Identity, coaching and my new job.

So I'm still no wiser as to what I should be calling myself - educational developer, information professional, trainee coach, new mum, lapsed vegetable grower, wannabe yoga teacher or to quote Hannah Gadsby - tired, just tired. Ideas on a postcard please; (I'm not worried about this as they are all me but it is a messy way of introducing yourself).

Tired

What I've been up to this month

New job:

I am fully immersed in the new job and it has primarily involved getting up to speed with how things work - no mean feat halfway through term and it has been a whirlwind of teaching observations, providing feedback, and writing that up for those observed to reflect on. My persuasion skills have been put to the test as I've had to encourage academics to sign up for activities - some things never change! I am providing the mentoring workshops for more experienced academics who are interested in supporting those through the Fellowship (of the Higher Education Academy) process and putting together activities for this has helped me put my teaching hat back on.

I started the coaching course:

So far, I have had an induction day and we have completed the first module, bar assignments, learning logs, coaching diaries, collecting of testimonies - there's a lot of work involved! I am really enjoying it though and it is an amazing feeling when you see the person you are coaching have a moment of realisation about themselves and know that you helped them to do that. I have three people lined up to start working with and I am really looking forward to it.

What I've been reading:

Various bits on coaching, education and lifestyle

• Wild by Cheryl Strayed - remarkable book. I wanted to go hiking as soon as I put it down
• The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: A Personal Account and Reflection
• Beth Kempton's beautiful book, Wabi Sabi - one to keep referring back to
• Little bits of a coaching book I won years go - An introduction to coaching skills by Christian van Nieuwerburgh
• Ranieri, M., Raffaghelli, J. E., & Bruni, I. (2018). Game-based student response system: Revisiting its potentials and criticalities in large-size classes. Active Learning in Higher Education. Draeger, John. (2013) Why bother with the scholarship of teaching and learning? InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 8 p12-19.
• Shulman, Lee (2011) The scholarship of teaching and learning: a personal account and reflection. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Vol 5 (1).

Recommended site:

Duolingo - I've been using this free mobile language gaming app to practice French for ten minutes every day. I'll be going on holiday with some French relatives of my husband's next year and need to gain some language skills. It's really easy to fit into my life (I practise while feeding my youngest) and it is quite fun to use.


What have you been up to this month? Any comments or tips to share?