Fall Conference Fortunes
Fortunes
ONE
Collecting and responding to
mid-semester feedback benefits all.
Visit this site for more information: https://www.gvsu.edu/ftlc/ftlc-mid-semester-interview-about-teaching--96.htm
TWO
Who is doing the thinking in your course?
This article has some ideas about sharing the thinking WITH students, starting with the syllabus and course planning:
COMMENTARY: Start With the Syllabus: HELPing Learners Learn Through Class Content Collaboration, Kristen C. Blinne, College Teaching, Vol. 61, No. 2 (April-June 2013), pp. 41-43. Article Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23525172
THREE
Stories matter. Begin class with a story
to help motivate & connect students.
Consider viewing the 20-Minute Mentor program: How Can I Enhance Class Using Story, Popular Media & Objects? Contact the Pew FTLC for your access code to a library of 20-minute video-based professional development opportunities. https://www.gvsu.edu/ftlc/20-minute-mentor-commons-39.htm
FOUR
Be authentic. Be yourself in the classroom.
Your students will notice.
Consider the following study of instructor authenticity: Kreber, C. (2010). Academics’ teacher identities, authenticity, and pedagogy. Studies in Higher Education, 35 (2), 171-194. DOI: 10.1080/03075070902953048
FIVE
You are fortunate to teach at GVSU.
For a private consultation,
Visit this site for more information: https://www.gvsu.edu/ftlc/ftlc-services-for-individuals-departments-and-programs-99.htm
SIX
Do you teach as though ALL of your students
can learn?
Maryellen Weimer's book Learner-Centered Teaching offers fabulous, concrete suggestions for approaching teaching in new ways. For a review of her 2002 book, visit: https://academic.pg.cc.md.us/~wpeirce/MCCCTR/weimer.htm. To read the 2nd edition of this book (2013), visit the Pew FTLC Library.
SEVEN
Help your students learn to fail. This idea needs greater attention.
Learning to fail is part of becoming a self-regulated learner. Learn more here: Zimmerman, B.J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory Into Practice, 41 (2), 64-70.
EIGHT
Expect great things and great things will come (in your students’ papers).
Here are a few websites that offer advice on designing effective writing assignments. Also consider contacting the Writing Center for a consultation.
https://writing.umn.edu/tww/assignments/designing.html
https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/teaching/wassign/
https://www.gvsu.edu/sws/index.cfm?id=666E4B7A-0434-43BD-1003B57D1D21869A
NINE
Education is not the filling of a pail,
but the lighting of a fire. - Yeats
For a plethora of ideas, consider downloading this free report from Magna Publications: Building Student Engagement: 15 Strategies for the College Classroom
TEN
What we learn with pleasure
We never forget. - Alfred Mercier
Have you ever considered studying the use of humor in your classroom? Well, do I have the paper for you: Banas, J. A., Dunbar, N., Rodriguez, D., and Liu, S. (2011). A review of humor in education settings: Four decades of research. Communication Education, 60 (1), 115-144. DOI: 10.1080/03634523.2010.496867.