Dr Berger

Wow....it was chilly this morning. I was awake at 6am as I was off to do a guest lecture in Middlesbrough and wanted to get a bike session in on the turbo beforehand. I always have my breakfast 1st thing, some home 'mixed' muesli with a poached pear today. Unfortunately on effort number 3 I tasted the pear again... Yuk

I got on the earlier train just in case there were delays; however, the journey was almost seamless....the scenery, especially around Huddersfield, with deep snow was stunning. Only 5 mins late fact I was over an hour early for my lecture.

Nic, the chap in the blip, had asked me over to University of Teesside to do a guest lecture for his 1st year sports science students. Wow....well over 100 turned up on a snowy 'blue' Monday. I love lecturing, tutoring....or to use jargon....facilitating learning. I was looking forward to a new audience.

I think it went OK. I nearly knocked one person's head off with a Snickers Bar when introducing the related paradigm.... there was a sharp intake on breath from the audience but no injuries occurred. Unfortunately, no one volunteered to help with that part of the presentation so I had to use Nic!

It's always important to empathise with the audience,. I said that having the occasional rubbish lecturer who was never in their office, never answered emails and was dull as hell was something we all have experienced....There's nothing one can do about it rather than to take responsibility for ones actions and just work round it. Then came the comedy moment...."hands up who thinks Nic is a good lecturer" I asked! Only two hands went up......Can 1% be a Type II error? ha ha...sorry mate!

I think students get a hard press; it's just that school poorly prepares them to be independent critical thinkers. Too many years of schools chasing high places in league tables and forgetting that school is about learning. Michael Gove came to the rescue, realising this was the case, and plans to introduce a new system.....that rewards academic prowess.... Brilliant you may say; however, he wants to impose his non-evidence based vision of what learning is about. Having a system that focusses on english, mathematics, history,geography, the sciences and languages on the face of it would seem a good move....

However, a void remains for the arts, music and sport. These areas often tap into the brains of those who are less academic and allow children to fulfil their potential. They help them make a worthwhile contribution to society....'Less tangible' subjects are intrinsic to human creativity and give us a better understanding of what logic cannot explain alone. Afterall, Leonardo da Vinci was a genius scientist and mathematician but he is best remembered for the Mona Lisa.....woops a tangent!

I also got an email from my professional body to say that I've been accepted on the Research Excellence Framework Task group. This is, much as it pains me to say, is the result of a more positive move by Gove, although not everyone may agree. Universities research output is primarily based on originality, rigour and significance. However, as an end user of research, I cannot
- access it because of paywalls
- use it as it is not relevant i.e. too original, specific or 'basic' to be ready for implementation
- some academics fail to disseminate knowledge acquired adequately.

There are areas of excellent practice...with academics such as Kathy Armour at Birmingham, driving her department to produce socially valuable research . Unfortunately, such work is in the minority. Hopefully, the new system can change that and I hope my small contribution can make a difference.

Wow, more tangents.....the journey home was pain free too! Yipee!