The Dark Side of the PhD: Teacher Training, actually Teaching, and Not Being Normal

As has become rapidly apparent, a PhD is not just a three-year research project. Leaving aside any queries over the "three-year" part, there's an awful lot more that needs doing in that time for the PhD to serve its real purpose - as a qualification for a career in academia. At least, that's how I see it, though I recognise that there's plenty of other reasons to do a PhD and plenty of things it can lead to, depending on the individual.

One of the essential skills that a thesis can't provide is that of teaching. So many academic positions by definition require hours of teaching and lecturing alongside research, and everything that comes with it.

Do as the wall says. Picture by liquidnight

Taking the highest post possible in the UK, professor, there are two ideas contained within its etymology; firstly the idea of being an expert in an art or a science, but also the concept of being a teacher (OED, 3rd ed., 2007). It's easy to get caught up in the idea of research, from the heady experience of presenting and networking at conferences to the intense self-motivation required to see complicated projects through from their scrappy beginnings to polished, published ends - not least because of the emphasis on impact and the Research Excellence Framework, which (misguidedly, in my opinion) are the main ways in which the usefulness of universities and their employees are judged. However, just like teachers in primary schools are charged with making sure the next generation can be informed and involved members of society, so universities are crucial in guiding some of those school leavers on to achieve their aspirations and make the most of their talents, whatever they may be.

After all - the next generation also includes the next wave of academics, so in the interest of self-perpetuation, we need to engage with our students face-to-face, and not only through the intermediary of our work in journals.

Luckily, at York we have an incredibly motivated group of people called the Researcher Development Team who share the same views, and do an awful lot to make sure that we can make the most of any teaching experience we can get during our PhDs, and to make sure that the undergraduates continue to get the academic input that they're paying for (don't even get me started on how much they're paying...)

Lots of PGWTs hard at work

To this end, they took 31 of us out to a hotel in the middle-of-nowhere just north of York for two days, turning us into the captive audience for their PostGraduates Who Teach (PGWT) Residential Teacher Training Programme.

Our PGWT nationality map - 19 different countries!

It was an intensive couple of days, though, as Elly pointed out, the 'intensive' part referred as much to the amount of food shoved our way as the amount of work we managed! I won't mangle your minds with everything we learnt (I'm enough of a Teal Deer as it is), but here are highlights:

• PhD students are not normal. We kind of knew this anyway, but the important point is this - 95% (or so) of our undergraduates will not be academics - they will take their degrees and rejoin the outside world, and we need to recognise this in the way we approach their learning. (Thanks Linda Perriton)
• Getting on with research and planning teaching don't mix wonderfully well, but both are incredibly important - so give each the attention they deserve by blocking off time for each separate activity within your week (courtesy of Tamlyn Ryan)
• Teaching is not about the teacher, but about the students and enabling their learning. This is easy to forget when you're stressed, feeling exposed, and (if we're honest) wanting to be liked... (True words Duncan Jackson)
• Following Stephen Brookfield's 15 Maxims, it is important to be courageous, confident in your own abilities, and ready to adapt at any moment. (Preach, Karen Clegg!)
• Set ground rules with a class in the first session so that all participants know what is expected of them (I'll do my best, Russ Grant)
• Reflective practice and support from your peers make a world of difference (as shown by our facilitator, Jenn Chubb, and the 30 other fantastic PhD students on the course)

That's a quick run-through, but in short, if you're a York PGWWTT (Postgraduate Who Wants To Teach) GET YOURSELF ON THIS COURSE, and to those who've already done it, best of luck and keep in touch!

The deer is teal...so I'll stop here.
Image by queercatkitten