Inaugural lecture asks – “teaching is just common sense, isn’t it?”

TEACHING is never far from the headlines – be it a call for teachers to play a role in the elimination of knife crime or a national register for home tuition, and everything in between.

Teachers and the discipline of teaching sit at the heart of our personal and societal development, yet as a profession it can be misunderstood and in some cases under-valued.

Drawing on nearly 40 years of teaching experience Professor Beverley Hale, Professor in Learning and Teaching, is to deliver her inaugural lecture on Tuesday 23 April entitled “But teaching is just common sense isn’t it? A conversation with myself.”

Addressing wider issues, Beverley will use her experience to show how this seemingly simple question has made her analyse her profession.

She said: “Since qualifying as a secondary school teacher at the age of 21, I have received many people’s opinions about teaching. The one that really made me stop and think is the perspective that teaching is common sense. During my lecture I will explore, with the help of anecdotes and activities, why I found that opinion thought-provoking and how it has guided my practice and engagement with learning and teaching theory.”

A ‘must attend’ event for those with an interest in teaching and pedagogy, Beverley’s inaugural lecture is part of the University of Chichester’s Public Lecture Series and will take place on Tuesday 23 April in the Mitre Lecture Theatre, University of Chichester Bishop Otter Campus, from 6pm. Parking on campus is free of charge from 5.00pm and refreshments will be available from 5pm.

The lecture is free to attend but it is advisable to book a place by visiting https://lecture-professor-beverley-hale.eventbrite.co.uk. For more about Professor Beverley Hale and her research at the University of Chichester go to www.chi.ac.uk/staff/institute-sport/professor-beverley-hale.