Presentation at the Association for National Teaching Fellows Symposium 2021

1. ‘An avenue to exchange ideas’
Debbie Holley, Sue Beckingham and Helen Webster
@debbieholley1 @suebecks and @scholastic_rat

2. Networks and why they matter

3. How leaders create and use networks
Operational Personal Strategic
Purpose Getting work done efficiently;
maintaining the capacities and
functions required of the group.
Enhancing personal and
professional development;
providing referrals to useful
information and contacts.
Figuring out future priorities
and challenges; getting
stakeholder support for them.
Location and temporal
orientation
Contacts are mostly internal and
orientated towards current
demands.
Contacts are mostly external and
orientated toward current
interests and future potential
interests.
Contacts are internal and
external and orientated
towards the future.
Players and recruitment Key contacts are relatively
nondiscretionary; they are
prescribed mostly by the task and
organizational structure, so it is
very clear.
Key contacts are mostly
discretionary; it is not always
clear who is relevant.
Key contacts follow from the
strategic context and the
organizational environment,
but specific membership is
discretionary; it is not always
clear who is relevant.
Network attributes and
key behaviors
Depth: building strong working
relationships.
Breadth: reaching out to contracts
who can make referrals.
Leverage: creating inside-
outside links.
Ibarra, H. and Hunter, M.L. (2007) How Leaders Create and Use Networks. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2007/01/how-leaders-create-and-use-networks

4. Building
networks:
Social media

8. Building networks:
External Steering groups,
working parties and
committees
• Very similar to working out
tech innovation!
• Helps develop strategic
vision
• Make things happen
• Work with people you
wouldn’t usually work with
• Learn about negotiation and
compromise! And budgets
(and lack of thereof!)
• And useful for externals
references for promotion
panels, job references

9. Networking: blogging

10. Blogging genres
What could you share with your network?
• Teaching materials and approaches, how-to
• Open Ed. and commentary on HE sector
• Your own developing pedagogy and reflections
• Outreach and engagement
• Professional mentoring and advice
• Commentary on what you're reading or attending
• Curate useful resources
• Guest blog posts

11. Examples:
• Rattus Scholasticus:
Professional Reflections
• #10DoT Ten Days of Twitter:
Sharing Practice
• Decolonising study skills
https://rattusscholasticus.wordpress.com/about

12. Resources
Dave White. Visitors and Residents
http://daveowhite.com/vandr/
Sue Beckingham.
https://socialmediaforlearning.com/
Helen Webster.
https://rattusscholasticus.wordpress.com
Debbie Holley
https://drdebbieholley.com/