Objects, observation and opportunity: Postcards
byWhat can a postcard teach us? At first glance, perhaps not very much. A small piece of card, usually with a picture on one…
Teaching tips
The power of team-based learning and peer review to overcome silent classrooms
byWhen I first started teaching international students back in 2023, my classrooms were noticeably and unexpectedly quiet. The silence was neither confusion nor disengagement;…
Found in translation: How translanguaging deepened my students’ academic English
byAustralia’s universities have never been more internationally diverse – and nowhere is that clearer than at the University of Sydney. Yet sit in on…
Designing and planning group work for first-year gender studies students
byAs an educator in Gender Studies, I am constantly guided by feminist values in recognising diversity and power hierarchies in the classroom. Out of…
Designing assessment as a learning journey in language studies
byIn 2018, I found myself reflecting on a question that many language teachers have probably asked at some point: How do we create opportunities…
Podcasting as co-production: Creating knowledge with students
byThis semester, I experimented with something I had never formally incorporated into my teaching before: producing a podcast with final-year anthropology students reflecting on…
Improving first-year teaching: Insights from students on what works
byThe transition to higher education is never an easy or simple process. Being thrust into independent adult learning is a dizzying shift for Sydney’s…
Rethinking foreign language learning through graphic narratives
byStudents today rarely read only words, but constantly move between images, video, text, and design in their everyday lives. Outside the classroom, they scroll…
Making complex topics tangible using collaborative whiteboards
byImagine walking into a first-year undergraduate class and asking students to explain feedback loops, interdependencies, or emergent behaviour. For many students, these ideas feel…
How weekly group randomisation transformed student collaboration and belonging
byGroup work is a fundamental aspect of active learning, providing students with opportunities to collaborate, problem-solve, and develop essential teamwork skills. It enables students…