teaching tips 1213
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2012-2013 Teaching Issues Writing Consortium
Teaching Tips
Contributions by:
BellarmineUniversity NorthCarolinaWesleyanCollege UniversityofNotreDameCSU,SanBernadino NorthCentralCollege(Illinois) UniversityoftheRockies
CapilanoUniversity(Canada) RegisUniversity TheUniversityofTennessee,KnoxvilleCentralMichiganUniversity SaintLouisUniversity UniversityofTexasatSanAntonio
ClemsonUniversity SaukValleyCommunityCollege UniversityofVermontCommunityCollegeofRhodeIsland SenecaCollege(Canada) UniversityofWashingtonBothell
EasternKentuckyUniversity ThompsonRiversUniversity(Canada) UniversityofWestFloridaEckerdCollege UniversityofBritishColumbia WesternCarolinaUniversity
EdithCowanUniversity(Australia) UniversityofCentralOklahoma WesternKentuckyUniversityKaplanUniversity UniversityofKentucky WilfridLaurierUniversity(Canada)
MarymountUniversity UniversidaddelNorte(Colombia) WilmingtonUniversityNewYorkInstituteofTechnology UniversityofNorthCarolinaatGreensboro
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Table of Contents CourseCountdown.......................................................................................................................................1WhattoDowiththeInternationalStudents?HowtoPrepareBeforeClassStarts.....................................2FirstDayofClassStudentBuyIn:AdvicefromUnknownMentors.............................................................3ANewTypeofScavengerHuntasanIceBreaker........................................................................................5UsingtheCourseSyllabusasanOpportunitytoPromoteStudentLearning...............................................6StrategiesforLearningNamesinLargeClasses............................................................................................7RemembertoConsiderLearningSpace........................................................................................................9TheKeyComponentsofIntegratedCourseDesign....................................................................................10AVisualRepresentationofYourCourse.....................................................................................................11WarmUps...................................................................................................................................................12LowTechClassroomResponseSystems(Clickers).....................................................................................13UsePowerPointtoPromptEngagingLearningActivitiesDuringClass......................................................14Cases/RolePlaying/JigsawATeachingTechniqueforExploringMultiplePerspectives..........................15NotJustFunandGames!StructureClassDemonstrationstoReinforceLearningGoals...........................17TheCrosswordPuzzleasThresholdtoHigherOrderThinking..................................................................19ImprovingSmallGroupWorkthroughRoleClarification...........................................................................20OnlineCollaboration:TheNewGroupFormat...........................................................................................21VoiceThread...............................................................................................................................................23OnlineWritingInstructionbeyondtheDiscussionBoard...........................................................................24EnhanceStudentCollaborationwithOnlineTools:GoogleApps...............................................................26MoreonStudentCollaborationandGoogleApps......................................................................................28Whichtool?...Blackboard?GoogleApps?Somethingelse?.....................................................................30Gamification................................................................................................................................................32TheClaremontDialog.................................................................................................................................34PersonalizePlagiarismtoPreventitsPractice............................................................................................34Storytelling,Creativity,andClassroomManagement................................................................................37ShortVideoGuidesforStudentsonEffectiveStudyStrategies.................................................................38TEDResources.............................................................................................................................................40StudentEngagementTechnique:SilentDiscussion....................................................................................41
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GotaMinuteforMyWorldview?...............................................................................................................42APrimeronCriticalThinking......................................................................................................................44WiththeCommunity,NotJustInIt............................................................................................................46DevelopingStudentReadingCapacity........................................................................................................48LearningfromConflictintheClassroom....................................................................................................49TeachingEvening(orotherextendedtime)Classes...................................................................................51NutritionandLearning................................................................................................................................52IdentifyingStudentLearningFactors..........................................................................................................53ThePastisAlwaysWithUs.........................................................................................................................55KnowledgeSurveys.....................................................................................................................................56EffectiveFeedback......................................................................................................................................57HaveStudentsProcessFeedback...............................................................................................................59FormativeandSummativeFeedbackandItsImpactonLearnerMotivation............................................60HolisticConversationsAboutaCourseActivityfortheLastWeekofClass............................................62AClassroomAssessmentTechnique:KeyPrincipleandRestating............................................................63AClassroomAssessmentTechnique:CategorizingGrid............................................................................64WritingtheRightBookforRightBrainers..................................................................................................65BookReview:ReadingforUnderstanding:HowReadingApprenticeshipImprovesDisciplinaryLearninginSecondaryandCollegeClassrooms.........................................................................................................67WhattoDoAboutBimodalStudentEvaluations?.....................................................................................68
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CourseCountdown6weeksbeforeclass:*Draftyourlearningobjectives:http://wiki.ubc.ca/Learning_Objectives#Online_Resources*Checkforcopyrightcompliance:http://copyright.ubc.ca*Learnaboutyourstudentshttp://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/yourstudents.htmlHowstudentslearn:http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/principles/learning.html*Supportundergraduatesuccess:http://wiki.ubc.ca/Documentation:Guide_to_Teaching_for_New_Faculty_at_UBC(SupportingUndergradstudentsuccess)4weeksbeforeclass:*Preparingsyllabus:http://wiki.ubc.ca/Syllabus_Design_%28Teaching_and_Learning%29*Confirmassessmentmethods(todo:categorizeeachassessmentresourcewithassessment)thenaddurl*GetfamiliarwithUBCsupportedtechnologies:http://www.elearning.ubc.ca/toolkit/2weeksbeforeclass:*Lessonplanning:http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/instructionalstrategies/index.html*WorkingwithTashttp://wiki.ubc.ca/Documentation:Guide_to_Teaching_for_New_Faculty_at_UBC*Workingwithfirstyearstudents:http://learningcommons.ubc.ca/facultyresources/Day1/Week1:*Classclimate:http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/learningenvironment.htmlAboriginalfocus:http://ctlt.ubc.ca/programs/aboriginalinitiativesprograms/*FirstdayofClass:http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/firstday.html*LearningToolkits:http://learningcommons.ubc.ca/studenttoolkits/SubmittedbyJudyC.K.Chan,PhDEducationalDeveloperCentreforTeaching,LearningandTechnologyTheUniversityofBritishColumbiawww.ctlt.ubc.ca
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WhattoDowiththeInternationalStudents?HowtoPrepareBeforeClassStartsResearchatThompsonRiversUniversity(Garson,2006)revealedthatwhilefacultywhowereinterviewedcitedlanguageasthemainchallengeforinternationalstudents,bothinternationalanddomesticstudentsidentifiedotherchallengessuchasexpectationsingroupwork,workloadandacademicintegrity.Inresponsetothisresearch,IworkedwithateamatTRUtoproducevignettesthatprovideinsightintosomeofthechallenges.Therearefourthataddress:contentandcheckingforunderstanding,rhetoricalstyleandthethesisstatement,academicintegrityandworkinginagroup.Eachvignetteisacompilationofinstructionthatislessthaneffective,anexplanationoftheunderlyingchallengeandademonstrationofpossibleadjustmentsbytheinstructorsthathaveproventobemoreeffectiveforthem.Eachsectiontakesabout15minutes.Includedisalistofreferences.Beforethebeginningofthesemester,itcouldbeusefultowatchthevignettes.Thismayprovidesomeinsightintowhatisgoingonforthestudents,whichcaninformtheapproachtoteaching.CulturallyDiverseLearnersisavailableasanOpenEducationResourcethroughBCCampusat:http://solr.bccampus.ca:8001/bcc/items/e9c660f506e5ed0a2826e6abfbc3122e/1/cdl.zip/cdl/index.htmlSignintopreview.SubmissionbyEmmaBourassaB.Ed,M.EdCurriculum,EDD(inprogress)ThompsonRiversUniversity,Canadawww.tru.ca
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FirstDayofClassStudentBuyIn:AdvicefromUnknownMentors(condensedfromFirstDayofClass(pt.1):SpecificStrategiesarticlebyJeffKingintheApril2012issueofTransformativeTeacherScholarathttp://www.uco.edu/academicaffairs/cettl/cettlfiles/newsletterdocs/201204/201204newsletter.pdf)Brainresearchshowingthatnoveltyhelpsinformationstick(e.g.,Phelps,2004;Weierich,Wright,Negreira,Dickerson,&Barrett,2010)mayaccountforthisphenomenon,butwhateverthereason,leveragingittoyourandyourstudentsbenefitmakessense.Thesimplestrategydescribedbelowcreatesnoveltybecauseitdisruptsstudentsexpectationaboutthenormalroutineofafirstclassday,yetitisnonthreateninganddoesnotrequireextraworkofstudentsonthefirstdayofclass.(Notthattheresadarnedthingwrongwithstudentsworkingduringthefirstdayofclass,mindyou.)Askyourstudentsinclassthissemestertowritedownadvicetheywouldprovidetostudentswhowilltakethecoursethenextterm.Thisisthelowtechversionofmentorinabox.Onthefirstclassday,handtheselettersoutforyournewstudentstoread,thenhavethestudentspassthelettersaroundthroughafewiterationssothateachstudenthastheopportunitytoreadseveralletters.Thenhaveaclassdiscussiontosolicitcommonthemesinthelettersofadvice.Manytimesthementorswillhavewrittenthingslike,BesuretodothehomeworkDr.Jonesassignsforthechapterabout____becauseitreallyhelpsyouunderstandtheconcepts,or,Getyourselfintoastudygrouptogooverthematerialoutsideofclassthatreallyhelpedmeandallmygroupmembersmakeitthroughthisclass,etc.Thefactthattheadviceiscomingfromstudentswhohavesurvivedthecourseisthekeything.Yournewstudentswouldbelikelytovaluesuchadviceiftheyhadachanceencounterwithyourformerstudents,knewthosestudentspassedthecourse,andhadtheopportunitytogetpointersonhowtoacethecourse.Thedevilishlyeffectiveattributethatmakesthisstrategyimpactfulisthatwhatyourstudentswriteasadvicefornewstudentsisgenerallyverypositive,eveniftherecommendationsarethingslike,Becausethisissuchahardsubject,youreallyhavetoworkinthisclass,butfollowingthesyllabusandaskingDr.Jonesforhelpwillgetyouthrough.Letyourexitingstudentsbeyourbestambassadorsforyourincomingstudents.Thehightechversionofthisstrategyprobablypacksevenmorepunchforhavingnewstudentsreallytaketoheartthesuggestionsgivenbymentors,butittakesabitmoreplanning,time,andtechsavvyexpertise(orarrangementsmadetogetassistancewiththetechnology).Whereasthelowtechversiontakesonlyafewminutesduringthelastclasssessionwithyourpriorclasswhenstudentswritetheiradvice,thehightechversionrequiresaskingstudentstomakevideoswiththeirlaptopsandemailingtoyouoruploadingthosefilessoyoucanassemblethemintoaPowerpointorPreziorotherpresentationorloadthemintoyourcoursewebshellforaccessingtoshowinclass,etc.Thebeneficialtradeoffforthatbitofextraworkistheimpactthevideoswillmakeonthestudentsand
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theguaranteedfocusofattentionthatthevideoswillcreate.Whenyouknowyourstudentsarepayingattention,thelikelihoodthattheinformationbeingsharedatthatpointwillberetainedisgreatlyenhanced.Whetheryoutakethelowtechorthehightechroute,spendingsometimethefirstclasssessiondiscussingstrategiesforsuccessintheclassanddoingsointhelanguageofpeersasdeliveredbypeerscanhelpyourstudentsgreatly.Phelps,E.A.(2004).Humanemotionsandmemory:Interactionsoftheamygdalaandhippocampal
complex.Currentopinioninneurobiology,14,198202.Available:http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/myl/llog/Brizendine/Phelps2004.pdf
Weierich,M.R.,Wright,C.I.,Negreira,A.,Dickerson,B.C.,&Barrett,L.F.(2010).Noveltyasadimensionintheaffectivebrain.Neuroimage,49,28712878.Available:http://www.affectivescience.org/pubs/2010/weierichetal2010.pdf
SubmittedbyJeffKing,Ed.D.ExecutiveDirectorCenterforExcellenceinTransformativeTeaching&LearningUniversityofCentralOklahomawww.uco.edu/cettl
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ANewTypeofScavengerHuntasanIceBreakerRecently,Istartedusinganewtypeoficebreakeratthebeginningofmyfirstclass.Itisbestforsmallclassessuchasmyintroductorysciencecoursewhichhasabout20students,butitcanbemodifiedforlargeclasses.Thisicebreakerisessentiallyadifferenttypeofscavengerhunt.Priortothefirstclass,Ilookatmyrostertoseethemajorforeachstudent.Ithenmakeupa3columntable.ThelefthandcolumnisheadedMajorandlistsallthestudentsmajors;eachmajorislistedasmanytimesastherearestudentswiththismajor.ThemiddlecolumnisheadedClassmatesName.TherighthandcolumnisheadedClassmatesFavoriteHobby/Activity.Thecellsinthemiddleandrighthandcolumnsareempty.Iaskthestudentstogetupandfillintheemptycellsbytalkingwiththeirclassmatesforabout1520minutes.Theroomsoonisbuzzingwithconversation.Thestudentslikethisactivitybecauseitgivesthemanopportunitytomeettheirclassmatesandlearnsomethingaboutthemsometimeswithsurprisingresults.Forexample,twostudentsdiscoveredthattheybothwereicefigureskaters,andtwoAfricanstudentsdiscoveredthattheywerefromthesametribeinNigeria.Thepurposeofthisicebreakeristoletthestudentsmeeteachother,becausetheywillbeplacedingroupsduringthesemesterforlabworkandotherprojects.Thegroupswillchangeperiodically,butthestudentshaveatleastmeteachotherduringtheinitialicebreaker.Forlargeclasses,thetableandprocesscouldbemodifiedasfollows.Therestillwouldbethreecolumns,eachwith20rowsofemptycells.ThelefthadcolumnwouldbetitledName,themiddlecolumnMajor,andtherighthandcolumnClassmatesFavoriteHobby/Activity.Thestudentswouldgetup,starttalkingwithnearbyclassmates,andfillinasmanyrowsaspossiblewithinthe1520minutesallowed.Submittedby:ErnestC.LinsayDirector,FacultyDevelopment&SupportWilmingtonUniversityhttp://www.wilmu.edu/
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UsingtheCourseSyllabusasanOpportunitytoPromoteStudentLearningManyprofessorsmayaskthemselvesiftheirstudentsreadthecoursesyllabus,andwhatdotheygetoutofsuchreading.Inlightofthis,inspringof2011Istartedtoimplementthecreationoflearningcontractsinmycourseswithtwopurposesinmind:(1)topromotethereadingofthesyllabusatthestartofthecourseand(2)tofosterselfregulationinstudentslearning.Forthefirstcourseassignmentstudentspresentadraftofalearningcontractwheretheyestablishalearninggoaltoaccomplishinthecoursefortheterm,andidentifywhattheyconsiderhelpfulfrommeasaprofessorandtheirpeersinordertoattainsuchgoal.Thecriteriaforthelearninggoalincludes:relationtocoursecontent,achievableintheterm,andmeasureable.Thelearningcontractformatcontainsthefollowingelements:
StatementoflearninggoalResponsetothefollowingquestions: Whatdotheycommittoasstudentsinthecourseinordertoaccomplishsuchgoal? Whatdotheyneedfrommeastheirprofessorinordertoaccomplishtheirlearninggoal? Whatdotheyneedfromtheirpeersinthecourseinordertoaccomplishtheirlearninggoal?
Inordertohelpstudentscompletetheirlearningcontract,thefirstclasssessioninvolvesaworkshopforstudentstolearntowritelearninggoalsusingBlooms(XXX)andFinks(1993)taxonomies.Inthesecondclasssessionstudentsgiveeachotherfeedbackontheirlearningcontracts,makeadjustments,andhanditinattheend.Throughouttheterm,studentsengageinthreeselfassessmentexerciseswheretheyevaluatetheirprogresstowardstheirlearninggoals.Thesameselfassessmentinstrumentisusedineachoccasion.Theinstrumentincludesaseriesofclosedandopenendedquestionswherestudentsrespondtoaspectssuchas:
Perceptionoftheirprogresstowardstheattainmentoftheirlearninggoals Whataspectsoftheclasshavehelpedinthisattainment Whataspectsoftheclasshavemadethisattainmentdifficult Whattheywoulddodifferentlyasstudentsfortherestoftheterminordertoattaintheir
learninggoal Whattheywouldlikeformeastheirprofessortododifferentlyfortherestoftheterminorder
toattaintheirlearninggoal Whattheywouldlikefortheirpeerstododifferentlyfortherestoftheterminordertoattain
theirlearninggoalIpresentconsolidatedresultsofeachselfassessmentexerciseinaclasssessionwhichservesasinputforgroupdiscussiononhowtheclassisprogressingandhowtheyfeelaboutsuchprogress.Insum,thelearningcontractactivityhasproventobeusefultoengagestudentsinthecoursecontentandformeastheprofessortoidentifyduringthesemestertheaspectsoftheclassthatstudentpercievetohelpandhindertheirlearning.Submittedby:AnabellaMartinez,ProfessoroftheEducationDepartmentDirectoroftheCentroforTeachingExcellence(CEDU)UniversidaddelNorte(Barranquilla,Colombia)
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StrategiesforLearningNamesinLargeClassesPurpose:Tohelpbuildrapportandshowstudentsthatyoucareaboutthemasindividualseveninlargeclasssettings.Learningnamesmakespeoplefeelvalued.Smallinterventionscanmakebigdifferences.StrategyOne(DeeFink)
IusedsmallgroupsextensivelyinmylargeGeographycourse.Afterformingthegroupsonthefirstdayofclass,ItookaPolaroidpictureofeachgroup,andtheywrotetheirnamesbytheirindividualpicture.Ithenpostedthesepicturesbymydeskinmyofficeandworkedonlearningthenameswithineachgroup.Afterlearningthenamesinthefirstgroup,Iwouldlearnanewgroupandreviewthenamesinthepreviousgroups,andsoon.Itookaweekortwotogetthemalldone,butIeventuallydid.Itwasaloteasiertomemorize12groupsof6students,thanitwastomemorize72students.StrategyTwo(DeeFink)
Amathprofessorusedassignedseating,madeachart,andtheneachdayofclass,workedonmemorizingablockof6students(3infrontand3behind).Eachdaywhenhecametoclass,hemadeapointofvisitingwithstudentsineachnewblockandintheoneshehadalreadylearnedinadditiontotheclassingeneral.StrategyThree(GerryWojnar)
Imemorizemyrollsheetsaboutaweekbeforeclassesstart,recitingnamesforwardsandbackwards.Thenonthefirstdayofclass,Igoaroundtheroomidentifyingstudents,andhalftheworkisalreadydonewiththeirnamesalreadyinmemory,thetaskissimplytomatchnamesandfaces.Ithelpstogivestudentssomeshorttaskatthatpoint(e.g.,fillingoutbasicbackgroundinfocards),duringwhichtimeIcyclethroughmyrollsheettryingtoidentifyallstudents.ForafewIllcallouttheirnameswhiletheywork.Lastly,Illtrytorevisitnamesandfacesbygoingaroundtheroomtoreciteallthestudentsnames,preferablywithoutreferencetotherollsheet.StrategyFour(GerryWojnar)
Amandatoryofficevisitfromstudentsinthefirst10daysofthesemester,evenifjusttosayhello,alsohelps.Suchbreaktheicevisitsalsoseemtopromotemorecontentfocusedofficevisitsasthesemesterprogresses.StrategyFive(KejingLiu)
Imanagetoremembermystudentsnamesfirstbyaskingthemtomakeanamecardandplaceitatthetablethiswillhelpmerelatethenamewiththeseat,andthenbyencouragingthemtositatthesameseatfornexttwoorthreeclassmeetings.
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StrategySix(KejingLiu)Ialwaysaskmyclassestofilloutastudentinformationcardwiththefollowinginformation:
CourseNumber______________________Name:__________________Nameyouliketobecalled:_____________________1wordforyourlearningstyle:____________________________________________2wordsforyourinterests:______________________,_________________________3wordsforyourpersonality:____________,_______________,_________________4wordsforyourbeliefsinchildren:________,___________,__________.__________
IamanEarlyChildhoodfaculty,whichexplainswhyIaskfortheirbeliefsinchildren.Tryit,andyouwilllearnalotofinterestingthingsaboutyourstudentsitwillhelpyoualottorememberyourstudentsveryquickly.StrategySeven(SusanRobison)
Havestudentsmakename"tents"outofcardboardorcardstockthatyouprovide.Theyraisetheirtenteverytimetheywishtobecalledon.Theycanalsoputthetentontheirdesksoastheydoprojects,labs,orgroupworkyoucanassociatethenamesandfaces.Withbothoftheseapproaches,youhavetodecideifwillyoucollectthetentsandbringthemtoclassortrustthestudentstobringthem.StrategyEight(SusanRobison)
Ifyouhaveaccesstostudentphotos[aswedoatUTSA],youcanmakeaseatingchartandstudythepicturesandnamesbeforethecourseevenstarts.StrategyNine(SusanRobison)
Whenthestudentscomeforofficehours,ask,"Pleaseremindmeyourname."Takenotesonthemeetingespeciallyonanyfollowupyoupromisetodo. Submitted by Barbara Millis Teaching and Learning Center University of Texas at San Antonio http://www.utsa.edu/tlc/
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RemembertoConsiderLearningSpaceOftenwhenplanninginstructionweareaskedtostateourgoal,intentionoroutcome.Thisfocusesourinstructionalandassessmentefforts,andwhenproperlyconveyedtolearners,itenablesthemtounderstandwherethingsareheadingandwhatmightcountintermsofamarkorgrade.Thegrowingpopularityofauthentic,realworldassessmenttasksreflectsourattemptstofocusstudenteffortonlearninghowtodothesortsofthingstheywillneedtodointheirchosencareers.Butastimegoesonandwegainmoreexperienceteaching,wecometounderstandthattheskillsrequiredtoproducethoserealworldproductsareoftenhidden.Thoseskillsmayincludecriticalorcreativethinking,sensemaking,crossculturalcompetency,socialintelligence,cognitiveloadmanagementandvirtualcollaborationtonamejustafew.Sowebegintorealizethatnotalllearningcanbecapturedbyouroftennarrowlystatedintentions.Aswegetexperiencedintheteachingbusinesswerealizethatstatedgoalsactuallycaptureverylittleofwhatstudentsactuallylearn.Sohere'smytip:Thenexttimeyouwritesomekindofoutcomeorgoalorintentionorobjective,andanaccompanyingassessmenttask,writeitandthenanswerthisquestion:Whattypeoflearningspacewillprovidethebestplaceforlearnerstopracticedevelopingtheskillstheywillneedtoachievesuccessinthistask?Thiswillfocusyourattentiononprocesshowactuallywillstudentsbeabletogoabouttheirlearning?Whatconditionsarenecessaryforthemtobeabletoflourishunderyourinstruction?Theanswerswillguideyouattowhatkindoflearningspaceyouwillcreatethatwillaccomplishyourobjectivebutwillallowimportantlysomemuchmorericherandmorepersonallearningtooccur.InthissensealearningspaceextendsfarbeyondthephysicalandintothewholelearningenvironmentthatweasteachersarecapableofcreatingforourstudentsSubmitted by Tony Fetherston Centre for Learning and Development Edith Cowan University Perth, Australia http://www.ecu.edu.au/centres/centre-for-learning-and-development/overview
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TheKeyComponentsofIntegratedCourseDesignDee Finks Model
Whendesigningorredesigningacourse,DeeFinkandothersrecommendthatyoufirstdetermineallthesituationalfactorsthatwillinfluencethecoursethecourselevel,whetheritisrequiredoranelective,thetimeofday,theclassroomlayout,yourteachingexperience,etc.inordertoputthecourseincontext.Then,asStephenCoveyrecommends,Beginwiththeendinmindbyfocusingonthelearninggoalsyouhaveforstudents.Thisapproachissometimescalledabackwardsdesignmodel,promptedbyquestionssuchas,Whatdoyouwantyourstudentstolooklikebytheendofthesemester?Fiveyearsafterthecoursehasended?Whatshouldtheyknowaboutthesubject?Whatshouldtheybeabletodowithwhattheyknow?Whatshouldtheyvalueaboutthediscipline?Thenyoumovetothefeedbackandassessmentplanning:Howwillyouknowthatstudentshavemetyourlearninggoals.Howcanyoudesignauthenticassessmentsthatenablethemtofocusondoingsomethinginthefuture,notmerelyregurgitatingfacts.Finally,whatcreativeclassroomandoutofclassassignments(eitherfacetofaceoronline)willpromoteyourlearninggoals?Whenallyourcourseelementsarewelldesignedandwellintegrated,yourcourseissaidtobeinalignmentandthereisastrongprobabilitythatyouwillbeteachingforsignificantlearning.SubmittedbyBarbaraMillisTeachingandLearningCenterUniversityofTexasatSanAntoniohttp://www.utsa.edu/tlc/
S i t u a t i o n a l F a c t o r s
Teaching and
Learning
Feedback &
Assessment
Learning Goals
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AVisualRepresentationofYourCourseHaveyoueverwonderedwhatyoucoulddotohelpyourstudentsunderstandwhyyouareteachingwhatyouteachandintheorderandmannerinwhichyouteachit?Asthefacultymember,youknowthestructureofthecourseandwhythetopicsarepresentedinacertainorder,butdothestudentsreallygetit?Whynottryproducingavisualrepresentationofyourcourse?UniversalDesignforLearning(http://www.cast.org/udl/index.html)suggeststhatmultipleoptionsforrepresentationofcontent(http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines/principle1)isagreatwaytohelpstudentsunderstandcontentbyguidinginformationprocessingandtransferoflearningacrosstopicsandthecourseasawhole.Therearemultiplewaystoshowtheflowofthecourse.Youmightdrawaconceptmapandscanitintocreateadigitalpicturetodisplay.YoucoulduseafreeconceptmappingsoftwareprogramlikeCmap(http://cmap.ihmc.us/)oranysoftwarethatwouldallowyoutousetoolstocreateaflowofideas,MicrosoftWordandPowerPointdothis,aswellasthefreeonlinetoolPresi.(http://prezi.com/).Thepointofthisvisualrepresentationistocreateanalternatewayofcommunicatingabouthowyourcourseworksandhowthetopicsinyourcourserelatetoeachotherandthelargerideasinyourareaofstudy.PreparedbyHollyB.Parker,Ed.D.CenterforTeachingandLearningUniversalDesignforLearningGrantTeamUniversityofVermontSubmittedbyHenriettaMarcellaMenzies,MSINAcademicServicesProfessionalSeniorCenterforTeaching&LearningUniversityofVermontEmail:hmenzies@uvm.edu
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WarmUpsIgottogetonthegoodfootGottodoitonthegoodfootDoitwiththegoodfootGetontheGoodFoot,writtenbyFredWesley,JamesBrown,JoeMims;performedbyJamesBrownHowcanyougetoffonagoodfootatthebeginningofeachclassperiod?Howcanyouwakeupyourstudentsandgetthemreadytogetdowntothebusinessoflearning?OneveryeffectiveteachingtipthatIhaveusedforyearsiswhatIcallwarmups.Warmupsarelikepreexercisestretches,butforthemind(andtheattentionspan).Usuallyontheseconddayofclass,Iinformmystudentsthatatthebeginningofeachclassperiodthroughoutthesemester,wewilldevotethefirst57minutestoawarmup.Warmupsconsistofsomethingtochallengethemind,engagethestudents,andbeginclassperiodsinafunway.Sometimeswarmupsrelatetosomethingwevebeendiscussinginclass,sometimestheydonot.SomeofmyfavoritewarmupsaregamesinwhichIcompeteagainsttheclass,whoactsasateam.GamesthatworkwellforwarmupsincludeTwentyQuestionsandHangman.Usually,thestudentsaretheguessers,butsometimesItakeonthatroleandtrytofigureoutwhatmystudentsarethinking.Atothertimes,thestudentsandIworktogetherasateaminplayingagainstwebversionsofthesegames:http://www.20q.net/http://www.hangman.no/http://www.hangmanonline.com/TheonlinegameSporclealsoworkswell,andusersarecontinuallyaddingnewgames:http://www.sporcle.com/Onlinewordgamesarealsogreat.Therearemanylocatedat:http://www.wuzzlesandpuzzles.com/Riddlesalsoworknicely,asdoshort(usuallyhumorous)YouTubeclips.Thesearejustafewsuggestions.Anythingthatisbrief,interactive,andinvolvessolvingapuzzleorhavingalaughwouldprobablyworkasawarmup.Infact,asthesemesterprogresses,Ioftenhavestudentsemailingmewithsuggestionsforwarmups.Iamamazedathowactivelystudentsengageinthesekindsofwarmups,anditdoesseemtomakeadifferenceinmotivationlevels.For90minuteclasses,Isometimessavethewarmupsasamidclassrefresher.Tome,fiveminutesofclasstimeisasmallpricetopayformystudentsattention.SubmittedbyFredW.Sanborn,Ph.D.AssociateProfessorofPsychology&Director,Teaching&LearningCenterNorthCarolinaWesleyanCollegefwsanborn@ncwc.edu
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LowTechClassroomResponseSystems(Clickers)Haveyouwantedtouseclickersinclasstogaugestudentsunderstanding,butyoudontnecessarilywanttospendthetimedevelopingthePowerPointsorthequestionsonlinethatsomesystemsuse?Orperhapsyourenotsureifyouwantstudentstoinvestinthembecauseyourenotsurehowoftenyoullusethem,andyoudontwantthemtowastemoneytoonlyusethematimeortwoduringthesemester,orifyoureconsideringawebsitelikehttp://www.polleverywhere.com,yourenotsureyouwantstudentsgettingouttheirphonesafteryouveworkedsohardtogetthemtoputthedevicesaway!Youmaywanttotrysomethinglowtechtoseeifyoulikeusingastudentresponsesystemfirst,too.Herearetwowaystomakelowtechclickersforclassthatdontinvolvecellphonesorotherelectronicgadgets.ThefirstistocreateaWorddocumentthathasatablewith2columnsand3rows,placingaletterin5oftheboxesanda?inthe6thboxforthechoicesstudentsmighthave.Thetablewouldlooklikethis:
A BC DE ?
Thenprintthemandgiveonetoeachstudent(orpostthemonBlackboardandaskstudentstoprintandbringthemtoclass).Studentscanthenfoldthesheetofpapertodisplaytheletterfortheansweroptionthatiscorrectorthattheymostagreewith.Theycandisplaya?iftheytrulyhavenoidea.AsecondlowtechwaytodothisistobuydifferentcoloredindexcardsandgivestudentsonecoloredcardforA,anothercolorforB,andsoon,rememberingtohaveacolorfor?,aswell.Youcandistributepacketsofthecardsonthefirstdayofclassandaskstudentstoalwaysbringthem.Whileusingtheselowtechpaperstudentresponsesystemsdoesnotallowtheanonymitythattheirelectroniccounterpartsdo,thepapermethoddoesallowforyoutostillgetanideaofwhatstudentsdoordontunderstand.Youalsowillhavethechancetoaskthemtofindsomeonewhohasadifferentanswerdisplayedthantheydoanddiscusswhytheyeachchosetheanswertheydid.Thenhaveeveryonesharetheiranswersagain,changingiftheyneedtodoso.Therefore,thegivingupofanonymityprovidessomechancesforinteractionthatcantbehadinquitethesamewayaswitharealclicker.SubmittedbyWrenMills,PhDFacultyCenterforExcellenceinTeachingWesternKentuckyUniversitywww.wku.edu/teaching
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UsePowerPointtoPromptEngagingLearningActivitiesDuringClassDilbertdepictsPowerPointpresentationsasadirectroutetoslumberandemployeerevolt.PowerPointpresentationsneednotbedeadly.Instructorscancreateslidesthatpromptclassactivitiesthatengagestudents,motivatemeaningfulclassdiscussion,andpromotedeeplearning(Berk,2011).InstructorscommonlyorganizeandplanthepresentationofcontentwhiletheycreateasetofPowerPointslides.Considercreatingslidestoplanandpromptengaginglearningactivitiesatkeypointsduringaclasspresentation.Instructorswhousepersonalresponsesystems(clickers)canaddaslidethatposesaquestiontoevaluatestudentunderstandingofacriticalconceptortoaskstudentstoapplyamodelorprincipletoaspecificapplication.Allowstudentsamomenttothinkindividuallyordiscussthequestioninsmallgroupsbeforetheyrecordtheirresponsetothequestionwiththeirclickers.Aninstructorwhodoesnotuseclickerscanpresentaslidethatposesaquestionasapromptforsmallgroupdiscussion(e.g.,asapairshareactivity)orabriefinclasswrittenresponsetothequestion(e.g.,aminutepaper).Shareresponsestothepromptwiththeentireclass.Ifusingclickerquestions,displayachartsummarizingthepatternofresponsesfromthegroup.Otherwise,askforashowofhandsfortypicalresponsesorinitiateaclassdiscussioninwhichseveralgroupsreporttheconsensusresponsefromtheirdiscussion.Wrapupthediscussionandrefocusattentiononthecontentthattriggeredtheactivity.
Ifcommonmisconceptionsaboutthecriticalconceptemergeinthepatternofresponses,spendsometimedefusingthesemisconceptions.
Ifthepromptaskedforapplicationtoarealworldproblem,discussandevaluatethestrengthsandweaknessesoftheapplicationsproposed.
Ifthepromptaskedforopinionsonacontroversialtopic,asktheclasstodiscussthestrengthsandweaknessesofthedifferentpositionsthatemerge.
Includenomorethanoneortwooftheseengagementslidesduringaclasssessiontoengagestudentinterestandfocusattentiononcriticalpointsforthedayslesson.Berk,R.A.(2011).Powerpointengagementtechniquestofosterdeeplearning.JournalofFaculty
Development,25,4548.Bruff,D.(2009).Teachingwithclassroomresponsesystems:Creatingactivelearningenvironments.
SanFrancisco,CA:JosseyBass.Submittedby:ClaudiaJ.Stanny,Ph.D.,DirectorCenterforUniversityTeaching,Learning,andAssessmentUniversityofWestFloridauwf.edu/cutla/
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Cases/RolePlaying/JigsawATeachingTechniqueforExploringMultiplePerspectives
Therearemanyteachingtechniquesthatgetstudentsengagedbyhavingthemdiscussandapplycoursecontent.Usingcasestudies,havingstudentsroleplay,andemployingcooperativelearningstrategiesareafewexamples.Casesarenarrativesthataddressrealisticissues,basedonactualeventsorcontrived,thatprovideabasisforstudentdiscussion.Roleplayinghasstudentsassumetherolesofcharactersinafictionalsetting.Playerstakeresponsibilityforactingouttheseroleswithinanarrative,eitherthroughliteralactingorthroughaprocessofstructureddecisionmakingorcharacterdevelopment.TheJigsawtechniqueisacooperativelearningstrategythathasstudentsinteractingwithothersingroupstodevelopandrefinetheirunderstandingofsomeissue.Studentsmeetinahomegroup,dispersetojoindifferentsecondgroups,andthenreconveneintheirhomegroups(thus,thejigsawdesignation).Thefollowingteachingtechnique,createdbyajournalismprofessorattheUniversityofHawaii(Brislin,1995),isacombinationoftheaboveandcanbeusedwithanytopichavingmultipleperspectives.Itinvolvessomepreparationandwillprobablytakeanentireclassperiodsoitisnotatechniquetobeusedwithoutcarefulplanningoronethatwouldbeusedmanytimesduringthesemester.1)Assignacaseforthestudentstoread(withsupportingdocumentsifdesired)thatprovidessufficientinformationonthetopictoallowforarichdiscussion.Thiscouldbeahypotheticalcasethatyouhavewritten,onethatyouacquiredthroughsomeeducationalresource,oronethatyouconstructedbasedonsomenewsevent.Asecondoptionthatyoucoulduseis,inlieuofaprewrittencase,istoprovidethestudentswithmaterialsandreferences(forexample,newsclippingsorweblinks)thatyouhaveassembledforthemtostudy.Athirdalternativeistohavestudentsresearchthetopicthemselves.Ifthisalternativeischosen,youmightwanttoassignashortpaperforanindividualgradesummarizingwhatwasreadorresearchedtoensurethateachstudentbringssufficientinformationtothegroup.2)Inclass,createequalsizedgroupsof46students.Thenumberofgroupsdependsonthenumberofperspectivesthatcouldbetakeninthecase.Assigneachgroupmemberanumber.3)Assigneachgrouparolebasedonthecharactersinthecaseand/orthedifferentperspectives.Itisprobablybestnottoassigntherolespriortoclasstoensurethateachstudenthasthebroadestunderstandingofthecase.4)Eachgroupdiscussesthecasefromtheirassignedcharacterorperspective.Allowupto10minutesforthisactivity.5)Reorganizegroupsbystudentnumbersothatnewgroupsresulteachhavingatleastonememberfromeachperspective.
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6)Studentsinthesenew"jigsaw"groupsarguethecasefor20minutesbypresentingtheperspectiveoftheroletheyareplayingwhileconsideringandanalyzingtheperspectivesoftheothers.7)Studentsthenreturntotheiroriginalgroupsandsharetheperspectivestheyreceivedintheirjigsawgroupsthatmayhavemadethemrethinktheiroriginalposition.Allowupto10minutesforthisactivity.8)Theexercisecouldculminatewithaclassdiscussionaboutthetopic.Eachstudent,havingnowheardmultipleperspectivesontheissue,couldbeassignedtowriteashortpositionpaper(inclassorashomework)onwhatstanceoractionheorshewouldpersonallytakeinthiscasewritingthepaperasthemselvesandnottherolethattheyplayed.Forexample,ifanenvironmentalissueweretobeaddressed,studentscouldarguefromtheperspectivesofamemberofthegeneralpublic,arepresentativefromabusinesscompany,ascientist,orapolitician.Thistechniquelendsitselfwelltodisciplinesthataddressmultiplepointsofviewwhethertheissueismedical,political,economic,ethical,orsomeotherdisciplinespecifictopic.Brislin,T.(1995).Activelearninginappliedethicsinstruction.JournalonExcellenceinCollegeTeaching.6(3):8795.SubmittedbyBillBurkeCenterfortheEnhancementofLearningandTeaching(CELT)UniversityofKentuckyhttp://www.uky.edu/celt/
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NotJustFunandGames!StructureClassDemonstrationstoReinforceLearningGoals
Classroomdemonstrationsthatillustrateanimportantprocess,phenomenon,orapplicationofaconceptcangenerateinterestandengagestudentswithcoursematerial.Althoughstudentsenjoyclassroomdemonstrations,theysometimesremembertheactivitybutdonotrememberthecourselearninggoalsthatinstructorswanttopromotewhentheydesignthedemonstration.Aneffectivedemonstrationconnectsstudentmemoriesoftheclassroomexperiencewiththeconceptstheactivitywasdesignedtodemonstrate.Strategiesthattransformanentertainingdemonstrationintoaneffectivelearningexperience Identifythelearningoutcome(s)youintendtopromotewiththeclassroomdemonstration.For
example,ademonstrationthatillustratesacounterintuitiveorsurprisingoutcomecanbeusedtoidentifyassumptionsthatleadstudentstomakeerroneouspredictions.Studentsexperiencesurpriseatunexpectedresults,whichmotivatescuriosityandencouragesstudentstogiveweightandcredibilitytodisciplinaryconceptsandmodelsthatexplainthesefindings.
Practicethedemonstrationtoensureitworksproperlyduringclass. Preparestudentsforthedemonstration.Observationsarebiasedbypreconceptions(Bransford&
Johnson,1972).Twoobserversofthesameeventwillrememberitdifferentlyiftheyexperiencetheeventwithdifferentframeworksandexpectations(Holst&Pezdek,1992).Dontassumestudentswillnoticethedetailsyounoticeorinterpretthedemonstrationinthesamewayyoudo.Beginwithanexplanationthatgivesstudentstheframeworktheyneedtofocustheirattentiononthemostrelevantaspectsofthedemonstration.Remindstudentsabouttherelationbetweenobservationsduringthedemonstrationandthecoursematerial.
Ifpossible,makestudentspredicttheoutcomebeforeyouconductthedemonstration. Afterthedemonstrationisfinished,askstudentstodiscusstheoutcomeandtheirobservationswith
eachotherandtheclassasawhole. Reinforcethepurposeofthedemonstrationwithadebriefingdiscussionthatidentifiesandexplains
theprinciplesdemonstrated.Explicitlyconnecttheobservationsfromthedemonstrationtocoursecontentandthelearninggoalsfortheactivity.Usethecuriosityelicitedbyasurprisingoutcometofocusattentionondisciplinaryexplanationsthatarebasedonvaliddisciplinaryassumptionsandmodelsratherthanthenavemodelsstudentsusedwhentheymadetheirinitialprediction.
Askstudentstotakeaminuteortwotowriteareflectiononthedemonstration.Whatdidtheylearnfromthisexperience?Whatwasthepurposeofincludingthisactivityintheclass?Reflectivewritingwillreinforcestudentlearning.Theseessayswillalsorevealareasthatcontinuetoconfusestudents,whichinstructorscanusetorefinethedemonstrationforuseinfutureclasses.
Bransford,J.D.,&Johnson,M.K.(1972).Contextualprerequisitesforunderstanding:Some
investigationsofcomprehensionandrecall.JournalofVerbalLearningandVerbalBehavior,11,717726.
Holst,V.F.,&Pezdek,K.(1992).Scriptsfortypicalcrimesandtheireffectsonmemoryforeyewitnesstestimony.AppliedCognitivePsychology,6,573587.
Pyper,B.A.(2008).BestpracticesinphysicsdemonstrationsorOh,Ithoughtthiswasjustforentertainment.PowerPointslidesforapresentationattheAAPTUT/IDsectionmeeting,Boise,
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ID.RetrievedAugust2,2011:http://emp.byui.edu/PyperB/Best%20Practices%20in%20Physics%20Demonstrations.pdf
Submittedby:ClaudiaJ.Stanny,Ph.D.,DirectorCenterforUniversityTeaching,Learning,andAssessmentUniversityofWestFloridauwf.edu/cutla/
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TheCrosswordPuzzleasThresholdtoHigherOrderThinkingOneofthemostdifficulttasksweencounterwithstudentsismovingthembeyondamereaccumulationoffactualmaterialinclass.Oftenourtransmissionoflowerorderthinkingskills(rememberingandunderstanding)issomewhatakintotheproverbialgivingofafishtothehungryindividual.Increasinglyinthe21stcentury,wearerecognizingtheneedtoteachourstudentshowtofish;thatis,howcanwebestteachtheskillsforhigherorderthinking.OneeffectivethresholdtothetoplevelonBloomsrevisedpyramidoflearning,creating,isthecrosswordpuzzle,andperhapsthefirstmajorgoalitcanachieveishelpingstudentstobecomeadeptatamajorskillincreating,perceptionshifting,orlearningtolookatagivenissueorproblemfrommultipleperspectives.Supposeyouprovideyourstudentswithacrosswordpuzzlegridwhere1AcrossisfourletterswithaclueofFirstplace.Since2012isanOlympicyear,onestudentintheclassisboundtocallout,GOLD.Withouthaving1,2,3,and4Down,itsdifficulttoknowifGOLDiscorrect,butletssayyoupronouncethatanswerwrongandhelpthestudentsbyaskingtothinkintermsofbiology.BothCELLandWOMBareexcellentsuggestions,butwedoubtyoullgetthemforawhile.Why?Yourstudentswillhavetroubleshiftinggearfromonefieldofperceptiontoanother.Psychologyhasaprincipleoftenreferredtoastheprimacyofthefirst,whichstatesthatonceourmindsettlesonsomething,changingthatthoughtisdifficult.Youcouldprovideyourstudentswiththefish,CELLandWOMB,oryoucouldfurtherillustratetheproblembyofferingthelensofstillanotherfieldsuchasreligionandwatchthemstumbletocomeupwithEDEN.Oryoucouldteachthemhowtofishbyexplainingwhatperceptionshiftisandwhyitsdifficult.Youcouldextendthatteachingmomentbyhavingstudentsbecomecruciverbalists(solvers/constructorsofcrosswordpuzzles)andcreatesomemoreofthecrosswordpuzzle,therebymovingthemupBloomsRevisedPyramid.SubmittedbyCharlieSweet,EasternKentuckyUniversityHalBlythe,EasternKentuckyUniversityRustyCarpenter,EasternKentuckyUniversityShawnApostel,EasternKentuckyUniversity
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ImprovingSmallGroupWorkthroughRoleClarificationErinHill,Ph.D.
UniversityofWashingtonBothellGoal:ToIncreaseEffectivenessofSmallGroupWorkRationale:Byassigningeachgroupmemberaspecificrole,theinstructorcanavoidthetypicalpitfallsofsmallgroupwork,suchasunevenparticipationanddifficultystayingontask.Assigningstudentsspecificrolescreatesanenvironmentconducivetopeerlearningandenableseffectiveteamwork.Method:1) Instructorfacilitatesalargegroupdiscussionofgroupworknorms.Amongstthosethatthe
instructorshouldensuregetdiscussedarethefollowing:a. Practiceactivelisteningskillsb. Askforhelpwhenneeded...c. butdontaskotherstodoyourworkforyoud. Offerhelpwhenaskede. butdontdootherpeoplesworkforthemf. Playyourrole
2) Instructorintroducesandexplainsroles.Instructoremphasizesthateachpersonisresponsibleforunderstandingandplayingtheirrole.Theinstructorcantweaktherolestofittheirneeds;oneexampleisattached1.
3) Randomlyassigngroupmembers;heresonefunwaytodothat:a. Getadeckofplayingcards(morethan1forclasseslargerthan52)
b. Distributethecardsc. Havestudentsgroupthemselvesbycard(e.g.,Acesofallsuitswillsittogether)d. Putcopyofgrouprolesoneachdesk
4) Forreportingback,eitherhavestudentshandintheircardsandthenselectrandomly,orhaveaseconddeckandchoosefromthere.
5) Getfeedbackfromthestudentsastohowtheprocesswenteitherthroughdiscussion,anonymouswrittenfeedbackorsomecombinationofmethods.
6) Tweakaccordinglyandenjoy!
AdaptedfromElizabethCohensDesigningGroupwork:StrategiesfortheHeterogeneousClassroom.Writtenby SubmittedbyErinHill,Ph.D. KarenRosenbergUniversityofWashingtonBothell WritingCenterDirector
UniversityofWashingtonBothellwww.uwb.edu/writingcenter
1ThankstoDr.RobinAngotti,AssociateProfessorofEducationattheUniversityofWashingtonBothell,forthisexampleaswellasthemethodforassigninggroupmembers.
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OnlineCollaboration:TheNewGroupFormatLikemanyprofessorsinmyagegroup,thetransitionfromlecturebased,traditionalclassroommodelstotechnologyinclusive,collaborativeapproachestoadultlearningdidnotcomeeasilyornaturallyforme.However,Iarrivedattherealizationthatstudentstoday,evengoodstudents,weresimplyunabletoadequatelyassimilateinformationwithtraditional,instructordriven,models.Continuedeffectivenessintheclassroomwouldrequirenewskillsandadjustmentsonmypart.Ibegantoseekoutvariousonlinetoolstoencourageinteractionandcollaborativework.IdiscoveredaproductcalledEvernotethatallowsstudentstosharevirtualnotebookssotheycancompilematerialsforgroupprojectsinoneplace.Evernoteisafreeserviceavailableonmostelectronicdevices.ItallowsuserstotypenotesintoanEvernotenotebookandaccessthosenotesfromanywhere.Studentsmayrecordinformationintext,audioorvisualformatwithtextbeingsearchablewithinimages.Inaprojectgroup,eachstudentisabletogotothedocumentstoredinEvernoteandeditorrevise,thuseliminatingthefrustrationstudentsoftenhaveinrelationtocoordinatingschedulestoarrangemeetingtimesforgroupwork.Everyonehasaccesstoallofthearticlesandotherresourcesfortheprojectandcanaddresourcesatanytime.Suddenly,studentswerecontributingmore,creatingmoreasagroup,insteadofrelyingononepersontocompiletheproject,andcompletingprojectswithinthetimeframesassigned.Complaintsrelatedtosocialloafingsubsided.Myskepticismwaned.AsIponderedotherwaysthatstudentsmightbeabletoworktogetherfromadistance,IdiscoveredStudyBlue.ThecollaborativefeaturesofStudyBluearepartofwhatearnedthemaplaceinthe2012,Top25WebsitesforTeachingandLearning,awardedbytheAmericanAssociationofSchoolLibrarians.1StudyBluecreatedtheabilityforstudentstosharevirtualbackpackswiththeirclassmates,enablingcollaborationofaflashcarddatabasefortheirspecificcourse,textordiscipline.Studentscanlearnfromclassmatesaswellasapproximatelyonemillionusersworldwide,whoaddroughly2millionnewflashcardseachweekthroughtheshareddatabase.2Asstudentsentertheirflashcard,theyareshownapproximately30relatedcardsfromtheirclassmatesorstudentsingeneral.Theycanthenaddanotherstudentscardtotheirdeck,usetheirown,orboth.EvernoteteamedupwithStudyBluetoallowstudentstotaketheirEvernotenotebooksandtransferthemtotheirvirtualbackpackinStudyBluewheretheycanmaketheirinteractiveflashcards(whichcanincludetext,audioandimagery),studyguidesandquizzesthatareavailableonbothdesktopandmobiledeviceswithouthavingtoretypedata.Evernoteaccounts,orspecificnotebookswithinaccounts,canbesettoautomaticallysyncwithStudyBlueuponloginatStudyBlue.Inmyclass,IencouragestudentstotypenotesinEvernoteorexportthemfromWordintoEvernote,syncandstudywithStudyBlue.Thisabilitytoaccessnotesandflashcardsquicklyandeasily,viamobiledevice,hasincreasedinteractionwiththematerialandencouragedstudentstobuildtheirknowledgebasetogether.Bothtoolsappealtoourtechsavvystudentpopulationbyprovidingacuttingedge,convenientwaytoaccomplishcourseobjectivesandprojects.
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1Habley,Jennifer,(2012)AASLannounces2012BestWebsitesforTeachingandLearning.RetrievedfromAmericanLibraryAssociaiton,
http://www.ala.org/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/bestlist/bestwebsitestop252Klndt,Christopher.(2012)StudyBlueUnveilsWorldsLargestDigitalStudyGroup.RetrievedfromStudyBlue,http://www.studyblue.com/about/press/studyblueunveilsworldslargestdigitalstudygroup/
SubmittedbyBethWhiteBiglerTennesseeTeachingandLearningCenterTheUniversityofTennessee,Knoxillehttp://tenntlc.utk.edu/
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VoiceThreadOnemyabsolutefavoriteonlinetoolsisVoiceThread(freeversionsathttp://voicethread.com).Thisisatoolthatallowsphotostobeuploaded,texttobeincluded,andaudiothreads.Itisawayforeveryoneintheclasstocollaborateonatopic.ConsiderthisatestwilltakeplaceonFridaycoveringJamesMadison.Astheinstructor,Igettheballrollingbyputtinghispictureinthemiddleoftheboard.ThenIpostanaudioquestion(notanactualtestquestionbutsomethingintheballpark)andinvitethestudentstoaddinformationthatwouldanswerthequestion.Ialsoinvitethestudentstostartaskingotherquestionsorpostinginformationtheyfindimportantandlikelytobecoveredontheexam.Iemailthemthelinkorpostitinclass(thisworksforonlineandonground)andaskthemtocontribute.Violawenowhavestudentsteachingeachother,reviewingthematerials,andinteractivelyengagedinstudy!Thisisalsoanicesummaryreviewthatcanbesharedinclasspriortotheexam.Wanttoaddatwistcollaboratewithaninstructorinanotheruniversity(howaboutinanotherpartoftheworld)thatmightbecoveringaconceptyouare.Thisisagreatwayforthetwoclassestostartdiscussinghowvariousculturesmanageasituationorsimplyhandlethetopic.Talkaboutgloballearning!PennyLorenzoAssistantDeanofFacultySchoolofLegalStudiesKaplanUniversity
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OnlineWritingInstructionbeyondtheDiscussionBoardTeachingwritingonlinemayseemintuitiveformanyfacultygivenallofthewritingthatactuallyhappensinonlinecoursesdiscussionboards,peerreviewprojects,researchpapers,andmore.However,usingtheFrameworkforSuccessinPostsecondaryWritingreport(http://wpacouncil.org/framework/)asanintellectualandpedagogicalspringboardforinvigoratingandimprovingonlinewritinginstructioncanbeespeciallyhelpfulforinstructorswhoteachcontentareasthatpromoteinquirythroughwriting,onlineorotherwise.TheCouncilofWritingProgramAdministrators,NationalCouncilofTeachersofEnglish,andtheNationalWritingProjectworkedtogethertoresearchthereportseighthabitsofthemindforstudentwriters.Theeighthabitsarevaluesmost,ifnotall,educatorsembraceandstrivetonurtureinstudentsandwriters:
Curiosity Openness Engagement Creativity Persistence Responsibility Flexibility Metacognition
So,howmightonegoaboutencouragingthesevaluesonline,especiallyforwritingcommunitieswhoworkexclusivelyorpartiallyonline?Hereareafewsuggestedresourcesthatembracethemultifacetednatureofwritingbeyondthediscussionboard:CuriosityWebQuestslearnercreatedorfacultycraftedembraceinquirycentered,collaborativelessonsforteamlearninginadditiontovisualresourcessuchasthecloudbasedgraphicorganizercreationsite,bubbl.us.SiteslikeQuadrivialQuandaryalsopromptstudentstorevelin(andpractice)wordplay,pureandsimple.OpennessBuildingcommunityandpraxisthroughlowstakes,weeklywritingopportunitiessuchasTwitter(miniwritinglabsthatfocusonthesisstatementsorwaystocuratetimelyresearch)andblogssuchasBloggerorWordpresshelpstudentswriteforauthenticaudiences(inadditiontoreceivingandrespondingtopeerreviewcommentsalongtheway).EngagementOnlinewritingconferencesbetweenstudentandprofessorand/orpeergroupscanbeincrediblyinstructive.Decidefirstiftheconferencesyouholdwillbeasynchronous,forinstance,backandforthemailoraselfpacedGoogleDocument,orsynchronous,realtimewebconferencesviaprogramslikeAdobeConnect,Googlechat,Skype,andothers.BethHewettsterrificbook,TheOnlineWritingConference:AGuideforTeachersandTutors(2010),highlightshowinvitingstudentstosetagendasforwritingconferencesinvestsstudentsinthelearningprocess.
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CreativityFindingonesvoice,especiallyinwriting,cansometimesbedifficult.Dependingontheconventionsandstylesyouwantstudentstowritein,considerinspiringthemwithsomeofthesecleverfinds:
FindingYourVoicebyLeoBabauta,ZenHabitsblog IWriteLike(findoutwhichfamouswriteryousoundthemostlike) 750WordsaDay:Agreatwritingtoolforstudentswhobenefitfromdailypractice
PersistenceTheonlineenvironmentis,inmanyrespects,idealfortheeverevolvingwritinglabandstudent!HelpstudentstakestockofwheretheyreatinthewritingprocessbyprovidingpersonalizedfeedbackthroughscreencastingprogramssuchasJingandScreenrorembeddedaudiocommentsinMicrosoftWord.Tolearnmore,IhighlyrecommendreadingarecentJournalofInteractiveTechnology&Pedagogyarticle,TalkingwithStudentsthroughScreencasting:ExperimentationswithVideoFeedbacktoImproveStudentLearning(Thompson&Lee,2012).ResponsibilityTofosterstudentownershipinthewritingprocess,onlinewritingprojectsshouldinclude:
Aclearlywrittenassignmentsheet Atimelinethatincorporatesthewritingprocessanddescribeshowstudentswillreceive
feedbackfrompeersandtheinstructor,whenapplicable Arubricthatestablisheshowthefinalessayorprojectwillbegraded Areminderthatstudentsshouldspeakupifsomethingisconfusingorvexingandnotto
waituntilthelastminutetopostwritingonline(Murphyslawisreal)Flexibility
Wheneverpossible,givestudentsoptionsandchoiceswithinwritingtasks. Understandthatstudentsarelearningnewtechnologiestoo;theymayneedaboostand/or
explicitinstructioninlearninghowtousetheLearningManagementSystem,webconferencingtool,etc.
Metacognition Selfevaluationisessentialtobuildingreflectivestudents.VoiceThreadworkswellforthis
purpose.Furthermore,asamplestudentselfevaluationmayincludequestionslikethese(Cully,2002).
Considerhavingstudentscreateonlinerevisionportfolios,whereearlierworkisimprovedandareflectiveletteroranalysisexplainshowandwhytheserevisionsweremadetowardstheendofthesemester.
Formoreinformationaboutonlinewritinginstruction,considerthefollowingusefulandtimelytexts:
ScottWarnocksTeachingWritingOnline:How&Why(2009) BethL.HewettsTheOnlineWritingConference:AGuideforTeachersandTutors(2010) CCCCCommitteeonBestPracticesinOnlineWritingInstruction(2013)
Submittedby:MichaellaHammondAssistantDirectorforInstructionalDesignSaintLouisUniversitywww.slu.edu
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EnhanceStudentCollaborationwithOnlineTools:GoogleAppsFacultymemberscareabouteffectiveteachingandstudentengagement.Sometimesinconversation,facultymembersvoiceconcernsaboutstudentcollaboration.Letsconsidertwoofthemostcommon:Accountability:HowdoIholdallstudentsintheteamaccountablefordoingtheirshareofthework?Howdomembersofateamholdeachotheraccountable?Timeconstraints:HowdoIengagestudentsinmeaningfulcollaborativeworkwhenittakessomuchclasstime?Someoftheemergingeducationaltechnologiesmightbeabletoaddresstheseprevalentconcernsinaneasyanduserfriendlymanner.ThissummerNYIThasadoptedGoogleAppsforEducation.Wenowhaveaccesstoasuiteoftoolsthatallowstudentstocollaboratefromanylocationandatanytimeandthatkeeptrackofindividualscontributionstothework.Thisweek,welllookathowtoaccessthetoolsandabriefdescriptionofthewaysyoumightusesomeofthem.ThenextfewWeeklyTeachingNoteswillhighlightsomeofthewaysyoucanuseGoogleAppstosupportmakestudentcollaboration,makingitevenmoreeffective.Inthespringsemester,joinyourcolleaguesforsomeworkshopsattheCenterforTeachingandLearning,inwhichfacultymemberswilldemonstratethewaystheyhaveputGoogleAppstouse.First,howdoyouaccessGoogleApps?Logintotheportalathttp://my.nyit.edu,andlookatthemenuontheleftsideofthescreen.Atthebottomofthelist,youwillfindlinkstoNYITAppsCalendar,NYITAppsDocs,andNYITAppsSites.Eachofthesetoolscanbeusedpublically,sotheworldcanseethem,orprivately,withaccessrestrictedtowhomeveryoudesignate.Youcangivepeopleviewonlyaccess,oryoucangrantthemeditingprivileges.GoogleCalendarletsyoucreatemultiplecalendars.Youcancreateoneforeachcourseyouteach,andputclassmeetings,readings,andassignmentduedatesonit.Studentscansubscribetothecalendarsforeachoftheircourseswhenyoumakeachangetothecoursecalendar,itwillautomaticallyappearinthestudentsaccounts.SincestudentemailatNYITishostedbyGmail,studentscanaccesstheGoogleAppscalendarwhenevertheychecktheiremail.GoogleDocsactuallyincludesseveraldifferenttools:awordprocessor,aspreadsheet,presentationsoftware,aforms/surveygeneratorthatdepositsdatadirectlyintoaspreadsheet,andadrawingtool.Youcancreateacollectionofvariousdocumentsandsharethecollectionwithaclass.Anydocumentaddedtothatcollectionisalsoshared,automatically.GoogledocshavesomespecialWeb2.0featuresstudentsalreadymightbeusingoutsideschool:studentsworkingonadocumentorapresentationcaneditsimultaneouslyandcanuseachatwindowononesideofthescreentotalkaboutwhattheyredoing.Iftheyneedtoworkasynchronously,theycanleavecommentsforoneanotherinaFacebookstylethreadeddisplay.Youcantrackchangestothedocument,whichallowsyoutoseewhodidwhatandalsoallowsyoutorollbacktoapreviousversion.
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GoogleSitesprovidesasimpleinterfacetobuildawebsite,andhasalargenumberoftemplatestogetyouandyourstudentsstarted.Sitescanbeusedtoorganizeinformationforacourse,aproject,oranythinginbetween.Theycanbeusedasrepositoriesfordocuments,linkstoresources,orasacollaborativecreativespaceinwhichstudentsbuildaproject.AswithGoogleDocs,youcantrackchangestothesite,andholdstudentsaccountablefortheirindividualcontributions.Help!AllGoogleAppsincludecomprehensivehelppages.Atthetoprightcornerofthewindow,clickthegearshapedicon.Themenuwillallowyoutochangeyoursettings(preferences),andwillalsodirectyoutothehelppages,whicharebothindexedandsearchable.Foradditionaltechnicalsupport,pleasecontactServiceCentralatservicecentral@nyit.edu.Inthecomingweeks,wewillgointomoredetailabouthowyoucanuseeachofthesetoolstoenhancestudentengagementandlearninginyourcourses.Tofollowuponanyoftheseideas,pleasecontactmeatfglazer@nyit.edu.Submittedby:FrancineGlazer,PhDAssistantProvostandDirector,CenterforTeachingandLearningNewYorkInstituteofTechnologyhttp://www.nyit.edu/ctl
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MoreonStudentCollaborationandGoogleAppsManyschoolsintheUSandaroundtheworldareusingGoogleAppsforEducationtosupportstudentlearningandprovideopportunitiesforstudentengagementandcollaboration.Youmightask:Whatsinitforme?Asimpleansweris:
1) Itwillsaveyoualotoftime2) Itwillmakeyouaveryinterestingteacherwhousestechnologyinnovatively(studentslove
GoogleAppsuserfriendlyinterface!)Youmightalsoask:Whatsinitformystudents?Asimpleansweris:
1) Easycollaboration:nomoremultiplecopiesofdocuments,eachoneslightlydifferent2) Easycollaboration:easyscheduling!3) Skillsthataretransferabletotheworkworld
Youhaveprobablyreadorheardtheterm"cloudcomputing"or"workinginthecloud"orsomesuchphrasewithcloudinit.Forthoseunsureofthisterm,itisreallyjustametaphorforputtingthestuffyoucreatedocuments,orspreadsheets,orcalendars,orwebsitesonaserversomewherein"Googleland"sothatyouandotherscanaccessitwheneveryouareontheInternet.Thisisactuallyafairlystraightforwardconcept,buttheimplicationsareprofound.Wenolongerneedtorememberaflashdrivewiththepresentationwewanttouse,nolongerneedtolugthelaptoptoaclassroomthatalreadyhasacomputerinit,andnolongerneedtoworryaboutshowinguptoclassontheothersideofcampusonlytorealizeweforgotournotesfortheclass.IhavebeenusingGoogleAppswithmyclassesforabout3yearsnow.Initially,IusedmypersonalGoogleaccountandnow,supportedbyNYIT,IuseGoogleAppsforEducation.IfindthatIteachdifferentlyandmystudentsaremoreengagedintheclass.SharingclassmaterialsiseasyGoogleSites.Facultycancreatebasicwebsitesfortheirclassestoserveas"homebase."Formanyofmyfacetofaceclasses,Isetupaclasssitewithonepageforthesyllabus,oneforalistofblogsitesthestudentshavecreated,athirdforclassannouncements,andafilecabinetpagetohousemyvideolecturesandaccompanyingPowerPointslides.ThisallowsstudentstoaccesscoursematerialanytimetheycangetontheInternet.Ihavealsofounditusefultouseduringclasstoreferbacktothesyllabus,ortobringupadocumentaboutwhichastudentmighthaveaquestion.GoogleDocs.IfyoudontwanttosetupaGoogleSite,youhaveanotheroptionthatisjustaseasy.GoogleDocsallowsyoutocreateacollection,andtagspecificfilesaspartofthecollection.Ifyoucreateacollectionandshareitwithyourclass,thenanydocumentyousubsequentlyaddtothecollectionwillbesharedaswell,automatically.
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Youcancreatecollectionswithincollections,analogoustocreatingsubfolders,whichgivesyoumoreflexibility.Youcould,forexample,haveamastercollectionforeachclass,withsubcollectionsforeachmajortopic.Tomakethingseveneasier,GoogleDocswillletyouuploadanentirefolderatatime,andwillautomaticallycreatecollectionsforeachsubfolder.StudentscollaborateeasilyandaremoreaccountablefortheirworkGoogleDocs.Googledocumentsallowmultipleuserstocontributetoonedocumentandcollaborateinteractivelyonaproject.FortheGroupPresentationprojectinmySpeech105class,onestudentinthegroupcreatestheinitialGooglePresentationfileandsharesitwiththeothers(andwithme).Studentscanseewhathasalreadybeendoneandcanplantheircontributionsaccordingly.GoogleDocsallowsmetoseewhichstudentcreatedwhichportionofthepresentation,makingiteasiertoassignequitablegrades.GoogleCalendar.Googlecalendarfacilitatesworkprogressandsupportscreationoftimelines.Studentsworkingingroupscancreateandshareaprojectcalendar.Theycanestablishdeadlinesforstagesoftheprojectandschedulegroupmeetings.Iftheyfindithelpful,individualstudentscanconfiguretheircalendartosendthemtextmessageremindersinadvanceofimportantdeadlines.GoogleSites.Studentscancreatesitestoorganizetheirwork.Thesitecanprovideastructurethatmakesiteasytofindtheirpresentationsandotherdocuments,linkstoresources,andthegroupscalendar.ThesearejustafewexamplesofthemanythingsthatbothyouandyourstudentscandomoreeffectivelywithGoogleApps.Therearemanymorepossibilities,someofwhichwehaveyettothinkof.Theeasiestwaytogetstarted,however,istosignintotheNYITportal,clickononeofthenewGoogleApplinksontheleft,andbegintoexperiment.Contributor:DanQuigley,PhDAssociateProfessor,EnglishNewYorkInstituteofTechnologydquigley@nyit.eduYourfeedback,suggestions,andoriginalideasarealwayswelcome!Tofollowuponanyoftheseideas,pleasecontactmeatfglazer@nyit.edu.Submittedby:FrancineGlazer,PhDAssistantProvostandDirector,CenterforTeachingandLearningNewYorkInstituteofTechnologyhttp://www.nyit.edu/ctl
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Whichtool?...Blackboard?GoogleApps?Somethingelse?FourfacultymembersatNYITwithexpertiseinBlackboard(Bb)andGoogleAppssharedsomestrategiestheyusetoincreasestudentengagementandlearningandansweredquestionsfromtheotherparticipantsabouthowtoachievecertainpedagogicalgoalsusingthesetools.Here,Isharesomeoftheideasgeneratedattheworkshop.ThankstoDanQuigley,CollegeofArtsandSciences,andtoKateOHara,StanSilverman,andMikeUttendorfer,allintheSchoolofEducation,forsharingtheirexperiences.OurpanelistspreferGoogleAppsasatoolforfacilitatinggroupwork.Doyouwantyourstudentstowriteapaperorcreateapresentationcollaboratively?Editoneanotherswriting?Collectandanalyzedata?GoogleSitesorGoogleDocumentscanbeusedtoorganizecontributionsfrommultiplestudents,muchasyoumightusethewikitoolinBlackboard.GoogleDocsincludesawordprocessor,apresentationtool,aspreadsheet,andaformgeneratorthatdepositsinformationintoaspreadsheet.GoogleFormsareespeciallyversatilethefourfacultyonthepanelusethetoolforattendance,forgatheringinformationinoneplace(e.g.,students'choiceoftopicsforpapers),forquizzesandanonymoussurveys,andasawayforstudentstogettoknowoneanother.ThislasttechniqueisemployedbyStanSilverman,whoasksstudentstoansweraseriesofquestionsaboutthemselves.Allthestudentscanvieweachothers'responsesonthespreadsheet,andStanusestheirresponsestoselectedquestionsinthesurveyasawaytosorthisstudentsintogroups.Blackboarddoeshavetoolsforgroups,andmanyofthosetoolscanlinkdirectlytothegradecenter.However,asMikeUttendorferpointedout,ifstudentsaresharingdocumentsbackandforththegroupstoolinBbwillresultinmultiplecopiesofadocumentatdifferentstagesofcompletion,whileGoogleAppswillmaintainasingledocument,withahistoryofchangesandtheabilitytoreverttoanearlierversion.OneinnovativeideaforintegratingthetwosuitesoftoolsistoembedtheGoogledocuments,drawings,forms,etc.onacontentpageinBb.KateOHara,whosharedthisidea,saiditmakestheBbpagesmorevisuallyappealingtostudents,andthestudentscanuseGoogleAppsfromwithintheBbenvironment.Thisstrategyhastheaddedadvantageofgivingthestudentawidervarietyoftoolstouse,andfamiliaritywithGoogleAppsgivesthemaskilltheycanuseinaprofessionalsetting.Oneoftherecurringthemesduringtheworkshopwashowtoorganizecoursematerials.MikeUttendorferdoesthiswithinBbbycreatingacontentpageforeachweek/unitofthecourse,andgivingthatpageaconsistentstructureeachweek.Thepagestartswithaweekly'roadmap'thatincludesthelearningobjectives,activities,resources,andapproximatetimerequiredtocompleteeachtask.Foldersonthepagekeepresourcematerialsandactivitiesgroupedtogether,andeachunitendswithaselfassessmentforthestudents,sotheycangaugetheirmasteryofthematerial.FrequentuseofanonymoussurveyshelpsMikegatherfeedbackaboutthecoursedesignandanydifficultiesthestudentsmightbehavingwiththematerial.
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Ifapictureisworthathousandwords,thenavideoisworthanessay.Severalofthefacultyuseshortscreencaststogivestudentsatourofthevirtualenvironment,directionsonhowtodothings,feedbackonstudentwork,andtoconveycontent.DanQuigleyaskshisstudentstouseafreescreencastingtool(twopopulartoolsareJinghttp://www.jingproject.comandScreencastOMatichttp://www.screencastomatic.com)toprovidenarrationforaslidepresentation,asawaytomovestudentpresentationsonline.Itisagoodideatoprovidestudentswithseveraloptionswhenusingthisapproach,becausethecomputerstheyhaveathomearegoingtohavearangeofabilitywithrespecttothetechnologiestheycansupport.Athirdthreadtotheconversationwassynchronousactivities.Studentslearnbestwithablendofasynchronousandsynchronousactivitiesregardlessofwhetherthesynchronousactivitiesoccuronlineorinpersonespeciallywhenthelearningthathappensinonevenueisreinforcedintheother.Wehadawiderangingdiscussionofdifferenttoolsthatareavailable,eachofwhichhasdifferentstrengthsandlimitations.DanQuigleymadeanexcellentpoint:whenstartingout,keepyour(andyourstudents')expectationsrealistic.Ifyouwanttoexperimentwithasynchronousonlineformatlikeawebinar,itmightbebesttodosoasanenhancementtoacoursethatmeetsinpersonthatwayifthetechnologydoesn'tworkasadvertised,youhavetheregularclassmeetingasabackup.Asyoucansee,therearelotsofchoicesoutthere.Ultimately,thebestchoiceistheonethatallowsyoutoansweryestothesequestions:
Doesthistoolmeasurablyimproveteachingandlearning? Willthistoolhelpmystudentsbecomemoreengagedwiththecoursematerial? Doesthistoolmakemyworkorthatofmystudentseasierandmoreefficient? IsthistoolbetterenoughthanwhatImcurrentlyusingtojustifythetimeandeffortrequired
tolearnit?Yourfeedback,suggestions,andoriginalideasarealwayswelcome!Tofollowuponanyoftheseideas,pleasecontactmeatfglazer@nyit.edu.Submittedby:FrancineGlazer,PhDAssistantProvostandDirector,CenterforTeachingandLearningNewYorkInstituteofTechnologyhttp://www.nyit.edu/ctl
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Gamification
Figure1:bluewolf.com
TheresanintriguingnewtheoryoflearningouttherecalledGAMIFICATION.Whilethismaysoundlikeeducationalgaming,actuallyitisnot.Gamificationsuggeststhatourstudents(atleastthedigitalnativesamongthem)areusedtothekindofincentivestructuresthatarebuiltintodigitalgames.Ifthatsthecase,whycantweincorporatesimilarincentivestructuresintohowweteach?Thatsthequestionthatgamificationscholarsareexploringandyoudontevenneedtechnologytodoit.Thetheoryisreallyaboutmotivationandengagement.Inunderstandinggamification,ithelpstothinkaboutyourownexperiencewithgames.Haveyourescuedtheprincess?DoyouhaveafarminFarmville?HaveyoueverventuredintoWorldofWarcraft?Ifyoudo,thinkabouthowthesegamesmotivateengagement.Someexamplesofhowtoincorporategamificationintoinstruction:Turnassignmentsintoselfpacedchallengesorquests.Youcangivestudentsseveralquestsandallowthemtheoptionofchoosingwhichtopursue.Giveoutpointsorbadgesforstudentachievements.Theseneednotbeextracredit,butyoucanturnitintoacompetition,visiblyrecognizingthosethatareleadinginpoints,orincertaincategoriesorthemes.Designyourassignmentsorinstructionsothattherearelevelsofachievement.RequirestudentstopassonelevelbeforemovingontothenextRelatedtotheitemabove,youcanhaveeachlevelendwithamonsterchallenge,i.e.aharderassignmentoractivitythatmaytakeseveralattemptstocompletesuccessfullyThinkaboutstructuringgroupassignmentssimilarlytolargemultiplayergames.Groups,forexample,canbechosenbasedonabilities(orpoints).
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Theresagreatoverview(SevenThingsYouNeedtoKnowaboutGamification)fromEDUCAUSE,accessibleherehttp://www.educause.edu/Resources/7ThingsYouShouldKnowAboutGamif/233416Ifyouwanttoknowevenmore,THEGAMIFICATIONOFLEARNINGANDINSTRUCTION:GamebasedMethodsandStrategiesforTrainingandEducationbyKarlLapp(Pfeiffer,2012)isrecentbookthatprovidessomegreatideas.SubmittedbyLauraCruzDirector,CoulterFacultyCommonsWesternCarolinaUniversitywww.wcu.edu/facctr
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TheClaremontDialogTheClaremontDialoghelpsstudentsreflectontheircurricularexperience,whetherassignment,activity,reading,orservice.Manyreflectionmodels,suchastheDEAL(Describe,Examine,andArticulateLearning)ModelforCriticalReflectionandKolbsExperientialLearningCycle,askstudentstoconsiderandmakesenseoftheirexperiences.Studentsstarttheirreflectivejourneybydescribing,forexample,afieldstudy,bothobjectivelyandpersonally.Duringadialog,participatingstudentsmaydojustthisreflectandsharewithagroupofpeerswithoutjudgmentorcommentontheirfieldstudywork.Ifstudentsdonotwishtoshare,theymaypasstheirturnaroundthecircle.TheClaremontDialogisanexampleofcontemplativepedagogy,anincreasinglyhottopicinhighereducation.TheCenterforContemplativeMindinSocietyexploresanumberofpracticesthatdrawuponmindfulnessandreflectiontechniquesfrombothreligiousandseculartraditions,suchasthepracticedescribedhere.TheClaremontDialogtakesadvantageofsomeconventionaldiscussiontoolssuchasagendasandclearobjectivestofacilitatedynamicandfocusedlearning.However,itisstructuredtocounteractsomeoftheissuessometimesassociatedwithclassroomdiscussions,suchasgivingampleopportunityforquietorshystudentstovoicetheiropinions.Ingeneral,theClaremontDialogdrawsfromquestionssuchas,Howdoes___feel?,Whatwasyourexperiencewith___?,andWhatdidIlearnaboutmyselffrom___?Thedialogisalsoconsideredconfidential,andthereisnojudgmenteitherduringoraftertheexperience.Itallowsforcriticalselfreflectioninasupportivegroupenvironment.Inpractice,theclass:
Formsacircle Takesamomentofsilence/meditation Theleader/instructor(whoispartofthecircle),explainstherulesfortheClaremontDialogas
wellastheobjectivesofthisparticulardialog(perhapsincludingaguidingquestion) Theleadershareshis/herexperienceorresponsetotheguidingquestion Studentsaregivenopportunitytoparticipatebysharingtheirexperiencesasthedialogmoves
aroundthecircleResources:http://www.contemplativemind.org/http://educationprogram.duke.edu/uploads/assets/DEAL%20reflection%20questions.pdfhttp://academic.regis.edu/ed202/subsequent/kolb2.htmSubmittedby:FreyaB.Kinner,InstructionalDeveloperCoulterFacultyCommonsWesternCarolinaUniversityhttp://www.wcu.edu
PersonalizePlagiarismtoPreventitsPractice Experienceisahardteacherbecauseshegivesthetestfirst,thelessonafterwards.
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VernonSandersLaw,formermajorleaguebaseballplayer(PittsburghPirates)
Strongemotionshelpcementanexperienceintolongtermmemory.Notconvinced?Thinkbackwherewereyouwhen Thefirstmanlandedonthemoon? Aprominentpoliticalfigureinyourcountrywasshot? Youfirstlearnedoftheeventsof9/11/2001? Youcelebratedanimportantmilestone?Wecanusethisphenomenontohelpourstudentslearncertainkeyconceptsmoredeeply.Forexample,letslookathowDeborahZarkerMiller,anassistantprofessorofEnglishatAndersonUniversity,makesplagiarismverypersonaltoherstudents.
First,askyourstudentstocreateanoriginalworkthatisinsomewayrelatedtoyourcourse,andtellthemtheywilleachhave60secondstopresenttheircreationtotheclass.AstudentinFoundationsofInquirymightcreateabriefvideoorwriteashortessayelaboratingononeofthedisciplinesintroducedinthatcourse;astudentinInteriorDesignmightcreateamontageofsustainablematerials;astudentinLifeSciencesmightbuilda3dimensionalmodeltorepresentastructureinthecell;astudentinEngineeringmightcreateaschematicforanew,energyefficientvehicle.Atthenextclass,aftereachstudentpresentshisorherwork,letthestudentswanderaroundandexaminethemmoreclosely.Mostlikely,youwillseearangeofcreativityandofeffortintheprojects.Tellthestudentstoidentifytheworktheyfindthemostcreativebystandingnexttoit.Somestudentswillchoosetheirownwork,butotherstudentswilllikelychoosesomeoneelses.Onceeveryonehasmadeachoice,tellthestudentstocrossoutthenameofthepersonwhocreatedtheprojecttheyarestandingby,andtowriteintheirownnamesinstead.Informthemthatyouwillgivecredittothestudent(s)whohaveidentifiedthatworkasmostcreative,nottothestudentwhoproducedit.Waitforyourannouncementtosinkin,andthenaskifthereareanyquestions.Asthediscussionevolves,thestudentswillbegintorealizetheconnectionbetweenwhathasjusthappenedandplagiarism.Perhapsexperiencingplagiarismfromtheothersidewillmakeadeeper,longerlastingimpact.Resources: Ambrose,S.A.,Bridges,M.W.,DiPietro,M.,Lovett,M.C.,andNorman,M.K.(2010).HowLearning
Works:SevenResearchBasedPrinciplesforSmartTeaching(TheJosseyBassHigherandAdultEducationSeries).JosseyBass,1edition.
Bransford,J.D.,Brown,A.L.,andCocking,R.R.(2000).HowPeopleLearn:Brain,Mind,Experience,andSchool:ExpandedEdition.NationalAcademiesPress,2edition.
Miller,DeborahZarker.(2012).ALessoninAcademicIntegrityasStudentsFeeltheInjusticeofPlagiarism.FacultyFocus.Retrieved4/24/2012fromhttp://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teachingandlearning/alessoninacademicintegrityas
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studentsfeeltheinjusticeofplagiarism/ Zull,J.E.(2002).TheArtofChangingtheBrain:EnrichingthePracticeofTeachingbyExploringthe
BiologyofLearning.StylusPublishing,1edition.Tofollowuponanyoftheseideas,pleasecontactmeatfglazer@nyit.edu.TheactivitycreatedbyDeborahZarkerMillerwasusedwithpermission.Submittedby:FrancineGlazer,PhDAssistantProvostandDirector,CenterforTeachingandLearningNewYorkInstituteofTechnologyhttp://www.nyit.edu/ctl
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Storytelling,Creativity,andClassroomManagement
Aperennialproblemformanyfacultymembersisstudentsarrivinglatetoclass.Ivefoundawaytoencouragestudentstoarriveontime,whileexercisingtheircreativity.Asoneofthepreliminaryexercisesincreatingananimation,Iaskthestudentstofirstreadaseriesofshortstoriesandthenwriteafactualaccountofsomethingthattheyhaveexperiencedthathasmadeanimpactonthem.Theyaretheninstructedtosettheirwrittenstoryasideand"perform"thestoryasastoryteller.Thisisastandardexercisecommonlyusedinmanyclassesthatinvolvecreativeexpression.Basedonthisidea,Ihavedevelopedastorytellingassignmentindealingwithstudentsthatcometoclasslate.Whenastudentcomesinaftertheclassstarts,allclassactivitystopsandthetardystudentisrequiredtotellthestoryofwhyheorsheislate.Theycannot,however,tellthetruth!Instead,theymustinventanddeliverastoryonthespotthatmakestheclassrespondasanaudience.Thestorymustbeentertaining,fantastic,emotional,orinanyotherway,engaging.Theclassthenvotesbyshowingathumbsuporathumbsdown.Ifthevotegoesinthestudent'sfavor,thentheywillsimplybemarkedlate.Iftheydonotsucceedintheireffortsthentheyaremarkedasunprepared.Thisexercisehasforcedallthestudentstobepreparedwithatleastonegoodstoryandhascompletelyeliminatedtheissueoflateness.TheexercisegetsevenbetterifIameverlatetoclass,sincetherulealsoappliestome.ThefirsttimethatIannouncedthispolicy,theinevitablehappened.HeavytrafficmademelatetothenextclassbutIhadmystoryreadytogoandthankfullydidgetathumbsup.Contributor:Prof.PeterVociMFADirector/FineArtsChairNewYorkInstituteofTechnologyYourfeedback,suggestions,andoriginalideasarealwayswelcome!Tofollowuponanyoftheseideas,pleasecontactmeatfglazer@nyit.edu.Submittedby:FrancineGlazer,PhDAssistantProvostandDirector,CenterforTeachingandLearningNewYorkInstituteofTechnologyhttp://www.nyit.edu/ctl
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ShortVideoGuidesforStudentsonEffectiveStudyStrategiesCollegestudentsfrequentlywastetimeusingineffectivestudystrategiesbecausetheyareunawareofwhichstrategiesareeffectiveordontretainthesuggestionsforeffectivestudyprovidedbytheirinstructors.StephenChew,acognitivepsychologistatSamfordUniversity,createdaseriesof5shortYouTubevideosthatdescribeeffectivestudystrategiesandexplainwhythesestrategiesproducelearningthatlasts.Ineachvideo,Chewprovidescontextanddefinestermssothataninstructorcandirectstudentstoanindividualvideoforgoodadviceonstudying.However,becauseeachvideobuildsonconceptsexplainedindetailinearliervideos,thegreatestbenefitwillbegainedbyaskingstudentstoviewallofthevideosinsequence.ThefollowingannotatedguidetothefivevideosisbasedondescriptionsprovidedbyStephenChew.VideoGuide:HowtoStudyLongandHardandStillFailorHowtoGettheMostOutofStudyingTheoverallthemeofthevideoscommunicatestwoimportantideas.First,studentswhouseineffectiveorinefficientwaysofstudyingwilldiscoverthattheystudylongandhardandstillfail.Second,studentswhouseeffectivestrategieswillgetthemostlearningoutoftheirstudytimeandwillbemorelikelytosucceed.Video1:BeliefsThatMakeYouFailOrSucceedChewexaminescommonmistakenbeliefsstudentsoftenpossessthatunderminetheirlearning.Thevideotriestocorrectthosemisconceptionswithaccuratebeliefsaboutlearning.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH95h36NChIVideo2:WhatStudentsShouldUnderstandAboutHowPeopleLearnChewintroducesasimplebutpowerfultheoryofmemory,LevelsofProcessing,thatexplainswhysomestrategiesaremorebeneficialthanothersforlearning.ApplicationoftheLevelsofProcessingmodelwhenselectingstudystrategiescanhelpstudentsimprovetheirstudy.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O7y7XEC66MVideo3:CognitivePrinciplesforOptimizingLearningChewoperationalizestheconceptoflevelofprocessingintofourprinciplesthatstudentscanusetodevelopeffectivestudystrategies.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xeHh5DnCIwVideo4:PuttingthePrinciplesforOptimizingLearningintoPracticeChewappliestheprinciplesofdeepprocessingtocommonstudysituations.Chewdescribestheconditionsinwhichthestudentsmethodfortakingnotesinclassorhighlightingtextwhilereadingcorrespondstoeithershallowordeepprocessing,withpredictableconsequencesforqualityoflearning.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9GrOxhYZdQVideo5:IBlewtheExam,NowWhat?Chewaddresseswhatstudentsshouldandshouldnotdowhentheyearnabadgradeonanexam.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVRiMkdRsUThefirstfourvideosarebasedonapresentationStephenChewmakestofreshmenatSamford,whichhedescribedinapublicationoftheAssociationforPsychologicalScienceObserver(2010).
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Chew,S.L.(2010).Improvingstudentperformancebychallengingstudentmisconceptionsaboutlearning.Observer,3(4).AvailableatthefollowingURL:http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2010/april10/improvingclassroomperformancebychallengingstudentmisconceptionsaboutlearning.htmlSubmittedby:ClaudiaJ.Stanny,Ph.D.,DirectorCenterforUniversityTeaching,Learning,andAssessmentUniversityofWestFloridauwf.edu/cutla/
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TEDResourcesIn the Fall of 2008 I distributed a TLC called TED Resources about a variety of speeches freely available online under a Creative Commons license. Please revisit the TED Talks website! In the last 4 years the TED Resources have expanded to over 1100 speeches on a very wide range of topics. You can easily locate the most appropriate speech for your needs by browsing for topic, key word, presenter, or length of speech (from 3 to 18 minutes). The site has an impressive list of presenters, including Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, anthropologist Jane Goodall, journalist Malcolm Gladwell, molecular scientist Paul Rothemund, educator Salman Khan, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and many Noble Prize winners. There are translations available in up to 84 languages. As an added bonus, the Ted Resources website also contains a searchable database of over 1400 quotes from the presentations. Visit often! Im confident the TED website will continue to expand with new, interesting, and up-to-date resources.
TED talks http://www.ted.com/talks
Themes http://www.ted.com/themes
Translations http://www.ted.com/OpenTranslationProject
Quotes http://www.ted.com/quotes
Submitted by Debi Griffin, Manager Faculty Development Center Bellarmine University
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StudentEngagementTechnique:SilentDiscussionRationale:Thiswellestablishedyetunderutilizedtechniqueisoneofmyfavoritesbecauseitsupportscriticalthinking,activeengagement,andsocial,dialogiclearning.Fromabrainbasededucationperspective,italsostimulatesareasofthebrainthatoralcommunicationdoesnot,theoreticallyencouragingtheformationofimportantneuralpathways.Finally,ithelpsbuildclassroomcommunitybecauseitisacommunicationequalizer,permittingmanyofthequieterstudentsastrongervoice.Procedure:
1. Askeachstudenttowritearesponsetoaprompt.2. Havestudentsformsmall,circulargroups.3. Askeachstudenttopassherresponsetotherightandthenreadandwritebacktotheresponse
thatispassedtoher.4. Afterstudentshavehadtimetorespond,askthemtoonceagainpasstheirpaperstotheright
sothattheyeachreceiveanewsilentdiscussionthattheywillreadandrespondto.Theyshouldbeengaginginthewholeconversation,notjusttheoriginalprompt.
5. Continuethisprocesssothateachpaperispassedtwoormorecyclesaroundthecircle.6. Allowstudentstoconverseinsmallgroupsbeforetransitioningtoawholeclassdiscussionor
concludingtheexercise.Troubleshooting: Studentsinitiallyresistthisexercise,butbytheendofthediscussion,theyareusually
energeticallyengaged.Irequirethatthesilentpartofthediscussionbesilent(exceptformomentsofappreciativelaughterasstudentsviewtheirpeersresponsestotheirideas).Oncelearned,itisasimpleprocess,butstepbystepinstructionsareessentialthefirsttimeout.
AdaptedbyKiraTrainorAssistantProfessorofEnglishCommunityCollegeofRhodeIslandSubmittedby:KarenGriscomAssistantProfessorofEnglishCoordinator,CenterforInnovativeTeaching,Learning,andAssessmentCommunityCollegeofRhodeIsland
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GotaMinuteforMyWorldview?Bysettingasidetimeforstudentstogettoknoweachotherintheearlyweeksofthecourse,professorsunderscoretheimportanceoftheinitialstudenttostudentinterchanges,acknowledgethevalueofthestudentviewpointsandthecontributionsofeachmemberoftheclass,andopenthewayforstudentstobegintovalueotherstudentsasresourcesallqualitiesofaworkingcommunity(DuffyandJones1995,p.129).Inthisweeksteachingmessage,Ioffertwosuggestionsforhelpingstudentsbecomemoreawareoftheirownpositionalitiesandgrowthwithinthecontextofyourcourse.Intheclassroom,itisafoolserrandtobeginthesemesterwithoutclearlydefiningwhatitiswewantourstudentstolearn.Oncewearticulateourlearningobjectivesanddefinewhatourstudentsshouldbeabletoknowanddobytheendoftheterm,wecandevelopacomprehensiveassessmentplanthatteststheirattainmentoftheseobjectivesatspecificpointsduringthesemester.Buttofocussolelyonstudentscontentmasterywouldbetodenyasignificantpartoftheirdevelopmentascompletebeings.Ametagoalofourworkinhighereducationmightbetohelpstudentsmovealongtheirownpathsofintellectualdevelopmenttoanendpointneitherofuscanyetsee.Ifthisisthecase,anadditionalsetofaffectiveassessmentscanmakethisgrowthapparenttostudents. Considerbeginningthesemesterwithashortactivitythathelpsstudentstakestockofhowtheirpersonalandsocialidentitiesmightinfluencetheirperspectivesoncoursetopics.BrookfieldandPreskill(2005,p.158159)describeanactivitythattheycallStandpointStatements,whichcanbeusedeffectivelyasamoreadvancedicebreakerthathelpsstudentstakestockofwheretheystandonvariousissuesvisvistheirpeersintheclass.Tocompletethisactivity,studentsbeginbywritingdownafewdemographicfactsaboutthemselves(e.g.race/ethnicity,religiousidentity,socioeconomicbackground,etc.).Studentsthenbrainstormabouthowthesefeaturesoftheiridentityshapethewaytheyviewtheworld.Youmightencouragethemtothinkevenmorespecificallyabouthowitwillshapetheirperceptionsofthecoursecontent.Forexample,astudentinananthropologycoursemightsaythathisresistancetostudyingevolutionislinkedtohisupbringingasaChristian.WhileBrookfieldandPreskillincludeathirdwrittencomponentinthisexercise,atthispointIrecommendhavingstudentsmoveintoasmallgroupdiscussionofwhattheyhavewritten.Inadditiontohelpingstudentsgettoknowoneanother,thisactivityhastheadditionalbenefitofcreatingaclassroomclimateinwhichsharingpersonalperspectivesisvalued.Permittingpersonalexperiencetobediscussedinconcertwithmoretheoreticalperspectivesallowsstudentstoclaimaknowledgebasefromwhichtheycanspeak(hooks,1994,p.148).Thisparticularlyimportantforstudentswhomayfeelalienatedfromthenormsoftraditionalacademicculture(i.e.studentsofcolor,firstgenerationstudents,etc.).Theendofthesemesteristhetimewhenwetypicallyevaluatehowfarourstudentshaveprogressedintermsofmasteringthecoursecontent.However,thiscanalsobeatimeforstudentstoselfassesstheirpersonaldevelopment.Considerusingaclosingassignmentthatencouragesstudentstoarticulatehowtheyhavebeenchangedbytheirexperiencesinyourcourse.ThiscouldbedoneasaMinutePaper(Angelo&Cross,1993)orasalettertothemselvesthatyouwillcollectandmailtotheminaspecified
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numberofweeksormonths.IfyouusedtheStandpointStatementactivityatthebeginningofthesemester,youmightencouragestudentstothinkspecificallyabouthowtheiridentitiesinfluencedtheirreceptionofcoursematerial.Youmightalsoaskwhetherornottheirperspectivesontheworldwetransformedasaresultofhavingtakenthiscourseand,ifso,how(seeMezirow1981formoreonperspectivetransformation).Howeveryouultimatelychoosetoapproachthis,bookendingyourcoursewithreflectiveactivitiesthatpromptstudentstothinkaboutwhotheyareandtheirrelationshiptoyourcoursewillturnamereclassintoameaningfullearningexperience.Thesetaskshelpthestudenttoseehowhisorheridentitiesshapethewaysinwhichheorsheperceivesthecontentofyourcourseatthebeginningofthesemesterand,inturn,howhisorherperceptionoftheworldhasbeenfurtherrefinedbythecoursecontentatthesemestersend.
WorksCitedAngelo,T.A.,&Cross,K.P.(1993).ClassroomAssessmentTechniques:Ahandbookforcollegeteachers
(2ndEditioned.).SanFrancisco,CA:JosseyBass.Brookfield,S.D.,&Preskill,S.(2005).DiscussionasaWayofTeaching:ToolsandTechniquesfor
DemocraticClassrooms.SanFrancisco,CA:JosseyBass.Duffy,D.K.,&Jones,J.W.(1995).TeachingWithintheRhythmsofhteSemester.SanFrancisco,CA:
JosseyBass.hooks,b.(1994).TeachingtoTransgress:EducationasthePracticeofFreedom.NewYork,NY:
Routledge.Mezirow,J.(1981).ACriticalTheoryofAdultLearningandEducation.AdultEducationQuarterly,32,3
24.LaurenMillerGriffith,Ph.D.FacultyCenterforInnovativeTeachingCentralMichiganUniversity
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APrimeronCriticalThinking
CriticalThinking:Awellcultivatedcriticalthinker:
a. raisesvitalquestionsandproblems,formulatingthemclearlyandprecisely;b. gathersandassessesrelevantinformation,andeffectivelyinterpretsit;c. comestowellreasonedconclusionsandsolutions,testingthemagainstrelevantcriteria
andstandards;d. thinksopenmindedlywithinalternativesystemsofthought,recognizingandassessing,
asneedbe,theirassumptions,implications,andpracticalconsequences;ande. communicateseffectivelywithothersinfiguringoutsolutionstocomplexproblems.f. Criticalthinkingis,selfdirected,selfdisciplined,selfmonitored,andselfcorrective
thinking.Itentailseffectivecommunicationandproblemsolvingabilities(Paul&Elder,2002,p.15).
Facione(2004)describedcognitiveskillsandaffectivedispositionsassociatedwithcriticalthinking.Theseinclude:
CriticalThinkingandtheLearningEnvironment:
a.Formulatediscussionsandquestionstoimproveadultlearnerscriticalthinkingskills:Clarity Couldyouelaboratefurther? Couldyougivemeanexample?Accuracy Howcouldwefindoutifthatistrue? Howcouldweverifyortestthat? Precision Couldyougivememoredetails? Couldyoubemoreexact?
Interpretation;Analysis
Evaluation
InferenceExplanation
Self-Regulation
Open-minded
Analytical;Judicious
Systematic inquisitiveTruth seeking
Confident in reasoning
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Relevance Howdoesthatrelatetotheproblem? Howdoesthathelpuswiththeissue? Depth Whatfactorsmakethisadifficultproblem? Whataresomeofthecomplexitiesofthisquestion?BreadthDoweneedtolookatthisfromanotherperspective? Doweneedtoconsideranotherpointofview? Logic Doesallthismakesensetogether? Doeswhatyousayfollowfromtheevidence? Significance Isthisthecentralideatofocuson? Whichofthesefactsaremostimportant?Fairness DoIhaveanyvestedinterestinthisissue?
AmIsympatheticallyrepresentingtheviewpointsofothers?(Paul&Elder,2006).
b.Planauthentictaskswhichaddressimportantissuesorproblems.c.Replicatereallifesituationswithinthediscipline.
d.Restructurelearningtopromotehigherlevelthinking(SeeBloomstaxonomy). e.Promoteactivelearningbyplanninginductiveteachinglearningmethodssuchas: GuidedInquiry; Problembased; Projectbased;and Casebaselearning.Resources:Svinicki&McKeachie,2011;Huba&Freed,2000;Paul&Elder,2006;Prince&Felder,2006.
SubmittedbyValerieLopes,PhDSenecaCollege,CanadaProfessor,CentreforAcademicExcellence
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WiththeCommunity,NotJustInItItusuallytakesmorethanthreeweekstoprepareagoodimpromptuspeech.
MarkTwainCommunityengagement,gainingascendancyinrecentyearsforsomedisciplines,bringsgreatpromiseforstudentsandteachersasamemorableandmeaningfulapproachtoeducation.Aburgeoningliteraturecharacterizesmanyaspectsofthispedagogy,butanumberofclearprincipleshelpensureaqualitycommunitybasedlearningexperienceforallparticipants.validityofthetextBythinkingofthecommunityasatext,specificallyselectedformaximumimpactintheclassroomaswellasbeyondit,selectionofacommunitysiteorpartnerparallelstheagonizingselectionofatextbook.Withnoperfecttextoutthere,teachersmustchoosealocationororganizationforstudentsthatwillhelpthemtestoutthetheoriestheylearnintheclassroom,balancingtheshortcomingsandthepositiveattributesofthesource.Instructorsshouldconsiderthedifficultyofthecommunityagencyastext,howeasilyitcanbereadandunderstoodbystudents,andhowpoisedforhighlighting,underlining,andnotetakingtheagencyanditsstaff,volunteers,andclientsmightbe.reciprocityFromtheperspectiveofthefaculty,onewaytoguaranteeasuccessfulcollaborationwithstudentsandcommunitypartnersistoconsiderthereciprocityofsuchanundertakingforallpartiesconcerned.Communityengagedactivitythusrepresentsnotjustaonewaystreet,withstudentsandfacultydroppingintothecommunity,withlittlecareorconcernaboutthetrueneeds,thesuccessofsomeapproachesoverothers,andtheabilitytohearandunderstandwhathappenswhenthevitalenergyofstudentsfindsitswayintothecity.Therecanbenothingmoredeeplysatisfyingthanforastudenttoknowthetaskstheyhaveundertakenreallydomatteranddomakeadifferenceforothers.Havingthatgoodfeelingintheendrequiresmuchlistening,anopennesstoothers,andadeepconnectiontothecommunitybythefacultymember.initforthelongtermBylivinginaplace,onebeginstoknowitmoredeeplyandthuscomprehendtheneedsofitsconstituents,organizations,andcommunityasawhole.Communitybasedworkcallsforfacultytoleavetheiroffices,classrooms,andstudios,andbeinthecityonitsstreets,patronizingitsretailestablishmentsandservices,lettingitscultureseepintothefacultylife.Bylisteningcloselyandexaminingwherethecommunitydoesnotquitecometogetherorwheretheremightbefrictionorwherethereexistsaneedtobemetthesecracksandfissuresprovidegoldenopportunitiesforfaculty,students,andinstitutionstotr
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