Here are some teaching strategies shared at Great Teachers Summit.
Friday, November 4, 2016
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Critical Thinking Resources
Below are two of my favorite critical thinking books. They are filled with suggestions on how to facilitate higher-order thinking in students. Please feel free to add to this list!
Ruggiero, Vincent R. (2003). Making Your Mind Matter: Strategies for Increasing Practical Intelligence.
Halpern, Diane F. (2003). Thought & Knowledge: An Introduction to Critical Thinking (4th ed.)
[These are both from my library and have proven to be valuable resources. I imagine there could very well be more recent editions of both.]
Ruggiero, Vincent R. (2003). Making Your Mind Matter: Strategies for Increasing Practical Intelligence.
Halpern, Diane F. (2003). Thought & Knowledge: An Introduction to Critical Thinking (4th ed.)
[These are both from my library and have proven to be valuable resources. I imagine there could very well be more recent editions of both.]
Monday, October 31, 2016
Teaching Challenges
Hello GTS Participants!
I have struggled trying to figure out how to post all of the teaching challenges that we captured from our Friday together. Rather than create about 25 posts, I'm going to list them here. When you reply, hopefully you can revise the subject line and indicate which challenge you're responding to. I took the liberty of grouping some of the challenges that seemed fairly similar. If I've left one out, please feel free to post an additional challenge.
I. Working with groups. This was a recurring theme of challenges, including how to manage group work in large classes, how to effectively design/lead/facilitate group activities, and how to make group work more effective.
II. Attendance issues, such as requiring it, how to manage it, etc.
III. Student attitudes. This was a topic that included students not wanting be there, students who make ongoing excuses and not taking responsibility for their actions, etc.
IV. Millennial generation. This is a broad topic and includes how to work with these students, how to cultivate a beginner's mind, and how to address the under-preparedness of many of them.
V. Assessment challenges--creating a balanced approach of assessment that creates accountability and variety without additional busywork. Related to this is the challenge of overwhelming students with content and passing students who might not be qualified.
VI. Managing learner differences, including skill levels, learning style preferences, and identifying the differences.
VII. Diverse student demographics, including multiple cultural backgrounds, nationalities, and generations. How do we create curriculum that is beneficial to all?
VIII. Math literacy issues. The extreme negative attitudes towards math is an obstacle to learning and moving forward; America has failed in preparing students in math and logic--and it is adversely affecting student success in college.
IX. English as a second language students. Many courses have specialized language/vocabulary and many of these students simply can't keep up--and if affects their success rates.
I have struggled trying to figure out how to post all of the teaching challenges that we captured from our Friday together. Rather than create about 25 posts, I'm going to list them here. When you reply, hopefully you can revise the subject line and indicate which challenge you're responding to. I took the liberty of grouping some of the challenges that seemed fairly similar. If I've left one out, please feel free to post an additional challenge.
I. Working with groups. This was a recurring theme of challenges, including how to manage group work in large classes, how to effectively design/lead/facilitate group activities, and how to make group work more effective.
II. Attendance issues, such as requiring it, how to manage it, etc.
III. Student attitudes. This was a topic that included students not wanting be there, students who make ongoing excuses and not taking responsibility for their actions, etc.
IV. Millennial generation. This is a broad topic and includes how to work with these students, how to cultivate a beginner's mind, and how to address the under-preparedness of many of them.
V. Assessment challenges--creating a balanced approach of assessment that creates accountability and variety without additional busywork. Related to this is the challenge of overwhelming students with content and passing students who might not be qualified.
VI. Managing learner differences, including skill levels, learning style preferences, and identifying the differences.
VII. Diverse student demographics, including multiple cultural backgrounds, nationalities, and generations. How do we create curriculum that is beneficial to all?
VIII. Math literacy issues. The extreme negative attitudes towards math is an obstacle to learning and moving forward; America has failed in preparing students in math and logic--and it is adversely affecting student success in college.
IX. English as a second language students. Many courses have specialized language/vocabulary and many of these students simply can't keep up--and if affects their success rates.
Friday, October 21, 2016
Welcome and Purpose of This Blog
Welcome to the Great Teachers' Summit 2016 Blog! We wanted to create a space that would keep the conversation going and to share our collective insights. Use this blog to:
- Ask questions (either follow-ups to our session discussions or new ones)
- Share your insights on everything related to our teaching practice
- Post your ideas, best practices, and solutions related to our teaching practice
We will keep this blog active for 3 months. If there is ongoing interest, we can certainly keep it going longer!
For blogs to have meaning and value, they need to be used! Please login from time to time, and keep this learning community strong.
Winner of the Tolman Challenge
By acclamation, the winning joke was:
If Donald Trump was running for president in the 1840s, which political party would he belong to?
The Whig (wig) party
Runner-up:
At their dual, Hamilton saw that Burr was wearing a bullet-proof vest. His last word?
"It's RIGGED!"
If Donald Trump was running for president in the 1840s, which political party would he belong to?
The Whig (wig) party
Runner-up:
At their dual, Hamilton saw that Burr was wearing a bullet-proof vest. His last word?
"It's RIGGED!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)