Elizabeth Mahon

Inspiring to inspire: developing teaching in Higher Education

Abstract Following a three-year staff development initiative within one faculty in a UK university, the authors reflected on inspiring teaching and the role that staff development can play in enhancing individual practice. Teaching is a core component of Higher Education and is complex and multi-faceted both theoretically and in practice. Through individual reflections to a set of pre-determined questions, a group of Higher Education teachers (n = 5) with a responsibility for the development of learning, teaching and assessment, share their thoughts, feelings and beliefs on inspiring teaching. The interpretive analysis of the data shows from a staff perspective that the notion of inspiring teaching has three main components which are all interrelated, those being; the actual teaching and learning experience; the design of the curriculum and the teacher/student relationship. Staff development initiatives were found to help people explore and develop their own teaching philosophy, to develop new practices and to share and learn from others. However, individual’s mindset, beliefs and attitudes were found to be a challenge. Teachers can frame their development around the different aspects of inspiring teaching and with support from senior leadership as well as a positive culture, teaching communities can work together towards inspiring teaching.

Discovering inspiring teaching: immersive models of staff development

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline an innovative method of delivering staff development in an higher education (HE) setting. The paper evaluates the processes behind the “Focus on Inspiring Teaching” week and outlines its initial impact on staff. Design/methodology/approach – This is a descriptive case study which highlights how an immersive staff development event can be used to enable HE teaching practitioners to utilise more inspiring approaches to teaching and learning. The paper draws on questionnaire evaluations (n = 43). Findings – The paper highlights how staff development events can be used to foster communities of practice for teaching staff. For this to be successful, staff needs to be committed to reflecting on their own practice and be sufficiently engaged to partake actively of staff development events. By establishing these communities, inspiring practice in teaching can be developed with successful outcomes. The paper outlines a model for staff development which could be est...

BMI status of children in the CHANGE! Project and its association with the consumption of ‘positive marker’ and ‘negative marker’ foods

G. L. Warburton, E. Mahon, I. G. Davies, R. Gobbi, K. Mackintosh, S. J. Fairclough and J. C. Abayomi Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK, Research Institute for Sports and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK, Faculty of Science and Social Science, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK and Applied Sports Technology Exercise and Medicine Research Centre (A-STEM), College of Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK

Comparison of the reported intakes of fruits and vegetables in Year 6 children: The CHANGE! Project

. The CHANGE! Project(ChildrenOs Health, Activity, and Nutrition: Get Educated!), involving Year 6 children ( n = 290 total; n = 138 intervention; n = 152control) in Wigan, aimed to promote the consumption of FV as part of a healthy lifestyle. A teaching resource was adapted and Anglicisedfrom the Planet Health programme

Meeting carbohydrate recommendations during a mountain marathon

These findings suggest that written guidelines are effective in helping athletes to meet dietary recommendations but more advice is needed to select appropriate food sources to reduce the weight penalty of carrying extra food. Research is needed to establish the reasons behind the athletes’ food choices; further promotion of the benefits of CHO-rich diets and sports products may be useful, or alternatively the development of new products that suit the needs of ultra-endurance athletes, who may limit current usage due to factors such as sweetness and flavour fatigue, may be necessary.