Spaces for Voices: A narrative of teaching outside our disciplines

In this paper, we discuss an experiment that we conducted in our teaching practice. Without teaching experience in the other's subject (Gardner is a graduate tutor in English literature; Turner is a graduate tutor in psychology) or prior knowledge of the formal curriculum, Gardner taught a psychology seminar and Turner taught an English literature seminar. We videotaped these seminars and, alongside the students we worked with, participated in two inter-personal process recalls (IPRs) facilitated by a third-party enquirer. Our goal was to understand the extent to which teaching without subject knowledge affected the experience of teaching. In the form of a dialogue, we reflect on the thoughts and feelings stimulated by these IPRs, as well as the process of interdisciplinary research in teaching. We find ourselves confronting some assumptions about models of teaching, and questioning the espoused gap between teaching and research.