Ruoxu's Reading Note #1

When reading Davis’s tips of defining and limiting course content, I am particularly interested in how to select appropriate topics for the syllabus. Davis says designing course is like packaging for a long trip. She asks us to list things that we deem important for the students and then pull out things that are less important. For the materials assigned to the students, she divided the materials into three categories, basic materials, recommended materials and optional materials. She also suggests us to draw a concept map to determine the topic to be put into the syllabus. This is similar to the method of selecting the related issues toward a speech topic.

On the section of creating a syllabus, Nilson tells us to use a simple layout for the hard-copy syllabus handout. This is quite useful when I am facing a group of students who have just entered the college. He suggests of using headings, text boxes, bulleted lists, and graphics to highlight information, which I agree a lot as a visual oriented syllabus is more approachable than a heavy text one. Matejka and Kurke also suggest of ending the syllabus in a positive, upbeat fashion, such as including a quote, relevant graphics and encouraging words.

I am surprised to see that Davis even mentions about describing procedures for emergencies in the syllabus, which I have almost never seen in any other syllabus. This might be a good point to mention in my future syllabus, considering about the annual flooding season in Fargo, providing the numbers of campus security and mentions the period when the classes may be cancelled is a must.

Davis also provides a very helpful checklist of syllabus from page 28 to page 31. It includes the basic information, course description, materials, requirements, policies, schedule, resources, statement of accommodation, evaluation, rights and responsibilities, safety and emergency preparedness and disclaimer. I may use this checklist as a guide for my future syllabus.

The chapter of holding office hours is very personable and thoughtful. I really enjoy reading the information such as how to encourage students to attend office hours and how to conduct office hours. Nilson says to stay after class and stay friendly and accessible to the students. He also mentions about arriving early to the class and talk with students. I am not doing a good job of communicating with student before the class starts. I just open my PowerPoint and wait for the bell rings. Maybe I should use this time to chat with them and learn about their names so that they may use the office hours to disclose their concerns to me. Davis also suggests of asking students about the course in general, such as the amount of assignment, readings and lectures, after I have answered their questions. I can use this opportunity to check on myself as well as getting to know their impressions on me.

The email, text messages, and instant messages chapter is quite self-explanatory. We communicate with student everyday via emails. One point the book mentions well is to pause before send. I sometimes make grammatical errors in the email since English is not my first language. Doing a double check before I send the email will increase my credibility. The students probably won’t like to see a teacher who uses poor language.

Lang mentions in the syllabus chapter that we should list any expectations we have on our students about classroom behaviors, such as asking the student to take notes on the lectures. I do not include this point in the syllabus, which I later regret a lot as I have to make the verbal requirement to the students almost every class. Writing the expectations on the syllabus will make the students pay attention to it.

Lang also describes about letting the students do some weekly writing exercise which will increase their understanding. I agree with this and I am asking my students to write down the answers whenever I am doing an in-class activity. I also collect their answers after class and give credits to them. This will probably motivate them to treat the activity seriously.

Nancy's Reading Notes #1

After recently completing a week long training session for Graduate Teaching Assistants, I have to say that the readings we have been assigned for this edition of our “Reading Notes,” supplied a new look into the preparation which takes place “behind the scenes.” In our training session we were supplied a course syllabus and were told we could add to it; however, the syllabus itself was already (technically) complete. The chapters we were instructed to read in Lang’s text, and especially in Davis’ text, really helped pave the way for organizing and structuring a class syllabus, as well as a course in general, from beginning to end.

One particular idea which comes to mind was discussed in the very beginning of Davis’ text in chapter one. Here, she explains that an instructor should focus more on teaching what they hope the students will learn, compared to where the instructor’s interests lay (p. 3). I found this idea to be simple, yet eye opening. I plan on teaching communication courses moving forward, and I find this field to be extremely fascinating. This idea should be further discussed in class because we as instructors need to make sure we do not fall into the problem of teaching topics because we “love” them, rather than really honing in on topics and ideas students must learn to gather a stronger understanding of the course. I feel as though our enthusiasm for teaching should be present while we are actually going through the motions of teaching the course; yet, we should make sure that the learning objectives are tailored around what the students need to know.

Davis goes on to explain how when creating your syllabus, it is beneficial to “include more rather than less material” (p. 22). This point really resonates with me because I was always told that a syllabus is sort of like a contract between an instructor and his/her students. It includes expectations, procedures, and tasks, while also including grading criteria and contact information to help the students succeed. Even though it is always good to include a good amount of information to help the students understand what is expected, we have to ask ourselves, how much information is too much on a course syllabus? We do not want to overwhelm students, but we have to make sure all of the grading criteria is clearly stated.

Lang describes a section of the syllabus in which instructors include learning objectives, and mentions how in this section of the syllabus instructors, “are explaining to students what they will know and be able to do as a result of taking your course” (p. 6). Although, will they really just “know” this material by the end of the course. I believe it is extremely important to inform students that they will not just soak up information through osmosis, but that they must apply themselves to learn the material. We also have to ask ourselves, should we continue to list out every single detail on a course syllabus, or should we hold students accountable for understanding what we expect of them? After all, we are teaching college-aged students. Will we be “giving” the students grades, or will they have to “earn” them?

Hailey's Reading Notes #1

In preparation for creating a syllabus and designing a course, I felt like the chapters that we read provided a great background of things to keep in mind during syllabus construction. While it wasn’t as beneficial to discuss matters of office hours and how to write plagiarism requirements, it was helpful and interesting to view the syllabus as a tool that illustrates how you will achieve the learning objectives of the semester.

The first section in Davis that discusses the general strategies for designing a course states, “Let your decisions be guided by what you want your students to accomplish.” (Davis, pg. 3)

I think this is a great theme to stand by when creating a course. What is the goal for your course? What do you want your students to take away from your class? I took many undergraduate courses, especially general education courses, where I felt that the main goal was simply to pass. I was focused on achieving a high grade as opposed to achieving a greater breadth of knowledge. I think it is the role of the instructor to not only highlight the goals of the course, but to focus on how these goals apply to all students. Lang discusses a similar idea. When planning a syllabus, he mentions that you must first think about “… what knowledge or skills students should learn in your course, and then think[ing] about the best ways for them to learn that knowledge or those skills.” (Lang, pg. 2)

To me, an instructor is not effective if they simply teach or lecture, treating all students the same. It is important to keep in mind that everyone learns in a different way. For most, simply lecturing is not an effective means of instruction if you don’t find some way for your students to connect more deeply to the material. “… teach[ing] through the lens of learning, rather than focusing on teaching and letting students learn as they can.”(Lang pg. 2)

However, I’m sure this is a difficult process to achieve. It would not be possible in one semester to cater to every student’s method of learning. I would enjoy discussing in class how you make the biggest impact on the greatest number of students.

Davis describes a syllabus as a set of promises. (Davis, pg. 21) This is something I had never thought of before. As a student, I had always viewed the syllabus as a basic plan for the course with policies and procedures that was often rather overwhelming to look at during the first day of class. By calling it, “a promise”, I think it shows not only what the student will hopefully learn, but also the instructor’s dedication towards achieving the goals set out for the course. In other words, the instructor is not teaching to simply teach, but instead teaching so students can grow.

Kerrie's Reading Notes 1

While completing the reading assignments, I found the most interesting topics to me were mainly in Tools for Teaching Chapter 2: The Comprehensive Course Syllabus. Davis stated more than once that the course schedule may be flexible, but exam dates and assignment deadlines should not change (Davis, 2009). I had experience with this in my undergraduate courses. One professor would change the exam dates often and would only tell us about a week before. Although sometimes it was in our favor because exam dates would be moved back, I feel this makes it difficult for students to plan. I personally am one who likes to follow a schedule. I put all exam dates in my planner right away when I receive a syllabus for each class. I agree with Davis's statement on this issue. Having a flexible schedule for course topics is important. Depending on the students, they may need to spend more or less time on a certain topic. Regardless of how far the class is on the topics to be covered, the exams should be given on the stated dates.

Davis also mentioned, "Some instructors (DiClementi and Handelsman, 2005) let the class as a whole generate rules and strategies for managing rule violations around such issues as eating in class, sleeping in class, using cell phones, and the like" (25). I am curious if anyone has tried this before. My opinion on this is uncertain. I feel students may be more apt to follow rules if they develop them because it will be something they strongly believe. On the other hand, I feel the instructor is giving up some of their authority.

Another topic that was of interest to me is when Davis suggests giving copies of past exams, model papers, or projects (Davis, 2009). I am not sure if I agree with this. Although I am a student who likes to have an example to work off of, I do not feel college students need copies of past exams and assignments. College is a time when students should start taking responsibility and being independent. If all the students are following examples, papers and projects will be very similar between students. I feel the instructors should instead write detailed assignment sheets so that the students who read the directions carefully will not need an example.

As we discussed in class last week, it can be difficult to assess which students are learning the material. Lang states, "I would recommend including some level of weekly assignment that will ensure that students are keeping up with the assigned reading, and that will help you gauge their understanding of that reading" (13). Along with this being a way to assess students understanding, this is also a way to keep students from falling behind in class. Lang mentions that using writing exercises may be a good option for this (Lang, 2008). I feel minute papers that we discussed would be a good way to assess students' understanding on a weekly basis. I would like to discuss other ideas on this topic in class.

Adam - Reading Notes #1

TT

I was pleasantly surprised to read, “Be mindful of the high cost of textbooks,” (page 13). Amen to that. If only I could sell a $150 textbook to each student at NDSU, I could retire right now.

Page 34 states, “Students do not attend equally to all information in a syllabus.” I would expect this to be especially true when following the earlier advice to, “Include more rather than less material,” (page 22). Doesn’t an anthological, tree-killing syllabus encourage students to read even less of it?

Chapter 1 hints at interesting topics to come in 4 and 43…

Lots of common sense in these initial chapters, exemplified on page 491 with the advice to “Follow department policies.” Really? We shouldn’t take the, “Rules are meant to be broken,” approach to holding office hours and defy department policies? How conformist!

OC

I like the term coverage model to describe the wrong way to approach a class (page 1). There doesn’t appear to be any concise name given to the correct model.

“When you ask students to write out responses to a question… it increases their understanding and retention of that issue,” (page 14). Discussion is more fun than written responses (for the students and the teacher) but this does make sense; I should ask my students to write answers in class now and then.

J's Reading Notes # 1

This week’s readings focus primarily on designing, structuring and finally creating a comprehensive syllabus for the students. There is also mention of office hours and channels of instructor-student communication, which shall be addressed shortly. The readings are interesting because they tie in well with my present teaching assignment (COMM 110- How the syllabus and related policies have been framed already). They are also indicative of the kind of course I will be designing in COMM 702.  

Lang believes that the act of writing a syllabus is in fact, synonymous with course planning (Page 1).  Learning objectives for students play a vital role in syllabus writing. It is easy to follow the coverage model (Lang, page 1) which focuses on what the instructor needs to cover in the course. But, a more student-centric act would be to understand the skill-sets and knowledge that the students can take away from the course. (Lang, page 2). Davis echoes similar thoughts by suggesting that the learning outcomes be student driven (Page 3). The syllabus should be designed in a manner that it accommodates all kinds of learners (people with disabilities and the rest). Lang suggests that it is a good idea to insert an ADA statement (Americans with Disabilities Act) in the syllabus. It reflects the instructor and the institution in a more credible light (Page 16). 

There are some note-worthy points of convergence in the assigned readings. Syllabi in general should keep the semester-end and beyond as their frame of reference. That helps in delineating the learning outcomes for the students better. Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educative Objectives (1956) is a common point of reference for identifying learning outcomes. (Lang, course promises, page 6). The cognitive skills propounded by Bloom are Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation (Lang, page 7; Davis, page 5). By using words (definition, knowledge acquisition, paraphrasing, critiques etc) that further qualify these skills; the learning outcomes can be more enriched.

With an introductory course like COMM 110, there is a limit to the amount of knowledge that can be created for students. So, it makes sense to mention some skill-sets (based on taxonomies) that promise to foster students' intellectual growth (Lang, page 8). According to Davis, the skill-sets can be a function of 'content and content-neutral outcomes' which focus on specific and generic skills assimilation (Page 6). The concept of learning outcomes indicating cerebral growth looks good in writing, but might be challenging to execute. However, the integration of these elements in the course that I design in COMM 702 will be very interesting. Moreover, the reaction of the students, when informed of these lofty goals, will be fascinating to note. 

In order that the students may connect dots throughout the course, attention must be paid to the course structure. Courses can be arranged based on different time-periods, or may couple theory with applications (Davis, page 10). Davis also quotes Bergquist and Phillips (1977), when talking about organization fundamentals like Micro/Macro - fitting a specific concept to a bigger phenomenon, Distal/Proximal- Explaining a current phenomenon (proximal) by tracing its roots back to history (distal) among others. 

The concept of 'meta-question' as pointed out by Lang (page 5) felt remarkable to me. It seemed riveting to have students pivoting the course expectations around a question. This question would help the students learn more about the course in-depth. At the semester end, the final take away would be the students learning to opine on the course with their own comprehensions. 

Course policies feature standard statements related to late work, attendance, assignments etc. Lang suggests that student 'responsibilities' complement 'promises' better as opposed to policies (Lang, page 9). It's almost like investing in the students and sharing the stage with them. But, then again, I'm not sure if under graduates taking an introductory course would appreciate these subtleties. When talking about assignments, it is in the students' interests if the assignments are in line with the learning outcomes or course promises (Lang, page 12). 

Having the students co-design the syllabus sounds like a worth-trying concept (Davis, page 35). Since, it pegs the students at an equal footing with the instructor (by devising learning objectives, policies etc.), the students might feel a greater sense of belonging to the course. However, this concept might be easier to practice with graduate students who are more serious in their academic aspirations. Under-grads might just find this process tedious and unnecessary.

Office hours should be posted online and on the syllabus handed out to students. For students that missed the first session, an office hour is a good time to hold the course procedural for them. (Davis, page 492). Students might feel disarmed if the office hours (from time to time) were held in slightly informal places like coffee shops, study lounges or while walking (Davis, page 493). Some students might feel inhibited in voicing their concerns during the office hours, despite showing up. Diffusing the air with patience and a general conversation might help here (Davis, page 494).

While technology has helped push the boundaries of student-instructor communication (texting, video conferencing, instant messaging), e-mailing still is a more formal mode of communication. However, it would be an inconvenient one, if the matter at hand were a sensitive one. A face-to-face rendezvous with the student would be more productive (Davis, page 497). 

When sharing contact information with students, it's the instructor's discretion to share their personal home or cell phone number with the students. Lang believes that sharing the same is a 'symbolic gesture' indicating the instructor's enthusiasm to help out the students (Lang, page 4).

It is a good idea to point the students towards an e-mail etiquette guide which will inform the students of appropriate electronic exchanges with the instructor (Davis, page 498). The tone of the electronic exchange is an important one to watch out for, as it can be easily misinterpreted (especially by the students). When replying from a smart phone, it is advisable to have a 'sent from handheld' line in the body of the message. This will justify shorter replies and mistakes, if at all (Davis, 501).

Reading Notes #1

Reading Notes #1

The reading over the syllabus was very helpful in describing what is needed and what is important for students to know. The most interesting part would be understanding how vital it is to list minor details that normally would be overlooked but appear to be important to students. Things such as availability of office hours, how to find your office, and how to make students feel comfortable contacting you all are important.

            One piece of advice I find particularly important would be dealing with setting up the course objectives. This seems to be the core of the syllabus that helps everything else fall into place. The only problem would be how to set it up more like a “promise” as opposed to a tyrant principle. This portion of the syllabus helps students understand what they will get out of the class and also why it will be beneficial for them.

            Some of the points of discussion that I would like to further explore would be class size and the most effective way to help students learn. If I teach a class over 100 students how can I make sure that they are keeping up with the reading without spending massive hours of grading. On the other hand, if my class size is twenty or less are there new technological medias that I can use to help pique the interest of my students? I think tips of how to help students in both situations would be greater beneficial.

            One of the topics brought up that I never have dwelled on before is the Student Accommodations sections. I have never had a student in any of my classes with a special need and was curious about what types of services are out there and what problems students face. I know that some students need an extension on time for exams or they might need someone to read aloud to them, but I was curious about how to accommodate for a blind or deaf student.

            Another topic would be Academic Honesty. Discussing previous encounters with cheating or plagiarizing and also how to rate the severity of such an instance would be of great help. I don’t have any experience with teaching so it would be interesting to discuss more of the unexpected events that take place, such as disruptive behavior and outbursts in class. Planning the expected stuff such as schedules and assignments would be easier than the impromptu interruption or rude comment.

           

Kristine Farrell

Meredith - Reading Notes #1

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives was discussed by both Davis and Lang. I am interested in learning more about how to best use this taxonomy, and the others mentioned by Davis (p. 6-7), to develop learning objectives and corresponding assignments. According to Lang, learning objectives aimed at reaching the highest cognitive levels are desired (p. 8), but I imagine this will differ depending on the course level (introductory versus advanced) and perhaps even by the topic being taught. I feel this subject deserves further discussion because, as Lang pointed out, taxonomies are widely recognized and yet controversial in the area of higher education (p. 6-8). Knowledge of these taxonomies, the strengths and weaknesses of them, and how they can be used to develop learning outcomes and incorporate assignments into the courses we design would be beneficial. 

Davis provided advice about helping students to understand the amount of time they should spend on assignments related to a particular course (p. 16). I found this to be a very relevant topic because the amount of time and effort required for an assignment will likely dictate the types of projects and total number of assignments we incorporate into our courses. Davis emphasized the need to be aware of other potential demands on students’ time, including other courses, jobs, and family (p. 16). Given the diversity of students in terms of age, background, and lifestyle, it seems especially challenging to try to anticipate such demands and decide on appropriate expectations for a course. If we are able to discuss this further, I predict we will have different opinions based on our own experiences. However, additional discussion will hopefully help us to better anticipate such demands and plan accordingly when designing our courses.

I was particularly interested in the discussion of syllabus development presented by both authors. Lang offered suggestions about what information to include and how it should be written (p. 1-18). My experience as both a student and instructor has emphasized to me the role of the syllabus as a contract. Instructors can, and do, hold the student responsible for what is or is not stated on the syllabus (and vice versa). Since most of us have taught at some point and all of us have been students, I think it would be beneficial for us to discuss our thoughts on the characteristics of a well-designed syllabus. We could tie in the suggestions offered by both Davis and Lang and perhaps draft our own list of required elements of a syllabus. On that note, I was intrigued by the mention of a graphic syllabus (Davis, p. 22). I was not familiar with this so I did some research and came across some posts on The Chronicle of Higher Education website (included below). I know one challenge I have experienced with teaching is getting the students to read the syllabus. Perhaps incorporating graphics would serve to catch students’ attention? I think it would be interesting to discuss the pros and cons of using graphics on syllabi.

Jones, J. B. (2011, August 26). Creative approaches to the syllabus. Posted to http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/creative-approaches-to-the-syllabus/35621

Hara, B. (2010, October 19). Graphic display of student learning objectives. Posted to http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/graphic-display-of-student-learning-objectives/27863

NPR story on learning styles

I heard an interesting counterpoint to the theory of learning styles on NPR's Morning Edition. You can read about (or listen to) it here:

Think You're An Auditory Or Visual Learner? Scientists Say It's Unlikely

Preliminary essay

In a brief essay (I'm thinking 1 single-spaced page, but you're welcome to write more if you've got more to say), answer the following questions...

Based on the readings and your own experiences, what do you see as the #1 reward or benefit of teaching? What do you see as the primary challenges of teaching? What skills, knowledge, and/or experience do you hope to get out of COMM 702?

In response to the last question, feel free to talk about your past teaching experiences, current teaching responsibilities, and/or future teaching plans (if applicable).

This preliminary writing assignment will not be graded. It's meant to get you thinking about the issues we will be discussing in the course, and will help me tailor class activities toward your pedagogical goals. You can email it to me in advance, or bring it on the first day of class.

Melinda Reading Notes #5

I found this section of reading material to be the most helpful.  This section discussed issues that I know are going to be problem areas for me: finding and balance and “student incivilities” (Lang, 252).  I was a little disappointed that Lang talked more about balancing the various work obligations.  I was waiting for him to discuss balancing work and family/social activities as well.  This is something I would like to discuss with the class.  I know Tara mentioned the professor she interviewed made a deadline and then she stopped.  Did anyone else’s interviews offer other advice?
 
I know we would like to believe that all students are going to be the poster child, but in reality it is not going to happen.  I like how both authors separated this from academic dishonesty, which is something I may have done.  I am not a confrontational person like Lang (252).  Knowing that he was the same and sharing his strategies for handling unruly students seemed a little more doable.  I particularly like the suggestion for writing an observation about the behavior on an assignment (252-253).  This is probably what will work for me best, even if it is passive-aggressive.  I also really liked his consequences for cell phones going off in class (254).  Although, I can see some student doing it to see if I will follow through on the threat.  
 
Lang talking about having sexual attraction towards a student was very surprising (258).  You usually hear of those stories going the other way around.  I also like how he makes it very clear that you should not have a personal relationship with the student you have your school boy/girl crush on even if they aren’t in your class.  He even suggests that it still shouldn’t happen even a few years after they have left the school.  
 
I think that setting up standards from the beginning of class is a very key strategy (Davis, 48-49).  Lang has mentioned that it is better to be more strict at the beginning and loosen up as the semester than vice versa (I can’t find the page!).  It needs to be very clear at the beginning what behaviors and/or pet peeves you will not tolerate(Lang 11).  Students cannot, at the very least, claim ignorance.  
 
I did really appreciate Davis’s discussion (51-53) about “Teaching in Times of Crisis and Tragedy”.  I think this is an often overlooked area.  Ironically my class the day of Sept.  11 was psychology.  He spend sometime talking about how this would probably affect us.  He said if it was overwhelming to come talk to him and told us where the counseling center was too.  Is it something that want to do?  No, but we should be aware of the possibility that it can happen.  
 
I would like to discuss student evaluations.  How do others feel about the idea from Davis (462-467) and Lang (274-279) about seeking earlier feedback than at the end of the semester.  Which techniques do others think they would use or wouldn’t use?
 
 
 
Multiple Choice Question:
 
Which of the following is NOT a typical characteristic of white collar criminal?
) Older than 40s
) Highest education level is a high school diploma
) Male
) Has a power position in occupation
 

John's Reading notes 5

In this section of the readings we really were able to look at a number of different ways in which we as instructors could get feedback concerning our instruction and take strides to improve our classes. One of the suggestions that I most appreciated was the break students into Start/Stop/Continue groups (Gross, 465). I thought that this would be a great idea because it allows the instructor to get feedback and clarify comments in real time. Furthermore, it would reduce the number of “brown nosing” comments mentioned by Lang (277). To a certain extent, the level of anonymity is reduced when getting feedback from students in this way. However, breaking the students into groups allows some diffusion of responsibility and may help to tamp down the number of complaints made out of anger. I think this type of feedback gathering will likely lead to responses that are well thought out and have a better organization. So long as the instructor sets up a classroom climate where all comments are honestly considered, I would expect that the responses would be more constructive and have a more practical aim to them. Lang’s “To use the minute” and “The Muddiest Point” methods of assessing one’s own effectiveness, have real instructional value and can be used to ensure that the material is comprehensible (266-267). These two methods do not take much time and provide information quickly. This can help instructors make quick changes as necessary to the way the material is being covered and identify material that needs to be covered again. These methods that I just discussed were my favorite out of the suggestions presented in the readings. I would like to discuss which methods of getting feedback do the rest of us think will be the most value and/or will contribute the most to the development of our instructional practices.

On a broader note. Does anyone else feel a little overwhelmed with all of the suggestions for how to improve our teaching laid out in the readings? Obviously, the authors provide us with a number of options in order for us to identify what works best in our classes. With so many suggestions, I kind of feel like I should try all of them to see which would be most effective for me. It seems like it could take years to figure out how to best apply the suggestions to our own courses. I guess a point of discussion I would like to bring up here is how do we make sure that we have given an instructional suggestion enough time to be effective before trying something else (whether it be gaining feedback, dealing with academic dishonesty, or even ways in which we structure class activities and functioning). Along with this what seems like a good amount of time to wait to revisit a potentially beneficial practice that has failed us as instructors in the past?

Here is my test question based off of my teaching demo from Monday.

1.      Identify the proper order of the five steps of the Social Judgment Process?

a.       Mental Sets, Understanding, Behaviors, Environmental Response, Reevaluation

b.      Behavior, Mental Sets, Expectations, Reevaluation, Environmental Response

c.       Mental Sets, Expectations, Behaviors, Environmental Response, Reevaluation

d.      Behaviors, Reevaluation, Expectations, Mental Sets, Environmental Response

Jessica's Reading Notes #5

Both Lang and Davis discuss ways to deal with student issues in the classroom. I think the most important point and student issue is regarding the idea of being respectful and civil in the classroom. I hope to teach classes regarding intergroup, intercultural, gender and interpersonal communication. All of these subjects could become heated and students could be offended by topics discussed in class. It is vitally important to keep things objective and emphasis the importance of respect in the classroom. If something does get out of hand, Davis recommends dealing with it promptly and consistently (p. 49). If I talk to one student in private, but call out another in front of the class, students will get mixed signals about what is appropriate in classroom discussions. I think having discussions in the beginning of the semester to set the tone of what to expect and explain that disrespectful comments will not be tolerated could help alleviate some problems this could face. What are other ways others feel these issues could be prevented? I enjoyed Lang’s discussion of dealing with student issues, but a common theme came out of that reading was that the best way to deal with these issues is to gain the experience with them. Are these situations easier to deal with once you have more teaching experience? Or are they hard regardless of the experience you have?

I think another issue worth discussing is student evaluations. Lang discussed the pros and cons of student evaluations. What do others think of them? I know most undergrads do not put a lot of time and thought into their evaluations. Most see it as a way to get out of class early. They will answer the quantitative questions, but leave the open ended questions blank. What are ways to get out students to fill these out? I think putting the evals online will prompt students to fill out the questions better (and maybe think about them more), but there is no guarantee students will actually fill them out either. Do others have ideas or suggestions about how to encourage students to provide constructive feedback for evaluations?

When does NDSU typically provide the results to student evaluations? I’m sure during the the spring semester, but it will have already started. How then can we take the feedback we receive and implement it into our current classes? By that point, we will not be able to make major changes to our class, but we can change daily activities. What are ways you have found to be effective to incorporate student feedback? I know you can’t make everyone happy, but how do you address feedback that you cannot incorporate into the class?

Lang’s chapter on time-management I found to be helpful (I checked my email after I read it…). I really liked the suggestion of doing lesson planning in small 20 minute chunks of time when you have it rather than find large chunks of time to work on it. He says that we will never have large chunks of time to work on it. That is probably true. Time management is one thing I am worried about come fall. Ann Burnet mentioned the importance of not letting teaching consume our lives. The readings, Carrie Anne, and Ann all mention that it will probably happy our first year. I am hoping I can ingrain this enough in my head to not let it happen, but it probably will. What have others who have taught classes found helps with time management? How have you learned to handle everything that comes with being a graduate student? Do you have any tips or advice to pass on?

Multiple Choice Question:

A married couple is talking about spending their first holidays together; one partner is Christian and the other is Jewish. In what quadrant of intergroup communication is this interaction?

A.      Quadrant 1

B.      Quadrant 2

C.      Quadrant 3

D.      Quadrant 4

Tara Reading Set 5

Davis provided many ideas and strategies for soliciting feedback for teaching improvement. Although many of the ideas were creative, I didn’t think many were realistic. For example, the “student liaison” strategy seemed cool, but I don’t think it has any validity (Davis 466). This strategy is a lot of extra work for students, something only over-achievers or brown-nosers would volunteer to do. If your feedback comes only from brown-nosers, your results are going to be skewed. And the “spotters” idea seemed a little creepy.

I think a great way to provide yourself some valuable feedback is to record yourself on video and watch it. This is probably the scariest, but truest form, of evaluation. I don’t think I’m ready for this type of evaluation. Somewhere down the line, when I’m less likely to cry after watching the video, I might use this strategy. With or without video, Davis provided a great checklist on page 475 that is helpful for self-reflection. It would also be a great checklist to have a colleague use if they are observing your class.

Both authors talked about student rating forms and their relevance. Davis said “Research has shown that reviewing end-of-course questionnaires alone tend not to help instructors… improvement is more likely to come from consultation … during the term” (Davis 534). So then I thought, ‘well then, what is the point?’ Lang provided some light when he pointed out that student forms are important during “the evaluation of faculty for hiring and promotion and tenure” (Lang 269). I was surprised to know that “the vast majority of studies have concluded that well-designed rating forms provide a reliable measure of learning and teaching effectiveness” (Davis 269). … What do you guys think about the effectiveness of student evals? As a student, I don’t remember putting much thought into them.

I liked Lang’s Week 11: Re-energizing the Classroom. Although we are technically a ten day course, mentally we are all experiencing week 11. Our “high energies are taxed,” class discussions are a little less enthusiastic, and we are starting to look a little tired and overwhelmed. I remember thinking, ‘I am going to make muffins for the class.’ Now I’m like, screw the muffins, how the heck am I going to create a course syllabus?!?’ I guess the only answer to this lack of energy is to skip Friday’s teaching demonstrations and take a field trip. I would love to do another teaching demo, but Lang probably knows best. If he insists that we need to re-energize with a field trip, who am I to challenge such wisdom and authority.

Multiple choice question:
Suzy Smith was in a major car accident where her left leg was crushed on impact. Due to the severity of the injury, Dr. Bob has to tell Suzy that she will lose the lower part of her left leg. As Dr. Bob walks down the hall to break the bad news to Suzy, he turns off his pager and asks his nurse to cancel his appointments for the next hour.
Dr. Anderson was following which step in the COMFORT model?
a. Communication
b. Mindfulness
c. Ongoing
d. Team

Reading Notes 8/3/2011

Addressing poor behavior from a student can be such a difficult part of teaching. In a coaching situation I have both addressed it at the right time and also not addressed the situation when I should have. I think it is comparable to being strict right at the beginning instead of starting off easy and trying to be stricter. If teachers allow situations to get out of hand without doing anything then the students will accept that to be allowed in class. On page 48 Davis says to emphasize civility in the class room which I think really helps to squash problems before they start. If the students know at the beginning then perhaps they will be more likely to think before they talk. Perhaps even harder than when a student knowingly does it could be when they have no idea that what they are saying is hurtful or offensive. A student can often feel really embarrassed because they really did not intend to hurt anyone with their comments.

Asking for feedback can make a teacher vulnerable because they are allowing students to tell you what they think of you. Opening yourself up like that is useful but also can be really hard to hear. I am sure that I may receive some feedback that is hard to read in my time as a teacher, not everyone is going to like me. I believe that some professors feel that they have made it when they get their tenure or if they have been doing something for a long time. Which is why I think we see some teachers who are not passionate about teaching and do not consider the students. Part of asking for feedback is being willing to actually hear it and perhaps implement what the students have said. Unfortunately I have experienced a professor who did not get great feedback on their classes and never changed, in the end they did not get tenure and were let go. It was sad because if they had just been willing to listen and maybe tweak a few things then things could have been different.

In the Lang chapter about putting energy back into the classroom it made me think of Carrie Anne’s activity we did today. If you think about it we are just past half but not quite at the end so our brains might be mentally fried. That activity really put some energy back in me. I was wondering if anyone has heard of any websites with some sort of energizing yet educational activities? In one of my classes we played monopoly as a way to discuss different economic status in relation to being able to buy property. I found this to be really helpful in retaining the material as well as fun. I was looking at some syllabi for my course design project and one teacher’s objective was to make the class fun. Student’s seem to be more engaged when they are enjoying what they are doing so the element is fun seems pretty important to me….thoughts?

Which of the following is not part of the Title IX compliance requirements for an educational institution?

A. Participation

B. Scholarship’s

C. The exact same men’s and women’s teams offered

D. Other benefits

Jordan- Reading Notes #5

With all the evaluations I've done over the years as a student, this will be the first time that the script is flipped and I'll be the one being evaluated. This is the first class, though, that I can remember taking where we had an evaluation during the term, and I did like that we went over those evaluations and tweaked the course here and there based on those evaluations. The Davis text states almost exactly what we did: early feedback can elicit the specific comments and constructive criticism you need to improve students' understanding of the material and their subsequent performance (pg 461). I would definitely need to feel completely comfortable with myself as a teacher and with my students to be able to do something like that during a course, primarily because I would feel too insecure about the feedback and always have it in the back of my mind, especially if I wasn't as connected with the students.

I also feel as though some students don't take evaluations seriously, especially younger ones because I know I didn't really put too much effort into them when I was younger. Looking at the different methods Davis presents, from the index cards to brief questionnaires in class and online, I always assume students don't want to do more work than they are asked. I think once students get into the routine of knowing they will be asked to give feedback and have taken a few classes, that this feedback is more useful than feedback from a class of all freshmen. I was wondering if those who have experience looking over evaluations if they have found that to be true (as well as our professor).

Davis makes a great comment by saying "Begin by looking at the positive comments your students have made. This is important because it is easy to be swayed by negative comments" (pg 467). I think this is true in a lot of aspects of life; we always dwell on that one negative comment out of a hundred. I think that Davis gives good tips on overcoming this, when she says to look for patterns with the comments (pg 467). I would definitely be more apt to changing the way I did things if I got seven or eight comments about the same thing, like that my power points were clear enough, than if one or two students in the class said they didn't understand something. I also tend to put more weight into my own judgments and critiques on myself and how I can improve than by what others say, but this will be a new arena for me.

I like the idea of recording classes, and it's something as a student at my old college where every class was video taped because we had one, two or three different campuses in different towns that the originating classroom on campus would beam out to. I've always been used to being video taped and shown on TV in that sense as a student, and I'm not sure if NDSU has that same kind of distance learning. With that being said, Davis suggests spending at least two hours analyzing a one-hour recording, as well as viewing the tape as soon as possible, and that is an area that I would feel a little uncomfortable with at first (pg 473). Maybe it's because I've never watched myself and then analyzed myself, but when I used to do sports radio podcasts back at my old college I would listen to those and analyze what I did well and what I need to improve. I think I would much rather have a colleague observe my class as Davis suggests on page 477. I can then get a somewhat unbiased feedback on what I did well and what I need to improve.

Multiple Choice Question:
What is the centrality measure that analyzes the number of ties a certain node has?
A: Closeness Centrality
B: Degree Centrality
C: Betweenness Centrality
D: All Of The Above
E: Both A and B

Emily's Last Reading Notes

EVALUATIONS! One of the parts of teaching that has caused me the most frustration and concern (and has even led to some tears). After having bad experiences with course evaluations in the past, I really looked forward to this reading and to see Davis and Lang’s approaches to interpreting and handling student evaluations. I really appreciated Lang’s discussion of the myths surrounding course evaluations (pg. 268-269). Many of the myths Lang presented were ones I had developed after dealing with course evaluations. However, his discussion into how these myths are not true was helpful to see the value students comments have. Lang’s end of the chapter discussion was the most helpful for me regarding evaluations. “Every set of rating forms is bound to include one person who says you are the best teacher ever, a few who complain that you assign too much work, and a series of conflicting comments…That’s standard stuff, and you should try not to worry about any criticisms or comments that come from one individual form, especially hurtful ones” (pg. 280). Even though I completely agree with Lang, and have to keep telling myself that we can’t worry about individual negative comments, I still do. However, I really believe Lang’s suggestion for talking to the department chair (or other experienced faculty member in my opinion) is helpful for interpreting these evaluations, and can provide the encouragement and positive response that negative evaluations may not provide. I did not seek out faculty help when I first got very negative student evaluations, and I regret that now because I did not have the experienced teacher’s insight and suggestions for interpreting the evaluations.

Secondly, I really appreciated Lang’s chapter about common problems in the classroom (chapter 12). As teachers, we tend to think we are doing something wrong when it ends up being the norms of students. Also, and more importantly for me, I appreciate knowing how to handle these situations BEFORE I start teaching. Having taught previously, many times people do not think about these types of situations OR they experience these situations, but are too embarrassed to ask about handling these situations. For any teacher, these questions identify concerns and issues to really be aware of, especially in light of Lang’s discussion in chapter 8 about teachers being vulnerable. The ability to recognize these situations can help us all protect ourselves and avoid (some) issues as starting teachers.

Based on my comments and reactions to the readings, I feel that the following issues are important for consideration and discussion with the class. First, I think it is important to talk about course evaluations and how to handle the comments. As someone who has a harder time with critique, and wants students to get something out of the course, I really would like to be able to talk with the class about other ideas people have for interpreting and responding to student course evaluations. Secondly, I would love to have a question/answer time with other experienced teachers (especially Carrie Anne) about other issues regarding teaching that Lang did not discuss. Throughout class we have addressed some of these, but I think more time to ask the “tough questions” or questions we may be too embarrassed to ask would allow us to gather information in a safe environment, and before encountering this issues. Also, allowing students to share information from their pedagogical issues regarding potential challenges or issues discussed by teachers could provide insight into other issues that may arise in the classroom. I know it is difficult to think about questions when we have not been in the classroom yet, but I think having an open discussion and time for questions about tough issues would be a great help before going into the classroom this fall.

Test question from last teaching demo:

Which type of leader asks other group members for their opinion on a subject, but ultimately makes the final decision themselves?
A. Authoritarian
B. Consultative
C. Participative
D. Laissez-faire