Keele Team-Based Learning Group

Natalie Capel: Growing up in the 90s I was obviously a big Spice Girls fan, and their motto of Girl Power struck a chord with me as a young girl when I learned about Marie Curie being the first person (never mind woman) to win two Nobel Prizes. This to me was the very definition of Girl Power and inspired me to pursue my interest in science, and chemistry in particular. The famous photograph of the 1927 Solvay Conference with 17 Nobel Prize winners in attendance, with Marie the only woman and the most decorated of them all is, I'm pretty sure, what Geri Halliwell was singing about! More recently I have been inspired by my amazing colleagues in the Keele TBL group to try out TBL in my teaching for the first time 5 years ago, and I've never looked back - thanks!

Laura Hancock: I am motivated by my love of chemistry, my love of teaching and how we can provide the best possible learning experience for the students. Moreover, our students have the potential to change the world for the better. Playing a small role in helping to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills they might use in the future to do amazing things is one of the greatest motivators there is.

Cosma Gottardi: Chemistry is a very broad discipline and offers many career choices when you graduate or qualify. I find chemistry interesting because it connects to so many other sciences and has lots of pockets to specialise in, most of them of great benefit to humanity and planet Earth. Yet regardless of your motivation, it is very important that you pursue a subject that you enjoy and care about, because you will probably have to stick with it for at least three years; and you can make a difference in this world regardless of your degree or vocational training!

Graeme Jones: Discovering Team-Based Learning (TBL) in 2014 undoubtedly made the biggest improvement to the quality of my teaching. It has sound active learning pedagogy behind it, it develops transferable skills and it has improved the student performance in assessments. Most importantly, the students like it!

Daniela Plana: Good science education can support solving some global challenges quite directly by providing students the knowledge and tools they may need to address aspects of climate change or clean energy and water, to name a few. However, a well-rounded, inclusive science education can also contribute to other aspects, such as sustainable communities, strong institutions, partnerships and reduced inequalities; the use of Team-Based Learning, for example, enables us students to gain communication and team-working skills that can contribute significantly in these endeavours.

Tess Phillips: A diverse team will bring a range of knowledge, experience and ideas to the group, which through effective communication leads to a sum that is greater than the individual parts. Before academia, I worked in the biotech industry, in a small team working on the early stages of drug design. Our team brought together expertise in many areas of chemistry and biology: expertise in protein structure, molecular modelling, chemical synthesis, biological testing, drug-like properties and many other areas that all contribute to the design of a successful medicinal drug molecule.

We see the same in TBL – different students have different strengths and by pooling knowledge and asking questions of each other, all students benefit. There is nothing like discussing a subject with others, explaining your ideas and incorporating aspects you hadn’t considered, to test and refine your understanding of science.

Chloe Howe: My favourite element is iron, because without my daily iron supplement I have very little energy! Iron is central to all of our lives (as well as the Earth’s crust), and not just because it is essential in carrying oxygen around our bodies. It is used in the frames of vehicles that we use to travel, and the frames of buildings that we live and work in, and it is the catalyst in the Haber process that produces the fertilizer required for our food industry. Also, iron oxide is a key ingredient in many of my favourite cosmetics, which gives me even more reasons to like iron!