Lynn Clausen on Working with BMC

It is a privilege to be working with BMC, as teacher-trainer and course facilitator.

To further the core goals of the BMC, I have applied for and being accepted as one of twenty fellows starting my journey on the Bard IWT CLASP (Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences Pedagogy) fellows program CLASP Fellows Program – CLASP Teaching Resources (bard.edu). This is a fabulous opportunity made possible with the support of the BMC.

Over the next two years, I will have the opportunity to work alongside teachers and educators from across the global OSUN network, collaborating across subjects and disciplines. This means I can continue to develop my understanding and application of the Bard Writing and Thinking pedagogy with its multi-disciplinary approach, while being able to continue to develop work with a focus around the central principles and aims of BMC. The expectation that follows a successful completion of training, is that Bard CLASP fellows then deliver workshops across the OSUN network on a regular basis, building connections while applying the pedagogy across our teaching.

Working with BMC, I am quietly thrilled to be able to deepen and lift my own practice as an educator and facilitator. None of us should ever feel as if we have learnt enough. It is through continued learning and that we as individuals, as educators – as well as students – can develop solutions to the problems we are facing in the world. Change is inevitable – how we respond to it is key. The Bard pedagogy values the act of writing (springing from key prompts for example, from a selected text) to access deeper thinking, that metacognition that is so valued and encouraged in our classrooms and learning spaces. This liberal arts approach to learning is so apt for the times we are in – as well as tying-in too, to the new Curriculum for Wales. Further aspects of the training will also help to inform lesson and curriculum planning, assessment and grading, while helping to maintain delivered course content is kept relevant and focused in all learning environments and where discussion is also encouraged, alongside the space to think and problem-solve critically and freely.

In turn, being able to then share this pedagogy through the BMC with its faculty and students and also via teacher training and INSET delivery means this valuable learning can be shared far and wide. This approach encourages reflection, it enables a space to evaluate, where writing and thinking go hand in hand with informed discussion, critical thinking and problem solving. Essential tools for any tool-kit, and transferable skills for life.

By Lynn Clausen