We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience. - John Dewey Spring is finally here! It could be a good time to plan ahead for a fresh start with your lessons. In a recent workshop about lesson planning, I assigned some “homework” to the workshop participants – yes, the veteran teacher in me can’t control myself – to take time after each class session to reflect on several key things. Of course, it is best to do this while it is still fresh in your memory to get the biggest impact.
Accomplishing those key items involves using your resources, which include online materials, reference books, articles provided in this newsletter each month (see below), and each other! Discuss your lesson results with your peers who teach in the same courses to determine how your lesson aligns with and can complement others that come before and after yours. Together you may be able to plan activities that reinforce course material or even feed into a cumulative assessment. You could also practice presenting your lesson with those peers to get feedback on your delivery or to revise concept presentation. I am sure they would love to have you return the favor, and you can learn from each other in the process. Learning = Experience + Reflection Spring into action! Take the opportunity to grow while your students are learning. You are learning how to improve what you provide to them as they are learning the material. Any questions the students ask you about your lessons can inform your reflection and revision efforts. You can also ask students for feedback during those conversations. The more reflective you are, the more effective you are. - Hall and Simeral Not only should you reflect on how each lesson went, but also on your overall teaching goals and philosophy. Spring is a nice time to really focus on this process as the academic year starts to wind down. It is good practice to dust off your teaching philosophy regularly to ensure it still is an accurate representation of you as an instructor. Commonly teaching philosophies change as instructors grow professionally and confidence in their teaching ability blossoms. The following linked article may be helpful to you to get started in the self-reflection process. It provides some good questions to ask yourself in the process. Be honest and truly challenge yourself for the best results. No one else needs to know how you answer your own questions. Why should teachers pause and engage themselves in self-reflection? Here is why it's important to engage in self-reflect, by Beth Lewis, June 6, 2016, ThoughtCo. We cannot start over, but we can begin now, and make a new ending. - Zig Ziglar Another item I suggested for the workshop homework is to consult with CTL for any assistance or reviews. There’s no better time to do it than when things are fresh in your mind or you are working on a little spring renewal of your lessons for upcoming uses. We in CTL are here, not just in spring but anytime, to provide that little bit of fertilizer to help your garden of great ideas flourish just a little more! Continued success, Kerry Dr. Kerry Gregoryk, CTL Director Upcoming Workshops
![]() 2nd Annual “Speed Geeking” Friday, April 28 at Noon in Munroe We want you! Come geek out with us! This CTL workshop is an opportunity to learn multiple educational technology tools or techniques in a short time. Participants will rotate among table groupings to learn one topic at a time for approximately 7 minutes before moving onto the next one. You might want to plan for a 5-minute demonstration and allow 2 minutes for questions. What do you geek out about? Please respond with your proposal for your topic to share with your peers. Ideas might be effective ways to annotate slides, using interactive websites, unique assessment techniques using technology, D2L innovation, or whatever you feel is just geeky enough that others will want to know. Submit your speed geeking profile! Simply reply to this email and add in your answers here or attach a document and send to [email protected] . Proposals due by April 14. I will notify you with more information by April 20. • Your name and Dept.: • Speed Geeking Topic Title: • Short description (if not evident from title): • Additional Information, if needed (include equipment requests if you need more than the monitor at your table group in Munroe) Thank you! This should be a fun to find your geeky matches!! SoTL CornerEach month, CTL will share links to articles and multimedia items of interest that fit current DMU activities. These will be archived with each newsletter for your future reference.
Boser, U. (2017, Mar 14). What Do People Know About Excellent Teaching and Learning? American Progress. Dallimore, E. J., Hertenstein, J. H., & Platt, M. B. (2017, Mar 27). How Do Students Learn from Participation in Class Discussion? Faculty Focus. Figlio, D. N., & Shapiro, M. (2017, Feb 24). Are Great Teachers Poor Scholars? Inside Higher Ed. Flaherty, C. (2017, Feb 23). Large Scale Assessment without Standardized Tests. Inside Higher Ed. Flaherty, C. (2017, Mar 23). Model for Success: New paper proposes framework for supporting the needs of pretenure faculty members, namely making sure they're poised to find intrinsic motivation. Inside Higher Ed. Guarnera, A. (2017, Feb 24). The Focused Classroom: Minimizing Distraction in a Frenetic Age. Inside Higher Ed. Gooblar, D. (2017, Mar 15). Can a Failing Grade Motivate a Student? Vitae: Pedagody Unbound. Kemenetz, A. (2017, Mar 22). You Probably Believe Some Learning Myths: Take Our Quiz To Find Out. nprEd. LaGrow, M. (2017, Mar 13). From Accommodation to Accessibility: Creating a Culture of Inclusivity. EDUCAUSE. Lewis, B. (2016, Jun 6). The Value of Self-Reflection for Success in Teaching: Examining What Worked And What Failed In The Past Can Lead To Future Triumphs. ThoughtCo. Magna Publications. (2017). Four Ways to Teach More Effectively. The Teaching Professor, 4. Magna Publications. (2017, Mar). Multitasking While Studying for an Exam. The Teaching Professor, 5. Miller, M. D. (2015, Sep 24). Learning from PowerPoint: is it time for teachers to move on? The Conversation. Mintz, S. (2017, Feb 28). Reimagining the Academic Experience: New models, new delivery methods, new faculty roles. Inside Higher Ed. Tapscott, D., & Tapscott, A. (2017, Mar 13). The Blockchain Revolution and Higher Education. EDUCAUSE. Taylor, Steven. Connections Between Instructional Quality, Student Outcomes and Institutional Finances. (2017, Mar 14). Higher Ed Today. Weimer, M. (2014, Mar 26). What's Your Learning Philosophy? Faculty Focus: Weimer, M. (2016, Apr 22). Active Learning: Surmounting the Challenges in a Large Class. Faculty Focus. Weimer, M. (2017, Mar 8). What Can We Learn from End-of-Course Evaluations? Faculty Focus. Young, J. R. (2017, Feb 23). What Students Want Their Professors to Know About Edtech. EdSurge News.
0 Comments
|