{"id":9869,"date":"2024-03-07T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-07T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/?p=9869"},"modified":"2024-03-06T21:38:08","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T21:38:08","slug":"engaging-minds-how-subject-talks-can-re-energise-higher-education-pedagogy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2024\/03\/07\/engaging-minds-how-subject-talks-can-re-energise-higher-education-pedagogy\/","title":{"rendered":"Engaging Minds: How &#8220;Subject Talks&#8221; Can Re-energise Higher Education Pedagogy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>by Simon Overton, Educational Enhancement Co-ordinator, University of Sussex<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/03\/2024-03-06-Subject-Talks-A-MP3.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Picture a glass jar filled to the brim with dice. My question is simple: how many dice do you think there are in the jar? Take a minute to think and then tell your partner. How did you arrive at your guess? Tell your partner that too. Maybe you counted the number of dice in one layer, and multiplied that by the number of layers. Maybe you just chose your favourite number; if so, tell them <em>why<\/em> it\u2019s your favourite number. I know what the number is, and it\u2019s an odd number. Does that change your guess? Here\u2019s another clue: it\u2019s between 30 and 60. What could the number be and what could it <em>not<\/em> be? Final clue: it\u2019s a square number. What is <em>that<\/em> and how does it guide you to the correct answer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/03\/20240306_2104512-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/03\/20240306_2104512-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A glass jar filled with purple dice.\" class=\"wp-image-9872\" width=\"768\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/03\/20240306_2104512-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/03\/20240306_2104512-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/03\/20240306_2104512-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/03\/20240306_2104512-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/03\/20240306_2104512-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/03\/20240306_2104512-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/03\/20240306_2104512-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/03\/20240306_2104512-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/03\/20240306_2104512-450x450.jpg 450w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/03\/20240306_2104512-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/03\/20240306_2104512-900x900.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Photo by S Overton<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This is an example of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youcubed.org\/resources\/stanford-onlines-learn-math-teachers-parents-number-talks\/\">Number Talk<\/a>, a concept devised by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Number-Talks-Primary-Classroom-Richardson\/dp\/0984838104\">Kathy Richardson and partners<\/a>, specifically using a resource called an <a href=\"https:\/\/stevewyborney.com\/category\/esti-mysteries\/\">\u201cEsti-mystery\u201d, as developed by Steve Wyborney<\/a>. Number Talks are used in primary and secondary teaching as a warmer before a Maths lesson and to develop mental maths (notice how I didn\u2019t ask you to write anything down).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my experience, Number Talks are really engaging and energising for students. Everybody likes a flutter and, on the face of it, that\u2019s all this is &#8211; even if the only thing you\u2019re gambling is a gold star or a round of applause from your classmates. It\u2019s low stakes, fluency-based, student-centred and draws on any and all knowledge or skills at an individual\u2019s disposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>It\u2019s low stakes, fluency-based, student-centred and draws on any and all knowledge or skills at an individual\u2019s disposal.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And it&#8217;s this that makes me wonder: Can the same principle work in Higher Education? And for all subjects?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To answer that, let\u2019s first delve a little deeper into what Number Talks are actually <em>doing<\/em> with reference to <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.heinemann.com\/create-confident-problem-solvers-with-number-talks\">a blog from publishers Heinemann<\/a>. Firstly, a Number Talk helps to create a safe, risk-free learning environment. It establishes, right from the outset, that everybody\u2019s opinions are valued, that all mistakes are useful and that all learning looks different for different people. Secondly, it encourages discussion and &#8211; specifically &#8211; <em>spoken<\/em> fluency on the topic. This is especially important in international classrooms or where the language of instruction is a second or additional language. Thirdly, it changes the role of the teacher from being the \u201csole authority\u201d to being a \u201cfacilitator, questioner, listener and learner\u201d. Fourthly, it takes maths off the page (or projector screen) and brings it into real life, where knowledge becomes practical, where genuine connections are made between ideas, and where problem-solving skills are developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I wonder what kinds of \u201cSubject Talks\u201d could exist in the different schools at our university?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Art History<\/strong> &#8211; The tutor displays an obscure print and the students discuss when it could have been produced and how much it would be worth at auction. Clues can be given to help refine their answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Biology<\/strong> &#8211; They display an unusual animal and the students use clues (or their own observations) to guess where in the world it\u2019s from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Economics<\/strong> &#8211; Students must try to guess what data is being shown on an unlabelled graph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Education<\/strong> &#8211; Students examine a photograph of a recently emptied classroom and discuss what was just taught there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Film Studies<\/strong> &#8211; The game of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/letterboxd.com\/\">Star Wars<\/a>\u201d, where you have to guess the film from a five star and a one star review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>History<\/strong> &#8211; \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/b00lskhg\">Only Connect<\/a>\u201d, where you have to connect a date, a place and an object.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Law<\/strong> &#8211; I have a book from the 1970s of court cases distilled into very short summaries, the point being to guess the judgement. Or how about a single piece of evidence and students need to guess how it influenced the case?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Product Design<\/strong> &#8211; Take a little piece of an IKEA flat-pack (out of context) and figure out what it\u2019s for and why it&#8217;s designed how it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, these \u201cTalks\u201d emphasise <em>process<\/em> rather than product, so in most cases it simply doesn\u2019t matter what the painting or graph or bracket is actually for. And they needn\u2019t take much time or effort on behalf of the tutor. I can imagine a well-trained cohort of students coming into a lecture theatre and seeing an obscure object at the front as the tutor sets up, and instead of checking their socials while they wait for it to start, they initiate a discussion with the person next to them about what this thing could be, why it was chosen, what it can<em>not<\/em> be, and how it relates to what they learned last week. Without even lifting a finger, the tutor has given their students the opportunity to warm up, to engage the vocabulary they will need for the lecture, to reflect on previous teaching, to engage with classmates and to develop subject-specific problem solving skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>Without lifting a finger, the tutor has given their students the opportunity to warm up, to engage the vocabulary they will need, to reflect on previous teaching, to engage with classmates and to develop subject-specific problem solving skills<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Oh, and there were 49 dice in the jar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What would you use for a \u201cSubject Talk\u201d? Leave a comment and let us know. And don\u2019t forget that E.E. has workshops and resources at <a href=\"http:\/\/staff.sussex.ac.uk\/teaching\/enhancement\/\">staff.sussex.ac.uk\/teaching\/enhancement\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Simon Overton, Educational Enhancement Co-ordinator, University of Sussex Picture a glass jar filled to the brim with dice. My question is simple: how many dice do you think there are in the jar? Take a minute to think and<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2024\/03\/07\/engaging-minds-how-subject-talks-can-re-energise-higher-education-pedagogy\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":413,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[193257,193241,156983],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9869"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/413"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9869"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9877,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9869\/revisions\/9877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}