Slawson

Tracy Slawson | De Montfort University

This workshop will look at 3 things. Firstly, level 4 student’s reflections on their current confidence levels in relation to academic reading (this is gathered from an electronic self-assessment exercise that all DMU level 4 students are encouraged to do before their courses commence). Secondly, it will draw on academic literacies critique to pose questions about academic staff’s own understanding of what their expectations are of students in relation to academic reading - “the institutional practice of mystery” (Lillis, 2001) - and briefly link this to some of the potentials of social reading practices within the academic community. Thirdly, it will share some ideas around the potential of resource/reading lists to be a channel of communication and a developmental tool between lecturing staff and students. A key part of that discussion will be a disciplinary lens , which will feed into the use of discipline focussed resource lists as pedagogical tools across the disciplines.

The workshop is designed equally to pose questions as to give answers. We will demonstrate our thinking, practice and proposals, but also want to generate ideas and to find out about the practices and proposals of colleagues and teams within other institutions.

Brewerton, G. (2014). Implications of student and lecturer qualitative views on reading lists: a case study at Loughborough University, UK. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 20(1), 78-90
Lillis, T, (2001) Student Writing: access, regulation and desire. London. Routledge