University of Southampton lecturer James Wilson short-listed for Times Higher Education Award

ames Wilson

James Wilson

SOUTHAMPTON, 02-Sep-2016 — /EuropaWire/ — University of Southampton lecturer James Wilson has been short-listed for one of the most prestigious teaching honours in UK higher education.

James, a lecturer in Mental Health, is in the running to be named ‘Most Innovative Teacher of the Year’ by the Times Higher Education magazine.

Since 2004, James has introduced a range of innovative participatory theatre methods to his lectures for nursing students at Southampton including the development of a novel type of immersive theatre in the classroom. This involves an electronic audience response system – or ‘clicker’ – engaging the audience and involving them directly in deciding the actions the actors will take during as-live situations as they unfold.

As a result, he has transformed the classroom into an interactive theatre using the learning experience for students to rehearse their future roles in caring for vulnerable people with an emphasis on enhancing empathy, understanding, dignity and respect. To date, his methods have directly benefitted over 10,500 Southampton students, and counting.

“I’m delighted to be nominated for ‘Most Innovative Teacher of the Year’ and look forward to the awards event in November,” said James. “Education should be about empowering students to ask the difficult questions while creating an experience in the classroom that is meaningful and prepares them for their careers facing the challenges of professional practice. We explore and expose students to the emotions of those future experiences in a way that’s impossible to achieve just by lecturing.”

This year’s Times Higher Education Awards will be announced on Thursday 24 November, at a gala dinner in London. James is hopeful of emulating fellow Southampton academic Simon Kemp, Principal Teaching Fellow in Engineering and the Environment, who won the Most Innovative Teacher honour himself in 2013.

Related Staff Member

Lecturer in Mental HealthJames is an award winning lecturer and a leading national practitioner of innovative use of interactive theatre within learning and teaching environments. Although broadly mental health focussed James’s clinical specialist areas include dementia and managing aggression.

James produces and publishes bespoke interactive theatre learning experiences for a wide variety of audiences.

http://opus.soton.ac.uk/opportunities/interactive-theatre/

HEAT (Higher Education Academic Theatre)

Media Relations

Charles Elder
Media Relations Manager
023 8059 8933
C.Elder@soton.ac.uk

Glenn Harris
Media Relations Officer
023 8059 3212
G.Harris@soton.ac.uk

Peter Franklin
Media Relations Officer
023 8059 5457
P.Franklin@soton.ac.uk

Rebecca Attwood
Media Relations Officer
023 8059 2128
R.Attwood@soton.ac.uk

SOURCE: University of Southampton

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