Teaching Tip – TTT

Typically, we publish one TTT (Teaching, Tech, and Tidbit) every two weeks, featuring articles, resources, and more. During alternate weeks, we issue ‘In the Center,’ which highlights upcoming events. I am breaking the cycle this week because Catherine Stuer shared such a fantastic New Yorker article that I wanted to get it in your hands as soon as possible.

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I’ve been beating the AI drum pretty hard, so I will let our friends in ETS share an AI resource I found last week. It’s a fantastic guide—be sure to check it out! This week, I’m circling back to a piece, Simple ways to support student mental health in class, that Becky Supiano featured in her Chronicle newsletter at the beginning of August.

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As my head slowly comes out of summer mode and I look toward the fall, it’s time to review and refine my syllabi. Our friend, Kevin Gannon, has updated his Chronicle piece, “How to create a syllabus,” with a handy table of contents link and a section on artificial intelligence. Gannon talks about the importance of workshopping—collaboratively reviewing and refining  – your course syllabus with input from peers or experts.

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In conversations at our last Denison Teaching Seminar, I would casually ask, “Any interesting summer plans?” After about three of these queires, I had to pivot to, “Any non-work-related interesting summer plans?” You see, my original intent was to see what travel plans or other fun activities my junior colleagues were planning. Instead, like many of us, they reverted to the guilt-ridden ‘this has to be a productive summer or else’ mode.

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Recently, I bemoaned the poor attendance record of my students this semester. By mid-semester, over half were chronically absent, having missed 10% or more of their classes. I followed that piece with this one: It’s Time to Start Teaching Your Students How to Be a Student. This led some faculty members to call for a larger Denison-wide conversation on this issue.

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How can a simple acknowledgment of a student’s curiosity foster a greater sense of belonging and self-efficacy? ‘That’s a Great Question!’: The Value of Positive Faculty Feedback highlights the significant impact of faculty responses to student inquiries, especially in STEM fields. Authored by Lora E. Park, this research emphasizes the positive outcomes for students—particularly women—when faculty engage with student questions in a supportive manner. 

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Congratulations! We’ve passed the halfway mark—specifically, we’re at the 8/14 point, counting full weeks of instruction. How do we ensure our students maintain their momentum and finish the semester strong? A helpful page from Georgia State University offers ten insightful tips for students. Among these is the Pomodoro technique. A time management strategy developed in the late 1980s, this approach breaks work into focused intervals, separated by short breaks, enhancing productivity and focus.

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With midterm grades on the horizon and the promise of spring break just around the corner, this is a perfect opportunity to embrace some self-care and introspection. This short, thoughtful piece from the Chronicle offers valuable advice on safeguarding your personal time and space, while also encouraging a mindful approach to your mental well-being. Wishing you a break that is both restful and rejuvenating.

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As we start the sixth week of the semester, we are in the thick of it. You’ve probably already had at least one major grade or are about to, and you are finding which students have figured out how to study and which have not. Our friend Stephen Chew (a cognitive psychologist who visited Denison under Frank Hassebrock) has some excellent resources that will help you help those students.

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