LD@3 Adapting collaborative reading techniques within the disciplines: developing practice

Abstract:

At ALDCON ’23, we shared our project on embedding two types of collaborative reading techniques – Academic Reading Circles and Text mapping – into a range of curricula; and started to explore the impact that such techniques have on student belonging at UWE Bristol (ALDCON 2023 – UWE Bristol slides).

Now that we have embedded these into more disciplines, we would like to share how we continue to develop our practice and experiment: for example, through delivering these techniques online; exploring opportunities to co-teach with academic colleagues; or training them to facilitate Academic Reading Circles. Our focus on the student experience raises further opportunities to consider how the way that sessions are convened affects group dynamics, and how best to round off the learning experience by integrating reflective practice into the process.

Using some of our materials, we will also invite discussion about how we have used our expertise as learning developers, and what impact this has had on subject-lecturer practice and student learning. We will be posing questions such as:

– Are collaborative reading techniques worth the effort?
– What are the challenges in making these techniques inclusive?
– How can we enable students to transfer learning from collaborative reading activities to their individual practices and contexts?

Hosts: Jane Saville – Academic Development Manager/Senior lecturer with colleagues from UWE