During my PhD, I have become an Associate Teaching Fellow of Higher Education, and have taught on 3 Art History modules at Exeter. This has equipped me with 2 years’ experience of preparing and delivering seminars, both in-person and online, and of setting and assessing work. My previous degrees were also in Art History at the universities of Warwick and Cambridge.

A good teacher really can change your life. I therefore model my teaching style on the teachers I have changed mine by inspiring and shaping me into the educator- and person- I am today. My supervisor during my MPhil in Cambridge memorably likened teaching students to a gardener tending a plant; the teacher- or gardener- provides the water and optimum conditions for growth, and then watches as the students’ roots of knowledge deepen and the flowers of new ideas bloom.

To extend the metaphor further, as the gardener tending the flowers must tailor to the needs of each specific plant, so too must the teacher tailor their teaching to the specific needs of students. As such, we also bear responsibility for our students and creating the optimum environment in which they can learn effectively. I strongly believe that teaching students to think critically- or to become critical beings- has a greater, more lasting impact on their lives and careers than teaching purely factual content. As such, I encourage my students to draw from other disciplines in their discussions, to approach questions from different perspectives and to critically analyse arguments. Visual analysis is also an essential, transferrable skill of an Art Historian, and I make sure that my teaching materials facilitate the development of this skill as much as possible through the inclusion of images - my teaching is largely image-based and interdisciplinary.

As Brookfield states, ‘every good teacher wants to change the world’, and this summarises my personal and professional values. I have always sought to help others, and in teaching I find fulfilment of this, as I am able to share knowledge, help students in their educational journeys, positively impact on the lives of others and, in-so-doing, change a small corner of the world for the better.