to be an interdisciplinary exchange of ideas whereall the players were interacting.

I decided to visit the home teamfirst.The group I approached was busy learning how to

perform some sort of contemporary dance with beautifulvisual effects and very unusual music. At the end of thefirst part of the performance, Michael Brockhurst, from theBiology Department and Becs Andrews, visiting researcherat the Music Department at the University of York, explainedto me that the purpose of the dance was to show, in avisual way so as to reach a wider audience, the evolution ofinfectious diseases.

Just on the opposite side of the stage, I noticed studentspractising postures and vocal warm-ups while being coachedon how to improve their confidence at presentation. DavidHoward from the Electronics Department and Francis Newton,a technician collaborating with the Music Department atthe University of York, pointed out that healthy voice useand confidence in performance have a big impact on theeffectiveness of any lecture or presentation.

Very close to them, Paul Roberts from the Centre forEnglish Language and Darren Reed from the SociologyDepartment at the University of York, were acting asmessengers between different groups of students fromdifferent backgrounds and cultures: they had set up veryclever contact zones where students could play freely andgenuinely their unique identities using performative acts and

language as ways to express

themselves as well as tools tobreak barriers and interact.

All of a sudden I hearda very elegant sound ofbaroque music coming fromanother part of the amphitheatre. Some students in thatgroup appeared to be studying old music books comingfrom an historical library. When I approached the sourceof music, Peter Seymour, from the Music Departmentat the University of York, told me that the concert wasmade so special by the fact his students not only learnhow to perform and are encouraged to express their owninterpretation but they also allow their understandingof primary sources of music (for example originalmanuscripts) to be in continuous evolution.

It was then that my attention was captivated by anothergorgeous piece of music characterised by a combinationof sounds that were contributing to a very harmonioussymphony of unexpected but beautiful sounds. When Irealised that I never heard anything like that before, RogerMarsh, from the Music Department at the University ofYork, explained to me that he tries to offer his students awider perspective while exposing them to areas of musicthey have never encountered before and showing themapproaches to performance and music composition thatare totally new to them.

I then moved to have a chat with the visitorswhilefeeling extremely grateful to them for sharing their ideas withus. Besides, their enactments were extremely entertainingwhile being informative and educational.

One of the groups was led by Mike Clifford, from theEngineering Department at the University of Nottingham,

who was acting as a famous engineer fromthe past as if he had just been transportedacross eras using a complex time machine. He

then explained to me that he uses storytellingand acting in order to explain complex topicsto his students and to enhance studentsengagement in his lectures.

In the other group, Ian Turner, from theBiology Department at the University ofDerby, was busy organising a pantomimewhere he and his students were playing abarbarian horde fighting against soldiers totake over their castle. Ian then explainedto me that they were enacting the way theimmune system works.

Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the show!!!!

Paola ZerilliEditor


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Committee membership get

involved!

Forum is driven by a small committee

comprising academic and learningand support staff who meet twice aterm to plan the work of Forum. Newmembers to the committee are usuallyrecruited in the summer and we arealways interested to hear from peoplewho would like to get involved with theactivities of the committee with a viewto joining. Please do get in touch if youdlike to find out more,[email protected].

Magazine articles share your

practice

The next issue of Forum, due out at thebeginning of the Spring Term 2015, is onthe theme of the impact of teaching. Ifyou would like to contribute an articlehighlighting an example of good practice

The Learning and Teaching Forum is a staff-led forum for

discussion of learning and teaching issues across theUniversity. It aims to bring together and support colleaguesinvolved in teaching and supporting learning across the

University, and nurture and disseminate creativityand good practice. Its activities include anannual learning and teaching conference

and a series of lunchtime workshopseach term and also this magazine.

please do get in touch. We also welcomenews items, letters to the Editor relatingto past articles or current hot topics,

and one-off articles on areas of generalinterest, good practice or controversy.Please contact us,[email protected] you havesomething to offer.

FORUM workshop series 2014/15

FORUM run a series of lunchtimeworkshops each term, open to allcolleagues involved in teachingand supporting learning, includingpostgraduates who teach. The workshopsare run by colleagues from across the

university and delivered in a varietyof formats. Formats include a speakerproviding background on a learningand teaching topic and sharing theirexperience and also interactive sessionsproviding opportunities to explore using

new technology andresources. In all workshopsparticipants have thechance to contribute tothe discussion and find outabout different practicesfrom across the university.

Following a review offeedback collected fromprevious workshopsand the Learning andTeaching Conference, the

2014/15 workshops will be on the three

key thematic strands of (1) Technologyin Practice, (2) Enhancing Engagementand (3) Key Skills in the Curriculum. TheTechnology in Practice strand will explorethe use of technology in learning andteaching with an emphasis on sharinggood practice. The Enhancing Engagementstrand will focus on ways to engageand motivate students with their ownlearning. The Key Skills in the Curriculumwill provide an opportunity to exploretopics repeatedly requested, such asassessment of group work and teaching

research methods. The autumn termworkshops are now open for registrations.

Autumn series:

Workshops run from 12.30-2.00pm inHeslington Hall, with lunch available from12.15pm.

Wednesday 22 October 2014 (week 4)Enhancing engagement: Bums onSeats versus Hearts and Minds:questions of student attendance andengagement

Monday 3 November 2014 (week 6)Technology in practice: Making videofor active learning

Monday 17 November 2014 (week 8)Key skills in the curriculum: Teachingresearch methods: engaging studentsin an inquiry-based research process

If you want to find out more pleasesee the website, http://bit.ly/1eS2S7P,or if have any suggestions for futureworkshops, please drop us a line,[email protected].

Annual Learning and Teaching

Conference

The 2014 conference, attended by over160 delegates, was on the theme of

The Learning and Teac


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Thinking outside the module box. TheVC, Professor Koen Lamberts, opened

the day, taking questions on the visionfor learning and teaching at York.The keynote address was given by DrMitch Waterman from the Universityof Leeds exploring assessment andhow it aligns to feedback and markingcriteria. A variety of workshops wererun by York colleagues exploring theconference theme, including topicssuch as embedding employability inthe curriculum, aiming to build a Yorkgraduate and skills progression. Inaddition, 24 posters on current learning

and teaching projects across campuswere on display during lunch and tea.Feedback has been very positive withpeople appreciating the chance to findout about initiatives in the university: Anexcellent opportunity to see the diverseprojects going on elsewhere; Interestingand informative day; Really lookingforward to the next one. Particularthanks must go to Janet Barton for herinvaluable work in ensuring the smoothrunning of the event.

Next years conference, One size does

not fit all, will take place in Week 9 of thesummer term: Wednesday 10th June 2015.

The theme will explore how learningand teaching can contribute to all studentsreaching their potential. It will examinethe implications of diversifying deliveryof programmes and how students aresupported in the process of achieving theirpotential. A key theme will be the wayin which programme design can addressthe range of student ability and levels ofstudent engagement. The conference willalso focus on the ways in which inclusivity

and diversity can be integrated into thecurricula and teaching.

Proposals for discussion papers,workshops and poster presentationsare invited.

The call for contributions is now openand further details can be found on thewebsite http://bit.ly/1tYHdWJ.

New Learning and Teaching

Forum website

The Learning and Teaching Forum willshortly have its own website at http://yorkforum.org. Here youll find a blog,information about the committee, detailsof our annual conference, our magazine,and news of upcoming and previousevents and allow you to join the debate.

Funding opportunities 2014/15Rapid Response Funding is available this academic year, in the form of grantsof up to 3,000 in support of small-scale short-term projects, initiatives orpurchases to enhance the quality of learning and teaching by addressing aclearly-identified need or issue.

Funding is limited, and grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-servedbasis. Departments in a stronger financial position may be asked to fundinitiatives from their own resources. Although there is no limit to the numberof submissions a particular department may make, consideration will be givento the equitable distribution of funds within the University. Proposals shouldpromote cross departmental sharing where relevant.

All members of staff involved in delivering or supporting learning and

teaching are eligible to apply. There is a short application form which can besubmitted electronically at any time, and decisions will be made within twoweeks. For further information, see www.york.ac.uk/staff/teaching/funding-and-resources/funding

Employability Tutorial winsBlackboard Catalyst AwardCareershas won a top award at the 2014Blackboard Catalyst Awards for its onlineEmployability Tutorial.

The international Student ImpactAward recognises the success of theCareers Employment Tutorial a self-study resource in increasing studentengagement with Careers through

appointments and events.Blackboard honours those who pushthe boundaries of their educationalprogrammes and technology in order todeliver innovative and effective learningexperiences that successfully increaselevels of student engagement or retention.

Development of the tutorial on theUniversitys Blackboard Learn VLEbegan in 2011 with the goal of betterpreparing students for the world ofwork. It is intended to increase studentengagement with Careers and improve

graduate employment. It also supportsthe Universitys Student EmployabilityStrategy with the vision of ensuringthat every York student has access to,engages with, and benefits from, thehighest standard of support for theirpersonal and career development.

It has been used by 15,000 studentsand has doubled the number of studentsengaging with Careers. The average userattends 13 per cent more appointments

and 60 per cent more careers eventsthan a non-user.

Chris Milson, Online Training Managerfor Careers, who was responsiblefor implementing the EmployabilityTutorial, said: The tutorial is supportedby academics and the University, andsuccessfully encourages students tothink about the skills and experiencesthey need for their future.

NEWShing Forum


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NEWS

Vice-ChancellorTeaching Awards 2014

Staff celebrated at the Excellence inTeaching and Supervision Awards

Congratulations to colleagues whohave been awarded Vice-Chancellor'sTeaching Awards this year. The schemerecognises and rewards colleagues(academics, learning support staff,teaching 'teams' and postgraduates/postdocs who teach) who demonstrate

excellence in teaching and/or learningsupport at York.

Mr Matt Cornock, Web and VLE Co-

ordinator, Social Policy and Social Work

Dr Paul Genever, Reader, Department

of Biology

Dr Zoe Handley, Lecturer, Department

of Education

Miss Kate Horner, PGWT, Department

of Chemistry

Dr Nick Jones, Teaching Fellow,

Department of Philosophy

Miss Alison Leonard, PGWT,

Department of Archaeology

Professor John Schofield, Head

of Department, Department of

Archaeology

Dr Jacco Thijssen, Reader, Department

of Economics and Related Studies

Dr Gavin Thomas, Senior Lecturer,

Department of Biology

Dr Nick Wood, Teaching Fellow,

Department of Chemistry

Dr Stephanie Wynne-Jones, Lecturer,

Department of Archaeology

The 2nd annualExcellence in Teachingand Supervision Awards were held inpartnership with the University of York,on the 11th June 2014, in the Lounge Bar.

This event is a student-led celebration

of excellence from across the University.525 nominations were submitted by402 individual students for 285 uniquenominees. This is a record level ofengagement, and shows the value thatstudents place upon their educationand the outstanding members of staffinvolved. A panel of judges drawnfrom the University, YUSU and currentstudents, then awarded across 11categories based on the strength ofnominations.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof. JohnRobinson, opened the event, whichwas hosted by the YUSU AcademicOfficer, Dan Whitmore. Awards werethen presented by staff and students,to a wide variety of staff drawn from

across the University. Amongst thewinners was Norman Yeo (Language andLinguistic Science) who was awarded theInspirational Lecturer award. When askedto nominate him, his students went

into great detail, His ability to explainand engage students is phenomenal.His enthusiasm for the subject naturallyinspires us as students.

The Vice-Chancellor closed the evening,remarking the event was one of the bestIve been to since I started here. ProfessorLamberts also presented the award forthe Unsung hero of Non-Academic Staff toHeather Cook (Maths) for her contribution,not just to the department, but todeveloping the Maths Society.

The event was kindly supportedby Teach First, and a Teach FirstStudent Ambassador, Alice ShawIngham, presented the Teach FirstPromoting Employability Award toDaniel Ungar (Biology).

New AcademicMisconductPolicy LaunchedFrom September 2014, theUniversity of York will implement anew Academic Misconduct Policy,with associated guidelines andprocedures for all programmesof study. It is hoped that the newpolicy will increase the level of

institution-wide consistencyand fairness in the treatment ofmisconduct. It also aims to ease theburden of dealing with misconductcases for departments, staff andstudents. Moreover, the new policyshall bring our institution up todate with the changing context ofmisconduct in higher educationand address learning needs relatedto academic misconduct.

There are several keydifferences from the previousmisconduct policy which areworthy of attention. These include:

the different types ofmisconduct specified

two new offences: commissionand incorporation andsolicitation

a new approach to investigatingand adjudicating misconductcases at the cluster rather thanthe departmental level.

In order to understand thefull implications of this policyfor you, your department andyour students, please ensure youfamiliarise yourself with the fullpolicy document at:http://bit.ly/1pKPHxp.

By providing a balancebetween supporting learning andpenalising misconduct, this policywill strengthen our studentsunderstanding of academicintegrity and contribute to their

attainment of academic excellence.If you have any questions aboutthe policy, please send enquiries [email protected].


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Whenever we stand in front ofa group of people to presentinformation, the reception ofinformation, active engagement and overall

interest in the subject will, we believe, beenhanced, if the presentation itself is aperformance. The notion of performingshould not be restricted to public events intheatres, concert venues and opera houseswhere we go to enjoy a performance thatengages, enthralls and entertains; ourown academic experiences in presenting,whether in lectures, workshops or tutorials,should be striving to capture some of theseelements of good performance as a matterof course.

Not every academic is destined to be a

stage performer, but it is perfectly possibleto adopt some of the key skills adoptedby professionals as an important elementof academic presentations. In particular,giving some attention to voice productionincluding healthy voice use as well as howa lecturer is perceived by the audience canmake an enormous difference to the overalleffectiveness of a presentation session.

The voice

The voice is something most people takefor granted until something goes wrongwith it, such as a sore throat, partial

To lecture is to performDavid Howard and Francis Newton discuss the importance of performance in presentation.

lack of vocal control when on stage orcomplete inability to speak. There are somesimple things that can be done to alleviatethe chances of these and other issues

occurring in practice, and it involves somesimple postural exercises, vocal warm-ups,greater use of pitch and loudness changes,voice projection and clear articulation ofspeech sounds. When this is coupled withhealthy voice practices, the voice becomesa key element of the performance thatcan be employed in a positive manner toenhance the overall audience experience.

The presentation

It takes more effort and experienceto make an improvement on the

presentation itself, but it is notimpossible. Dealing with performancenerves, awkwardness of being out at thefront and a sensation of clamming upwhen in front of an audience who arestaring your way expectantly, directlyconfronts a presenters confidence.Knowing what to do with eyes (where tolook), hands (what not to do with them),posture and position gives a performersomething to concentrate on, and all ofthese can be used to good advantagewhen on stage. In academia, the (paying)audience is there because they wantto learn and the lecturer is the expertin the subject that they have come tolearn about. We start our lectures at adistinct advantage, which can, providing

David M

HowardisHead of theDepartmentof Electronicsand he holds aPersonal Chairin Music Technology. His teaching

and research relates to audio inmusic and voice with particularreference to the analysis andsynthesis of the human singingand speaking voice. David can becontacted on [email protected].

Francis Newtontrained first as anavigator in theRAF, then as aclassical actor,working withthe Bristol Old

Vic and other theatre companies,and later as an audio engineer.He worked for many years as thetechnician in the music departmentat the University of York.

Vocal confidence is not justfor lectures, it is for life.

the lecturer is convinced of it, providean immediate, powerful and inspiring (tolecturer and audience) confidence boost.

The University offers courses in

healthy voice use and performance thatwe (David Howard and Francis Newton asVoice Matters) present, in which theseand other areas are covered.


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Its 9am on a cold, wet Februarymorning. Youre an engineeringstudent sitting in a large, rather drablecture theatre, waiting for the firstlecture of the day to start, which hasthe uninspiring title, The History ofTechnology. The lecturer hasnt evenshowed up yet. Youre wondering if it

was worth getting out of bed.All of a sudden, theres an

announcement over the PA Ladies andGentlemen, good morning and welcome toProfessional Studies. Please give a warmwelcome to todays guest lecturer, SirIsambard Kingdom Brunel! The door at theback of the room opens, and a man, barelyrecognisable as the module convenerenters, dressed in a frock coat, with animpressive stovepipe hat. The lifelesslecture theatre becomes a real theatre Brunel begins by getting everyone to

stand up and join in withthe drama. He shares

stories about other

Using storytelling & dramain engineering lecturesDr Mike Clifford, University of Nottingham, explains how he uses performance to enhanceengagement in engineering lectures.

famous engineers names that youveheard of, but not really thought about theirinventions or what drove them to theirtechnological breakthroughs. Youre gladyou got up after all.

Dynamic lecturing

I started using drama and storytelling

in my teaching early on in my careeras a lecturer after reviewing someexisting practice and literature on theuse of performance techniques in thepost-compulsory education sector andcreative approaches to teaching andlearning. My approach sets out to reclaimthe lecture as a dynamic teaching tooland to engage students by arousingcuriosity, generating suspense, a sense ofoccasion and raising expectation that thelecture would be worth attending. I seestorytelling as an entry point to introduce

complex topics such as sustainability aswell as a means of supporting the needsof visual learners as well as those withshorter attention spans. Its not simply

about entertainment there needs tobe careful consideration to the linkbetween the costume/story/drama

to the module learning outcomes.Ive used the approach to good effect in

all the modules that I deliver,from telling anecdotesabout the creators ofnumerical methods to

break up the monotony of

pages of equations, to recreating a gunfightthat occurred in Tombstone Arizona in 1881to demonstrate the ballistic properties oftextiles (no students or lecturers have beenharmed in the lecture theatre to date).

Feedback from students on the ratherunorthodox approach makes referenceto making it interesting, engaging,

fun and helping students to see thebenefit of turning up to lectures.Several students also make commentsabout me: the lecturer enjoyed lecturingon this module, he actually enjoys it alot, hes interested in the topic himselfwhich shows and I think thats thedifference. The stories / dramas breakthe monotony with him being theatricaland all exciting making a potentiallyvery boring subject into a gripping one,and memorable the funny picturealways sticks in your head.

For more information and a clip fromthe Brunel lecture, see:https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/dspace-

jspui/handle/2134/8649https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj54bQp2WfI

Dr Mike Cliffordis an AssociateProfessor inthe Faculty ofEngineering atthe Universityof Nottingham.His research interests are incombustion, biomass briquetting,cookstove design, natural fibrecomposites and other appropriatetechnologies. In 2009, he wasvoted engineering lecturer ofthe year by the Higher EducationAcademys Engineering Subject

Centre for his innovative teachingmethods involving costume,drama, poetry and storytelling.Mike can be contacted on [email protected].


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Dr Ian Turner, University ofDerby, explains how he usesthe lecture room as a stage toenhance learning.

PROLOGUE

Pantomime as an entertainment and artform originates in Greece and came tofashion in the ancient theatres of Romeduring the reign of Emperor Augustus.Pantomime has been part of Englishentertainment since the 18th century

Harlequinade and the traditional fairytale pantomimes of the 19th Century.Today pantomime remains as a form oftheatrical entertainment, traditionally atChristmas time usually based on a fairytale or nursery story that incorporatessong, dance, buffoonery, slapstick, andaudience participation.

ACT ONE: Pantomime in higher

education

Lecture theatre pantomime (LTP) is oneof my approaches to learning that uses

the lecture room as a stage and uses arange of learning styles and approachesincluding role play, analogy and props tocreate a buoyant learning environment toenhance students understanding.

Lecture theatre pantomime (LTP) hasbeen used to educate students in a widerange of contexts, an example is in theteaching of an area of genetics called thecentral dogma. LTP delivers material ina dynamic live fashion. The pantomimeinvolves simple props such as pegs,washing lines, paper plates and costumes

(builders hats) with the lecturer playingthe role of key proteins in the centraldogma process. The LTP is supported

by the static visualizer (pipe cleaners torepresent DNA molecules) and traditionalPowerPoints. The session even involvesthe demonstration of the orientation of

the repeat unit in a DNA molecule via ahandstand (with assistance).

LTP is also used in a range of othercontexts including the immune system.In this LTP a fictitious analogous roleplay of the invasion of a barbarian horde(pathogen) on a castle (the human body)guarded by soldiers (phagocytes) andscientist (lymphocytes) are used. Eachcomponent of the immune system fitsinto the analogy eg Dendritic or AntigenPresenting Cells are soldiers looking tocapture rather than kill the enemy.

Student testimony shows that LTPhas a lasting and transformative impacton the students learning experience andenergises them for their whole degrees.It takes HE science and opens it up tolearners using a simple technique.

INTERVAL

Best lecturer Ive ever had. The wayyou teach is very engaging, the deliverymakes the topics seem more logical,easier to understand, and thereforemore interesting. Your enthusiasm

and passion for your work transfers toyour students when you teach, that iswhat more people need to achieve.LEGraduate in Biology

I dont think you know how influential

you have been to my University career andmy future. I owe just about everything toyou. I think your sessions are interactiveand informative and you deliver with suchflair and enthusiasm .. [your] sessions havemade me sit up, listen, be inspired and

have the desire to be a better student andscientistAM Graduate in Chemical Biology

ACT TWO: Strengths of LTP

LTP is viewed extremely positively bystudents. In an end of module (centraldogma example) feedback sheet (two yearaggregate) 94.90% of students rated thedelivery style and LTP lectures as verypositive or positive. Very pleasingly(whilst acknowledging other variables)there has also been a statistical significantimprovement in student exam performance

on central dogma questions in the yearssince LTP has been adopted. A strength ofLTP is that it is inclusive and can transcendlanguage and cultural barriers to learning.LTP focuses on the core understanding ofthe process or the concept (the pantomimeor analogy) using a simple technique ratherthan the terminology or specifics. These arefundamentally important but very difficultto learn without the core understanding.

LTP also helps to break down stereotypesthat may exist about lecturers and help tocreate a connection between the learners

and lecturer. The inclusivity of LTP meansthat it accommodates the full diversity ofstudent learning styles. Using FlemingsVARK model of learning as a reference point,the LTP approach involves Visual (diagramsand props), Auditory (speech / analogy),Reading / Writing (Text) and Kinaesthetic(role-play) elements which allows alllearners to engage with the session.

FINALEE

LTP is not an approach for every academic,but used in the right context can revitalise

a difficult lecture. LTP shows thatalternative and energetic approaches in thelecture theatre can transform the studentexperience and improve their engagementand achievement.

CAST IN ORDER OF APPERANCE

Dr. Ian Turner is a National TeachingFellow based at the University of Derby.He is currently Head of Forensic Sciencebut his main teaching areas are geneticsand science communications. He tweetsunder @DocWithTheSocs and more

information can be found at http://linkd.in/1pzDf50. Ians pantomime work ispublished in Innovative Practice in HigherEducation, Vol.1 (3) pages 1-11.APPLAUSE

Dr Turner demonstrating principles of thecentral dogma using a lecture theatrepantomime based approach. Picture taken byMatt Howcroft, University of Derby.

Its not relevat to thelecture but it gets thestudents attention

Lecture theatrepantomime


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Live performance is a powerfulmedium through which tocommunicate concepts and ideas.The strength of performance, particularly

contemporary dance performance, liesin the potential for visual and aural (ienon-verbal) communication, whichtranscends nationality and age. This kindof performance is particularly well suited

TRANSMISSION:Contemporary danceperformance and

interactive

installation

Mike Brockhurst, Department ofBiology, and Becs Andrews, VisitingResearch Associate, Department of

Music, describe how they have usedperformance to aid conceptualisation

of infectious disease evolution.


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Andrews (VisitingResearch Associate,Department of Music)and comprised choreographerSimon Birch (Senior Lecturer, FalmouthUniversity), composer Jon Hughes (PhDstudent, Department of Music), videodesigner and programmer Phill Tew,sound designer and programmer TomMitchell (Lecturer, University of the

West of England), electronic engineerSeb Madgwick, lighting designer LouiseGregory and four professional dancers James Southward, Isabel Slingerland,Debbi Purtil and Polly Motley.

Communicating

infection

The core scientific idea behind thework was to communicate how tiny

changes at the molecular level can havemajor global consequences. To givea contemporary example of this, it isthought that two or three changes toa surface protein of avian flu might be

Brilliant! [The performance] makes something notnormally interesting [to me] more accessible and[the performance] drew me into science, which Iwould normally avoid.

to conveying ideas

that seem abstractor occur on differentscales in time orspace which areoften difficult toconceptualise withinthe context of our daily lives. In thisregard visual performance is a compellingway for scientists to connect with thepublic about their research.

TRANSMISSION, which premieredin June as part of the York Festivalof Ideas 2014, was a contemporary

dance within an interactive visual andaudio installation that explored MikeBrockhursts (Department of Biology)research into infectious disease evolution.The creative team was led by artist Becs


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Professor MikeBrockhurstis the 50thAnniversaryChair ofEvolutionaryBiology in theDepartment of Biology. His researchinvestigates the causes and

consequences of rapid evolution bymicrobes particularly in the contextof human infections.

Becs Andrewsis an artist andstage designerbased in Leedsand is currentlya VisitingResearchAssociate in the Department ofMusic where she is developinginterdisciplinary projects withscientists and musicians. She waspreviously DARE Cultural Fellowat the University of Leeds whereprojects included Phase Revival: AnOptical Harmonica and Gold Dust:Of Memory and Light.

enough to cause a globalpandemic by allowing themutated flu to transmitbetween humans. Theperformance was able totraverse scales from the

molecular to the global through the responsivevisual environment thatAndrews and her teamcreated. Andrews decidedto harness the relativelycheap but breathtakinglyeffective method of usinginfrared digital cameras(XBox Kinect) to trackmovements in spaceand combine this datawith video projections

on the floor beneath thedancers feet that reactedand responded to theirmovements. Using thisprojected light we wereable to create a range ofabstract environmentsfrom cells within a body tocities on the globe. Light was also usedas a metaphor for infection, such thatdancers could catch flickering shadowyinfections from one another, allowingthe audience to visually track the spread

of the disease. Birchs choreographyalso explored the different scalesand proximities of infection: sectionsof movement were inspired by thechemical bonds which form between themolecules of a host and parasite, othersections captured the everyday humaninteractions which provide the backdropfor the transmission of infections.

Incorporating sound

The sound world of the performanceplayed an important role in conveying

shifts in scale and mood, while alsoproviding aural reference points forthe audience to allow them to placescenes in our everyday world throughrecordings of airports and cafes. Hughesmusic compositions were part pre-recorded and part generated live duringthe performance. These interactiveelements were made possible bywireless sensor technology developedby Madgwick and Mitchell. These smallsensors, embedded in bespoke paddedharnesses (designed by Andrews to

be worn invisibly under the dancerscostumes) allowed small specificmovements to trigger snippets ofrecorded sound or music. The embeddedsensors also allowed us to measure the

proximity of dancers so that the volumeof sound increased in relation to howphysically close dancers became. The

interactive sound and video elementswere intertwined using bespokesoftware coded by Tew and Mitchell,and combined together to give theperformance a powerful and immediatesense of cause and effect: our actionshave consequences but by changing ourbehaviour we can affect the outcome.

After each performance we openedthe performance space up to theaudience so that they could experiencefor themselves the triggered light andsound installation: How being in close

proximity to an infected person couldresult in catching the light-infectionand create a map of the infectionnetwork; How getting closer togetheror moving more could be heard in theresponsive generated sounds. Ouraudiences told us that this opportunityto embody the installation enhancedtheir understanding of the performanceand comprehension of the scientificideas underpinning the work. It madethe audience part of the work(audience quote).

Audience feedback suggested thatthe performances engaged with newaudiences both in terms of the scienceand the dance: those without a sciencebackground were drawn to see the

work by the dance content,whilst people who hadntseen live contemporary dancebefore were initially attractedto the work by the scientificcontent. Both groups were

surprised and interested bytheir exposure to the otherelement. The balance ofmovement and technologyallowed the creative team toconstruct powerful metaphorsfor scientific concepts butas one audience memberput it, the nice thing aboutthe science was that itwasnt in your face it wassupporting, perfect. Throughperformance therefore the

science communication can bealmost subconscious, to againquote audience members:Brilliant! [The performance]makes something notnormally interesting [to me]more accessible and [theperformance] drew me into

science, which I would normally avoid.TRANSMISSION was made possible by

grants from Arts Council England andthe Wellcome Trust Centre for ChronicDiseases and Disorders, and support from

Heslington Studios, Falmouth University,DARE and the University of York.

2b3or not 2b3 what is thatequation


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Learning as

Performance

In this article we would like to draw attention to the specialised use of the termperformance in Sociology and Applied Linguistics, inasmuch as this may help toinform teaching practice, particularly in small group work and particularly wherestudents come from different national and cultural backgrounds.

Since the work of Austen in the late fifties (Austen 1962), both sociologists

and applied linguists have been interested in the notion of performativespeech acts. For applied linguistics, the emphasis is on languageused to perform, to do things, (rather than to express truths);for their part, sociologists understand performances asall those conscious or unconscious expressive actsthat convey and construct continuity in humanrelations (Goffman 1959). Language is, inpart, used consciously in order to makethings happen; less consciously speechacts perform aspects of speakersidentities and speakers identitiesare built up as a result of speechperformances.

For sociologists, then, identity can beconsidered as being partly constructed through

performative actsin interaction with othersand in social spaces,rather than being seenas an essential given.For some scholars inapplied linguistics, thereis a growing shift fromseeing language use as

evidence of essentiallexico-grammaticalcompetence towards thestudy of performativecompetence, the wayin which speakersnegotiate interactionsusing a range oflinguistic resources (egCanagarajah 2013).

In limine sapientiae

All of this has importantentailments whereteaching and learningare concerned, andmay have particularimportance in a

university which is aimingto foreground the internationalexperience of all of its students.

Inasmuch as the university is a

staging post where students are meantto undergo a transformation, ourteaching spaces are characterised byliminality. Each classroom is a thresholdwithin the larger threshold of theuniversity as a whole; it is a place wherechange takes place and, crucially, wherehybrids emerge and new identities areconstructed.

If all students engage in a processof change as they traverse theuniversity threshold, then language andlinguacultural change must be a largepart of this. Whether they originallycome from Bristol, Bombay or Beijing,students may perceive the liminality ofthe university and of their classroomsas contact zones, playgrounds where

Paul Roberts and Darren Reed discuss performance in Learning andTeaching from a Sociology and English Language Teaching perspective.

And the winner of the categorybest special effects is


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the exoticism of multiculturalism orthe diversity of cultures, but on theinscription and articulation of cultureshybridity (Bhabha 1994: 38-9). Thosestudents who have taken the largeststeps to arrive here are likely to be the

most successful in hybridisation and theinternationalisation of their culture.

In describing this process ofhybridisation and internationalisationas almost inevitable, we do also want tosuggest that there is a role for membersof the academic teaching staff, at least infacilitating matters. Indeed, some haveargued that the role of Higher Education

teachers is crucial (Shute 2002). Inour classrooms-become-contact

zones we can try to enable theprogression towards expertise

in hybridisation, or at leastaccommodate the spaces where

it is happening.Firstly, if the

classroom is to be aperformance spacewhere identities andcultures are triedout and played out

through negotiation processes,then, obviously, it must be a safe placeproviding temporary protection fromlegacies of oppression in which to

construct shared understandings andknowledges, (Pratt 1999) and, within it, aco-operative disposition among studentsmust be fostered (see Canagarajah2013). At the very least, teachers cantry to contribute to the setting up andmaintaining of safe houses, allowing theconstruction of what may be termed acommunitasof hybridity (Turner 1995).

Into the safety of the liminal spaceteachers may then allow themselves arole as active participants in negotiationprocesses, helping students by

recognising their expressive acts ashybrid, processual artefacts, pieces inthe complex jig-saw of constructingthemselves as academics or professionalsor global citizens.

Practically speaking, then, teachersand students might do well to recogniseand acknowledge both the emergent,fluid nature of students identities andthe nature of teaching rooms as in-between spaces where temporary, hybridperformances lead to later sedimentationof firmer identities. They might use this

recognition to take time, plenty of time,to foster equitable relationships andeven-handed negotiation, not only ofdisciplinary content but, crucially, ofpersonal positioning.

identities are allowed to befluid. Students may want to play

out a national or cultural identity inthese spaces, or they may want to try

out a cosmopolitan identity after all,they have made the choice to leave theirhome behind and to travel hundreds orthousands of miles in order to be here.

If we accept this performance viewof cultural process, and following thepostcolonial cultural theorist, Homi

Bhabha, we may then cease to considerstudent behaviour in our classroomsas determined by the culture studentsbring with them. Instead, we may thinkof our students as performing cultureand thereby constructing differenceand sameness and creating a processof international culture based not on

Paul Robertsjoined theCentre forEnglishLanguageTeaching

as Directorin August 2009. He has taughtEnglish and trained teachers ofEnglish in six different countriesand written, or co-written, severalELT books. Paul is interestedin the internationalisationof Higher Education, with aparticular interest in curriculumtransformation. He can becontacted on [email protected].

Darren Reedis a Lecturer

in Sociology.His researchis concernedwith pedagogyin performanceenvironments, based uponhis expertise and interest inembodied social interaction. Heis Deputy Director for Teachingin Sociology and ProgrammeCoordinator for three mastersprograms concerned with thestudy of Social Media fromsociological, management, andcomputer science perspectives.He teaches students from acrossthe world, but is particularlyinterested in learning frominternational students about howto teach better.

ReferencesAustin, J. (1962). How to do things withwords. Oxford: Clarendon Press

Bhabha, H. K. (1996). Cultures in-between.In S. Hall & P. du Gay (Eds.), Questions ofcultural identity.(pp. 53-60). London: Sage

Canagarajah, A.S. (2013).TranslingualPractice. London: Routledge

Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation ofself in everyday life garden city. New York:Doubleday

Pratt, M. L. (1999). Arts of the contact zone.In D. Bartholomae & A. Petrosky (Eds.) Waysof reading. New York: Bedford/St.Martins

Shute, J. (2002). The influence of faculty inshaping internationalization. In S. Bond & C.Bowry, (Eds.) Connections and complexities:The internationalization of higher educationin Canada. Occasional Papers in HigherEducation. 11. Winnipeg: Centre for Higher

Education Research & Development.Turner, V. W. (1995). The ritual process:Structure and anti-structure.New York:Aldine de Gruyter.

For sociologists identitycan be considered as

being partly constructedthrough performative acts ininteraction with others and insocial spaces.


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Performance in music prog

On a rainy day this pastJune we went to have achat with Professor RogerMarsh and ProfessorPeter Seymour duringwhich they explainedthe importance of

performance in musicprogrammes and howtheir teaching styleincorporates performance.

Kabuk performed as partof the Practical Project

first year compulsorymodule. A project by

Roger Marsh.


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Amusic degree at York aims todeliver a balanced musicaleducation whilst providingopportunities for students to specialiseand pursue their own study pathway.Students are part of a vibrantmusical community, taught by activeprofessionals. Performance is an integralpart of the music programme and arange of opportunities are available forstudents to partake in performance, bothfor assessment purposes and outside thecurriculum.

Peter Seymour conducting the University Choirand Symphony Orchestra in Verdis Requiem atYork Minster.

Interview with Peter SeymourCould you describe in a few

words your philosophy of

teaching?

Assessment in the modules I teach isentirely based on performance becauseit is more useful for students to expresstheir understanding of the material bysound. Within fairly broad guidelinesthey can choose what they perform.So, for example, they could chooseanything within certain geographicalboundaries but within certain stylisticboundaries.

We get large numbers applying hereand students come here because theyknow that they can not only perform

but they can also study how toperform. Within the teaching moduleswe would teachstudents how to findthe original sourcesnecessary in orderto interpret music.Before comingto York, studentswould have studiedmusic using mainlysecondary sources.But a deeper

understanding reliesupon the study ofprimary sources (forexample originalmanuscripts). Our understanding ofthese primary sources is changingall the time. And so I often say tomy students when we are doingperformance practise: What I amtelling you is what I understand nowand I am sure it is correct, but I amsure that parts of it will have changedin ten years time and I hope youwill understand that our knowledgehas changed and the most excitingthing about this area of study is thatour understanding and therefore ourresponse is constantly changing.

When there is a new

interpretation of how to play a

piece, do you perform in front of

your students or do you tell them

how to perform?

In fact one of the best ways of teachingsometimes is to perform together withthe students, and occasionally I wouldplay something to illustrate my point.But I also try to leave the students freeto perform in their own ways. The main

thing is that they find the sources anduse the best information available atthat time, especially when it is getting

closer to a performance. So yes I doperform in front of my students andin fact sometimes you cannot explainhow to play music or how to sing bymerely using words.

This takes me to the last

question. What is the legacy that

you would like to leave to your

students? Can you give us some

examples of what your students

have done or performances they

have done after they have left?

One of my former students has justbeen at Covent Garden and at the

English National Opera and in America.He sometimes asks me what I woulddo in this situation. He has beenback for two or three lessons on thekeyboard with me. I see quite a lot ofmy old students. They have taken onthe information here and continued towork in that way. My most importantlegacy is the following: they shouldfirst of all love the music as if theydont then they are not going tocommunicate as clearly as they should.They should always be informedplayers in whatever they do, whetherit is understanding a contemporarypiece or understanding a piece by Elgaror performing music composed byBach. They should always be lookingfor more information and tryingto work out for themselves whichinformation is going to be useful forthat performance. But the key aspect isthat our students are performing musicin an informed manner, using all theprimary sources available to them atthe time of the performance.

rammesPhoto:ChristopherLeedham

Photo:ChristopherLeedham


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Roger Marsh leads a seminar within hismusic teaching.

engaged exactly in the same way youwould do with an audience during aconcert.

My teaching style has evolved overthe years, as in the early days I triedto be fully prepared in advance for allsorts of questions, but over time, I triedto develop my confidence in my abilityto change and to adapt.

There is a slight paradox I suppose:in this Department, most of us performprofessionally outside the Departmentas well. When we perform inside theDepartment with the students, we tryto do that in exactly the same waywe would do though of course, you

cant really do that. In my teaching,I try to treat students as if they wereprofessional performers. I help themachieve the best possible performancewhile channelling their attention onthe way they are performing andtrying to inspire them to think aboutthe different ways they could beperforming.

When dealing with composers, Itry to encourage them in thinking indifferent ways and introduce them toareas they wouldnt have thought of

otherwise.In my view, the most important role

of teaching is to open students mindsto new ideas while inspiring them tothink in different, individual ways.

ProfessorRoger Marshstudied at theUniversity ofYork in the early

seventies. HiscompositionPhD (1974) was supervised byBernard Rands. He spent two years(1976-78) at the University ofCalifornia, San Diego, on a HarknessFellowship. From 1978 to 88 helectured at the University of Keele,and was for three years Head ofDepartment there, before returningto York, where he is currentlyProfessor of Music. His music hasbeen performed and broadcastwidely.

ProfessorPeter Seymourstudied atHuddersfieldSchool ofMusic and atUniversity ofYork, including post-graduate workresearching into the performanceof baroque music. In July 1994 hewas awarded the degree of D Mus.,at University of York for researchinto performing style. He is directorof Yorkshire Baroque Soloists andof Yorkshire Bach Choir, and has

worked and recorded in mostEuropean countries. He is also anartistic adviser to York Early MusicFestival and Professor in Music andOrganist at the University of York.

Photo:JohnHoulihan

Performance in Music Programmes continued

When teaching, you need to

keep the students engagedexactly in the same way youwould do with an audienceduring a concert.

Can you tell us about your

teaching and your passion for

music?

I am primarily a composer and I havebeen teaching for over 35 years. I helpcomposers to learn how to composeand I teach general music studentsvarious aspects of contemporarymusic with a particular emphasis onmusic which involves words and onmusic theatre. During my career, Ihave also taught Japanese music.

A lot of my teaching is fairlypractical, I have one to one tutorialswith students where I look at theirwork and I help them with technicalaspects while trying to inspire them todevelop their own ideas in directionsthat they might not otherwise thinkabout. Sometimes I teach smallgroups. But I also do a lot of standingup in front of large groups, leadingseminars or just talking to thestudents, as we dont actually haveformal lectures in this Department.

We have long sessions (often all day)in our undergraduate modules whichwe call projects, which involve20-25 students at a time, and wherethe teaching is very informal in such away that we can interrupt the sessionat any point to have direct interactionwith or between the students.Students taking part in these projectsare very engaged because they get toselect the type of area of music studythey are truly passionate about.

What are your views onteaching as performance?

I have always taken for granted thatteaching is performance. I was neverinterested in the theoretical side ofthat. When I stand up in front of agroup of people for teaching, I feel thesame way as when I am performing infront of an audience. When teaching,you need to keep the students

Interview with Roger Marsh


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ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL:ensuring all students reach their potential

University of York Learning and Teaching Conference 2015:Wednesday 10 June 2015

Students come to theUniversity of York with

differentexpectations,

differentlearning styles,

differentneeds, and

differentambitions.

The conference will explore the implications of diversifying delivery of programmes and

how students are supported in the process of achieving their potential. A key theme will bethe way in which programme design can address the range of student ability and levels of

student engagement. The conference will also focus on the ways in which inclusivity and diversitycan be integrated into the curricula and teaching.

Workshop themes:

use of personalised learning approaches within teaching ensuring fairness / enabling unimpeded learning by students from diverse backgrounds dealing with a range of student ability and levels of student engagement embedding training for students on appropriate conduct addressing unconscious bias within our teaching addressing diversity and promoting inclusivity through module content

examples of good practice relating to PGWT activities which successfully address individual student learning styles

the meaning, nature and implications of inclusivity and diversity in higher education.

Posters:Any learning and teaching themes

Call for:Discussion papers, workshops and poster presentations

The deadline for submissions is Friday 30 January 2015(Week 4, Spring Term).

Further information about this

conference and the call for

contributions is available on the

websitehttp://bit.ly/1tYHdWJ


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20 FORUMissue 36

Learning and Teaching Calendar of Events:

Autumn Term 2014

Key to the calendarEvents organised by theLearning and Teaching

Forum. Open to all staff andPGWTs. For further information,see www.york.ac.uk/staff/teaching/sharing/sharing-practice/workshops; toregister, contact [email protected]. Ifyou are unable to attend anevent but would like a copy ofthe materials, please let usknow.

Freestanding workshopsoffered by learning

support colleagues. [email protected] further details or tobook your place.

Taught Masters SpecialInterest Group: for further

information, see www.york.ac.uk/staff/teaching/sharing/

sharing-practice/special-interest/; to register contact

[email protected]

Academic Integrity: StaffTurnitin awareness

sessions. Please contact [email protected] furtherdetails or to book your place ona session.

WEEK 3 W/B 13 OCTOBER 2014

Thursday 16th October3.004.00pm

HG09,Heslington Hall

Academic Integrity: Staff Turnitinawareness sessions


Wednesday 22 October12.30-2.00pm


Enhancing engagement. Bums on Seatsversus Hearts and Minds: Questions ofstudent attendance and engagement


Tuesday 28 October1.30-5.00pm


Marking consistency: a half day workshop

WEEK 6 W/B 3 NOVEMBER 2014

Monday 3 November12.30-2.00pm


Technology in practice. Making video foractive learning




Key skills in the curriculum. Teachingresearch methods: engaging students in aninquiry-based research process




A workshop for supervisors

WEEK 10 W/B 1 DECEMBER 2014

Tuesday 2nd December11.00am12.00noon

ATB043,SeebohmRowntreeBuilding

Academic Integrity: Staff Turnitinawareness sessions


Monday 8 December12.30-2.00pm

BS/008, BerrickSaul Building

Taught Masters Special Interest Group


Monday 15 December9.00am-4.00pm


Criticality: a full day workshop

Documents

Teaching as performance - UoY Forum 36, Autumn 2014