Something that may be of interest
“There is no dumb question.”
“Take risks.”
“Reach beyond the comfortable to learn new perspectives and skills.”
Have you ever used those phrases or similar with your students? I know I have. But do I promote a learning environment that supports my claims and encouragements? Not always.
The article 4 Questions to Ask to Promote Student Learning by JT Torres gives us four simple questions to ask ourselves to ensure our learning environment aligns with our encouragement.
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Many of us are having student presentations by this time of the semester. Many of these will involve PowerPoint or similar presentation programs. Consider sharing these simple-to-use infographics with your student to help them up their PPT game.
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In the last TTT, I shared that I lecture. In this round of resources, we see a slight variation that I strive for called dynamic lecturing. The goal of dynamic lecturing is to get the learners more involved.
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Let me be honest – I lecture. While I intersperse active learning activities throughout, a large portion of my course content is presented through lectures. But how do I know if my students understand? Are they picking up what I am putting down?
Many of us use the formative classroom assessment known as the muddiest point, allowing learners to share the material or idea they least understood. Unfamiliar with the practice or want to take it to the next level?
Are you looking for some active learning ideas? The Active Learning Library is a free online resource that lets instructors browse over 40 learning activities and filter them according to their goals and interests. For example, instructors can search for activities that provide formative feedback, support small group engagement, build metacognitive skills, or don’t take too long to prepare.
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Tidbit – The Junk Drawer CVI just finished my senior review. After the fact, I realized I forgot to mention a significant activity that slipped off my radar. Had I used a junk drawer CV, I might have caught my error. In Support of the Junk, Drawer CV describes how to create a document that is an easily accessible file tucked in your storage drive to record high points and low points in your career endeavors. |
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Tidbit – The Worst Career Advice I Have ReceivedOften we’re given a list of suggestions that are supposed to help us improve, for example, career advice. In this Chronicle article, Aaron Basko goes in the opposite direction – he shares bad advice he received over the years. Just like a non-example can illuminate an idea – raining cats and dog is not a simile – Basko’s bad advice may help us avoid similar pitfalls. |
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Tidbit – How to Make the Most of an Academic ConferenceIt is exciting to see colleagues return to their academic meetings. While we are not at pre-pandemic levels, the number of “sorry, away at a conference” email responses I get has increased significantly. Have an upcoming conference? This easy-to-skim Chronicle article, How to Make the Most of an Academic Conference, gives some great advice on how to make your meetings productive. |
