As all the good things even the course on developing teaching skills had to come to an end. It ended with an optional module entitled managing fieldwork across disciplines. We were only two attending this optional module. So the lecturer had the opportunity to let us talk and discuss a lot, although given my lack of experience in terms of fieldwork I didn’t have too much to say.
Anyway, it was interesting to learn how to handle different situations with my more experienced colleague. The lecturer covered all the aspects of the risk assessment and all of the details that need to be considered before undertaking a field trip with students. The role of the teaching assistant in the fieldwork was also clarified very well. Although the responsibility is mainly on the academic leading the fieldwork and lecturing the students, the role of the teaching assistant(s) is also very important. In few words some vivid students can do things that can make a field trip kind of entertaining. So the academic needs the help of the teaching assistants to make sure that the students do not injure themselves more or less severely and to help the students in their learning experience by showing them equipments and by interacting with them in different ways.
It has been a very enlightening and enriching experience to attend the course on developing teaching skills at UEA. Now I have to focus on the writing up of the 3,000 words essay we should submit next month.
Andrea Catte 
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