The workshop on Friday 31st January was a great success, interested faces despite the conference topic being lateral to my own interests…and we had just eaten lunch…mmm sushi.
The workshop idea had developed from discussions about ‘what to do’ when faced with tricky workplace goings-on related to academic work & learning experiences.
Shared feelings about academic bullying were fierce, and complex – a sense of protection for our learners, impotence at feelings of lack of skill to deal with the interpersonal nature of these events and anxiety at the possibility that taking action might result in our own ‘targeting,’ later…even cognitive dissonance about career pathways oddly closing because of what we say or do but knowing we should protect our workplaces, staff and students.
We talked about ‘pimping’ (meaning something rather different to my understanding at first glance!), which persists despite our advanced understanding about the relationship of such processes to learning and anxiety. For many students, a single ‘pimping’ episode can scare them off contributing to discussion and ‘question time’ for life. The importance of this in relation to the necessary critical processes of academic life was instantly picked up by the group.
Pimping is just one common manifestation of Academic Bullying (of note, when I was trying not to die from septicemia, being attached to drips and a catheter was the only thing preventing me from smacking one ‘pimping’ instigator in the head when I bore witness to their delightful patter at the end of my own hospital bed. (Your card is marked, Laddie). Academic Bullying can also mean stealing ideas, failing to reference, claiming publication authorship without due process, critiquing academic ability rather than ideas, failing to support others where ideas clash….withholding grades for favours…. it’s a bit of a humdinger. Our students usually fair worse in this, and for obvious reasons.
In the workshop we got on target quickly and tackled a couple of case studies to see if we could share techniques and master ways to tackle academic bullying in its common habitat – interpersonal spaces where we need to find something to say but at the same time steer clear of saying things that would render us a target later.
We talked about the ‘IFFy’ technique. This technique is taught as part of all WoRD work and developed from some ace research participants in the health sector. A great thing about this group was that participants felt able to develop ideas, say them out loud and explain them.
I’ll talk more about IFFy and its origins later – currently being written up for publication, thanks team!
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