THE NOVICE LECTURER AS THE STUDENT OF EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE

This paper seeks to establish that the novice to expert journey in teaching is distinct from the learner’s journey and also the journey of the lecturer within their own discipline. Over time, it has been accepted that lecturer’s credentials and qualifications go beyond the aquisition of a third level degree in the discipline that the lecturer teaches, and also beyond vocational experience in the particular field. The need for lecturers to have a teaching qualification is being established and facilitated via associations such as the Learning Innovation Network. This approach leads to an increase in the quality of higher education teaching, and increases esteem in the lecturing profession. On this basis, many lecturers who undertake an initial education programme to validate their teaching, could be considered a novice to the language of pedagogy and validated practices. This paper draws on the experiences of participants in the AIT/IADT Post Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching, considering them all as novices and charting their journey to an advanced beginner. The paper draws on research undertaken by researchers such as Moore, O’Neill, Barrett, Race, Brocklebank, McGill; this time focussing on the lecturer as the learner rather than the student.