William teaches at St. Andrew's College in Dublin; designs and delivers in-house training for normally senior, mature delegates in client organisations around the world; and is a panel tutor at the ICE, University of Cambridge.
At St. Andrew’s, although he is qualified to teach sciences, William also occasionally support teaches other subjects, for example English literature, philosophy or history to International Baccalaureate level, using psychological and psychoanalytic techniques to encourage students to investigate desires, needs, motives and interactions between characters, groups or organisations.
William believes that swiftly developing rapport is at the centre of effective teaching, in particular when on-line teaching, where presence is more remote, less warm, and when the contact time is short. I believe that this can be achieved as a practitioner through congruence, enthusiasm, empathy and acute observation, effective interactions, such as questioning and soliciting input from students.
Of course on top of this, thorough preparation, effective use of teaching techniques and media, and knowledge and familiarity of the subject matter are crucial.
The co-created learning environment must be challenging and enthusiastic, appeal to all students, but not alienate nor isolate.
We know that psychological safety elicits neuroplasticity, the ability to be self-critical, to explore new ideas or areas of understanding, for students to challenge their own limitations, to shift behavioural boundaries, to challenge any limiting assumptions they might have of their own capabilities or understanding.
William believes that he brings all of these skills to teaching.
When marking submitted work, or in class discussions, William aims to encourage students to be self-critical, to encourage them to explore how they might improve their work or their ideas. In this vein, William tries to suggest areas for consideration, particular areas of supplementary study or research, or how an argument might be developed.
In critique or open discussion, William likes to be specific enough so that the student is aware of where he thinks improvements might be made, but open enough to allow the student to decide how they might move forward.
William tries to illicit confidence in the student, allied with ambition to improve. The aim is for the student to feel empowered, encouraged and confident in the way they go on to direct their self-development.
William believes that much of learning and development is experiential, that much is done in the space between classes, and encourages students to reflect and further explore their thoughts and ideas continually. As such, William believes that field trips and non-classroom experiences are wonderful ways to foster questioning, develop rapport, and open the mind to new understanding. William has used, for example, art galleries, parks and gardens, historical buildings, walks and meals to continue exploration and development in individuals and groups.
William, an award-winning coach, consultant and teacher, is a member of the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organisations (ISPSO), and the Eco-Leadership Institute.
