An embodied perspective on judgements of written reflective practice for professional development in Higher Education

This paper gives an embodied perspective on the use of judgements of reflective practice and reflective writing for professional development in Higher Education. Programmes for professional development in Higher Education and recognition processes for academics have become prevalent in the UK and internationally. These programmes and processes often assume, implicitly or explicitly, development or evidencing as a ‘reflective practitioner’ through pieces of reflective writing which is then judged against competencies or attainments. However, this focus on reflective practice and reflective writing is not always critical, and does not examine the different theoretical and practical interpretations of what it means to reflect, or the impact of assessing such reflections. Taking an embodied stance allows a new view into a contested area that is more habitually connected with cognitive rather than corporeal processes

Book review: Doing excellent social research with documents – Aimee Grant

In her book Doing excellent social research with documents, Aimee Grant promises practical examples and guidance for qualitative researchers. As a research methods teacher and supervisor for student projects I am aware that there is a need for a book that sets out the different types of work that can be done with documents and data in social research in a modern and up to date context, and does not shy away from theory, ethics, and the actual practicalities of doing research and analysis. Grant’s background is in health research and whilst that is evident in the choice of case studies that she uses to showcase and illustrate the different types of documentary research and analytic techniques, it does not mean that the book is only relevant to those interested in health. The case studies span a wide range of social topics. These range from a thematic analysis of tabloid press descriptions of the victims and perpetrators of the 2011 London Riots, to a Critical Discourse Analysis of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, alongside transcripts of parliamentary debates relating to the Welfare Reform and Work Bill 2015, to elicitation interviews on health and wellbeing in pregnancy

Voices: Increasing inclusivity and equity in research cultures

One of the biggest challenges in science is addressing the widely acknowledged lack of DEI. This is a global challenge including the overrepresentation of European and North American science and scientists.Within chemistry, professional bodies such as the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Chemical Society showed that compared with what is seen in the general population, there is an underrepresentation of chemists who are women, disabled, Black, Indigenous, and people of color. This gap increases with seniority. Marginalization can be thought of as being intersectional (a term coined by Kimberle ´ Crenshaw to describe the compounding barriers faced by Black women due to misogyny and racism). Practically, this means that the disadvantages encountered due to different aspects of an individual’s identity, such as gender, sexuality, race, religion, or class, will compound and multiply. The competitive climate of scientific research funding reinforces an ideology where overwork and hyperproductivity are the norm. Coupled with increases in precarious contracts, squeezes on budgets, and a lack of progression opportunities, it becomes harder to change the dominant research culture and make it more accessible and inclusive. Supramolecular chemistry has welcomed the International Women in Supramolecular Chemistry (WISC) network’s approach to DEI, responding to them ‘‘calling in’’ the community to support their own and incorporating creative approaches to highlight and humanize the lived experiences of parents, carers, and marginalized researchers. The framework that the community is constructing to raise awareness and effect change could act as a model for other fields within physical sciences to address inclusivity and equity in research cultures

Exploring multiple identities: An embodied perspective on academic development and higher education research

In this paper I discuss how my background as a somatic movement therapist and educator has informed my identity and current work as a higher education (HE) researcher and academic developer, or teacher of HE. I explore what it means to come from a non-traditional home discipline, and to work in a non-unified field within academia. How does it impact on the academic credibility, and the practical choices of methodology and dissemination? What might a new, less traditional home discipline bring to HE research, and what problems might arise for a researcher wanting to draw on less known or regarded methods, practices or theories of research? Within somatic movement and education the ethos of embodiment, that is an awareness of the importance of the body, underlies all theory and practice. Elements of this ethos can also be found across many disciplines within academia. HE is a non-unified field that has been described as atheoretical or without an overarching theoretical base. It attracts researchers from a wide variety of disciplinary backgrounds, and yet draws strongly on social science and hard science descriptions of rigour, validity and what is considered knowledge and research. In this paper I take a reflective and embodied approach to consider how this impacts on issues of credibility working in HE, drawing on conversations with other HE researchers and academic developers, and the consequences and tensions that result

Exploring academic identity

I was funded to explore how academics reconcile an embodied practice with their academic practice and identity, and whether it contributed to their wellbeing. In other words, does their embodied practice help them make sense of their academic work, and does it make them feel better about it? The project used methods designed to interrogate and explore the participants’ own expressions of embodiment. The findings showed that all academics with an embodied practice felt that it contributed to their personal sense of wellbeing- though that sense of wellbeing was separate from a corporate one that could be given to them through institutional initiatives. Some of the academics felt that there was a clear connection between their embodied practice and academic work, whereas others initially thought they kept them separate. Through reflection most came to the conclusion that their practice did impact on their work directly or indirectly. There seemed to be a connection between how much an individual felt that their embodied practice was integral to their identity, and the kinds of data they produced with the creative research methods. The project resulted in more questions around the ethics of research, and the boundaries between research and therapy, and research and art

Experiencing emotion: Children’s perceptions, reflections and self-regulation

22 children aged 4-11 attended sessions of Somatic Movement Education (incorporating developmental play and movement patterns). They were given the opportunity to express their emotions through movement, and to develop their understanding and processing of emotion through pair work, group work, journaling, mark-making and reflections as part of a phenomenological research project. The children showed that they were able to identify and express their emotions through movement and creative methods. In some cases they were also able to move towards self-regulating their emotions, and articulate their experiences of this clearly

Embodied Reflection – Exploring creative routes to teaching reflective practice within dance training

This paper draws from a collaboration between Rambert School of Dance, University of Kent, and University College London Institute of Education and an anthropological filmmaker. Together we took a creative and embodied approach to teaching reflective practice within a conservatoire to second year dance students. In this paper we explore where this somatically inspired pedagogy sits within dance training. We discuss the nature of reflection for dance training, and in particular consider embodied reflective practice. Finally we offer effective methodologies for drawing out and capturing embodied practice

Academic development needs of part-time teachers in higher education: Are they being met?

Part-time teachers in higher education form a diverse group, and one that is increasing as employment patterns change. These individuals are often under-supported, with no systematic access to training or development. A survey was administered to part-time teachers at one University exploring the group demographics and how they perceived their opportunities for academic development. The invisibility of this group was made explicit, as the majority of the information provided by Human Resources was not up-to- date. Only 340/816 email addresses provided were current. Teaching hours worked by this group (n=78) varied from 5–260 per academic year. The respondents were asked whether they were interested in professional development. 88% indicated that they wanted to continue to develop professionally. “Of course, development is always a good thing” However, 60% were unaware of any opportunities to do so, or were unable to access provision. “I would but I don't know what the options are" There are implications for how programmes of professional and academic development should be re-modelled and targeted, to ensure that they are open to and accessible by part-time teachers in addition to full-time academic staff. "It would be useful if there was more support from the Department and University for part-time lecturers to encourage professional development." In addition, it raises concerns over the processes by which part-time teachers are recruited, contacted and supported to ensure that they aware of the development opportunities open to them. “I still feel quite isolated and disposable!

Team on teams: a collaborative inquiry

Over the course of an academic year, we collaborated to adopt a new instructional design for teams in our classes. We recount the story of our collaboration, outlining our process of inquiry, reflection, and support. Our simple search for better techniques shifted as our colleagues helped us reveal hidden assumptions about our roles as teachers. Our critical reflection allowed us to increase our self-awareness, specifically considering the following: how power influences our classroom interactions, how we contribute to and reinforce elements of the system that are not in our best interest, and the evolving stages of our own development as teachers. We believe our lessons will resonate with other teachers engaged in the challenges and rewards of self-development efforts

Afterword

As we finalise the last edits to this manuscript, the context of higher education has changed suddenly and unexpectedly due to Covid-19. By the end of March 2020, in the UK and across the world, people and governments are scrambling to control and contain a pandemic. Governments have mandated that the population practice social-distancing, work remotely, and stay home wherever possible to reduce the spread of this novel coronavirus, and to protect the vulnerable – that is those who are elderly or who have underlying health conditions. Higher Education Institutions move to provide teaching and assessment online, with academics and students having to quickly learn how to work and use new technology and introduce different pedagogies and research approaches