Or at least make it better/easier/more engaging/inclusive!
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
Faculty Focus have shared another great article, this time on lesson learned during a first year of teaching as a full-time clinical assistant professor.
Anne Peri Koba shares her experience and offers some wonderful examples of theory in practice. I'm going to share a few of my favorites below.
Greetings before Meetings involves posting a welcome and introduction on whatever platform (Blackboard, Moodle, etc.) and asking students to reply to a short introduction questionnaire. This questionnaire gathers important information about the student such as preferred name and pronouns, as well as career aspirations and favorite food.
Why favorite food you may ask? And why career aspirations? According to Koba (2023), "The food choice helps me understand a bit about their cultural background, while knowledge of their career dreams enables me to tailor class topics to their interests." I think if you can link something mentioned in class to a student's career interests then they are more likely to listen and remember as it relates directly to them.
Next up is "Think-Pair-Share". This was something I came across when receiving feedback about experiential learning from Glenn, my 3100 instructor. Koba (2023) suggests allowing students the opportunity during lectures to think about a prompt and then discuss it with their neighbors before sharing it with the class. This encourages the quieter students to engage with the class, as well as facilitation learning and comprehension for everyone.
I have used something similar in a seminar I run at work where our team will share examples of amazing and extraordinary service they've received in pairs, before selecting one story to share with the group. We then pick out common themes that are referred to and supported throughout the rest of the session.
Finally, Exit Tickets are mentioned. Koba (2023) shares these exit tickets with her students at the end of each session to gather feedback as well as encourage reflection on what was learned and any areas for further study. Encouraging feedback lets students know we care what they think (as long as we do something with their feedback) as well as allows them to show their understanding, or ask for additional help if needed.
This is something I will be adding to my feedback forms. A simple, "Were there any topics covered today you would like further information or clarification on?" This will help me support the learning outcomes of my seminars as well as supporting the students in their learning.
So go and check out Koba's article here, and comment below on your favorite parts!
References
Koba, A (2023) A Transformative Journey: Lessons from My First Year. Faculty Focus.
Comments