Workshop
Title:
11
Conversation, Motivation, Inspiration:
Engagement with learning with first year
students.
Presenter(s):
Ruth Pickford and Sally Brown
Leeds Metropolitan University and Independent
Consultant
Abstract:
Widening participation in higher education together with students’ increasing adoption of
a strategic approach to learning can make it really difficult for classroom teachers to
engage with students and develop independent learning. This highly interactive
workshop will demonstrate an approach that has been undertaken at Leeds Metropolitan
University with first year students in large lectures on computing courses. The approach
is based on the Fe Fi Fo Fun (F4) methodology that was developed by Ruth Pickford and
was a principal foundation of her successful achievement of a National Teacher
Fellowship. This approach proposes a three stage engagement with students taking
them from relationship building through formative-summative assessment, feedback, fun
and fixation. See diagram below:
Learning
Stage 3
Stage 2
Stage 1
Inspiration
Fixation: Embrace Individual Learning
Styles
Fun: Enthuse
Motivation
Intrinsic:
Interaction & Immediate Feedback
Extrinsic:
Formative-Summative Assessment
Conversation
Relationship
- Independent learning
- Stimulation
- Increased expectation
- Strategic application
to study
- Widening
participation
In 2005 Ruth has started working with Sally Brown, now a Visiting Professor at Leeds
Metropolitan University. This session, therefore, will include consideration of the impact
of formative assessment in engaging and motivating students. However, the core of the
workshop will involve a range of activities to demonstrate how large lectures can be
brought to life through a range of activities including singing, dancing, story telling and
immediate feedback to and from students.
F4 Integration
FIXATION .
lecturer to student FEEDBACK.
Basis of learning
Closing the Gap
Feedback.
student to lecturer FEEDBACK.
student INTEREST
student ENGAGEMENT.
Fun.
Formative-summative
assessment
By the end of the workshop participants can expect to have:
 Discussed how fun can help to fix learning so that students retain and engage
with information;
 Engaged with theoretical perspectives which link formative assessment and
motivation;
 Experienced some techniques which can be used in even the driest subjects to
bring learning to life;
 Had fun.
Organisation of workshop:
1. Contextualisation & Explanation of the Fe Fi Fo Fun model (10-15 minutes)
2. Conversation & motivation in large groups: Activity (10-15 minutes)
3. Impact of formative assessment on engagement/motivation: Facilitation of discussion
(10-15 minutes)
4. Learning styles and fixation: (5-10 minutes)
5. Relationship between fun, fixation and learning: Activity (15-25 minutes)
6. Action Planning and feedback: Activity (10-15 minutes)
Relevant Literature:


Brown S., Race P. ‘Lecturing – a practical guide’, Kogan Page 2002.
Pickford R., Clothier H. ‘Ask the Audience: A simple teaching method to improve the
learning experience in large lectures, Teaching, Learning and Assessment in
Databases, Coventry 2003, LTSN Centre for Information and Computer Sciences.