This book uses research and personal stories from university lecturers to explore pedagogical strategies that illuminate how students' minds can be 'switched on' in order to unlock their extraordinary potential. It presents diverse ways to create inspiring learning environments, in chapters written by internationally respected experts in the broad field of the social sciences. Each author illustrates how - through their unique teaching philosophies and practices - they seek to enhance students' experiences and promote their critical thinking, learning and development. The respective chapters provide conceptual arguments, personal insights and practical examples from a broad range of classrooms, demonstrating various ways in which students' sociological imagination can be brought to life. As such, the book is both practical and theoretical, and is primarily aimed at educators working in both higher and further education institutions who wish to develop their understanding of classroom pedagogy as well as gain practical ideas for teaching and learning in the social sciences.

This book presents research on emotion work and the emotional labour of teaching and learning based in England's further education sector, where an increasing emphasis on marketised systems means accountability and audit cultures have become embedded within everyday teaching practice. Uniquely, this book explores micro-level issues of the managerial policies relating to classroom lesson observations as well as the profoundly emotional, philosophical aspects of these situations, which research asserts cause stress and anxiety for many staff. Drawing on theoretical psychosocial concepts exploring the interplay of hidden or 'underground' micro and macro elements of teaching and learning contexts, the book illuminates how the presence of an observer fundamentally alters the dynamics of a classroom. The author argues that it is not necessarily the performativity that creates the stress and anxiety in an observation but the individual's perception of this performativity and how it relates to a wider consideration of their emotional labour in the classroom. For this reason, the book puts forward a case for ending the formal, graded method of lesson observations in favour of a developmental, holistic approach that is sensitive to the emotional nuances of the individuals involved as well as the social and historical contexts of the institutions in which they are situated. The diverse use of lesson observations as a tool for staff development and quality assurance policies make this a valuable resource for educational researchers, policy-makers, teachers and managers from many different sectors and backgrounds.

This book uses research and personal stories from university lecturers to explore pedagogical strategies that illuminate how students' minds can be 'switched on' in order to unlock their extraordinary potential. It presents diverse ways to create inspiring learning environments, in chapters written by internationally respected experts in the broad field of the social sciences. Each author illustrates how - through their unique teaching philosophies and practices - they seek to enhance students' experiences and promote their critical thinking, learning and development. The respective chapters provide conceptual arguments, personal insights and practical examples from a broad range of classrooms, demonstrating various ways in which students' sociological imagination can be brought to life. As such, the book is both practical and theoretical, and is primarily aimed at educators working in both higher and further education institutions who wish to develop their understanding of classroom pedagogy as well as gain practical ideas for teaching and learning in the social sciences.

This book presents research on emotion work and the emotional labour of teaching and learning based in England's further education sector, where an increasing emphasis on marketised systems means accountability and audit cultures have become embedded within everyday teaching practice. Uniquely, this book explores micro-level issues of the managerial policies relating to classroom lesson observations as well as the profoundly emotional, philosophical aspects of these situations, which research asserts cause stress and anxiety for many staff. Drawing on theoretical psychosocial concepts exploring the interplay of hidden or 'underground' micro and macro elements of teaching and learning contexts, the book illuminates how the presence of an observer fundamentally alters the dynamics of a classroom. The author argues that it is not necessarily the performativity that creates the stress and anxiety in an observation but the individual's perception of this performativity and how it relates to a wider consideration of their emotional labour in the classroom. For this reason, the book puts forward a case for ending the formal, graded method of lesson observations in favour of a developmental, holistic approach that is sensitive to the emotional nuances of the individuals involved as well as the social and historical contexts of the institutions in which they are situated. The diverse use of lesson observations as a tool for staff development and quality assurance policies make this a valuable resource for educational researchers, policy-makers, teachers and managers from many different sectors and backgrounds.

Mental Health among Higher Education Faculty, Administrators, and Graduate Studentsaddresses how many academics who experience mental distress or mental illness are afraid to speak out because of cultural stigma and fears of career repercussions. Many academics' reluctance to publicly disclose their struggles complicates attempts to understand their experiences through research or popular media, or to develop targeted mental health resources and institutional policies. This volume builds on the existing studies in this greatly under-researched area of mental health among faculty, administrators, and graduate students in higher education. The chapters' research findings will help institutions communicate about mental health in culturally-competent and person-centered ways; create work environments conducive to mental well-being; and support their academic employees who have mental health challenges. This book argues that discussions of health and wellness, equity, workload expectations and productivity, and campus diversity must also cover chronic illness and disability, which include mental health and mental illness.