Tag Archives: teaching

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It’s Play Time for Teacher

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I am the youngest of four children. Therefore, it was my birthright to become a clown, the fun one, a good kind of “player.” Instead, I became a teacher. And, for me, this role brought all the attendant expectations: long days, not-a-few sleepless nights, regular coffee-fueled thrusts towards pedagogical glory.

So, it should come as no surprise that when I see a week of spring break sprawled out in front of me, I start to calculate how much I can accomplish in order to get caught up at work (as if such an elusive state actually exists). But then, that baby-in-the-family in me reaches out from the deep recesses to wave her tiny finger and say, “Not so fast, Missy!”

As a psychologist, I know the importance of play. But, I constantly have to remind myself that all work and no play actually makes Dr. Duggan a tightly-wound shell of a human. Not exactly what I’m going for in life.

Before we went on break, I asked my Health Psychology students about what they do for play. One of them immediately popped up with, “Define play!” (I love these people!) According to Merriam-Webster, to play is to “engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.”

It turns out, students and teachers alike can get caught up into cycles of overwork. Our talk about play in class quickly morphed into a discussion of “Who the hell has time?” However, one of my students mentioned giving and getting tattoos as a form of recreation. Another student said playing with her dog is her go-to for enjoyment. The conversation moved into other forms of play, such as watching TV, playing video games, and hanging out with friends.

My students inspire me, and so far my break is off to a good start. Yesterday I jogged around the park with my friends and went out for a nice breakfast after. Today, I read (for pleasure) and got a foot massage. And then there’s my daily Wordle and even more-fun Nerdle. I will do some schoolwork this week, of my choosing and on my schedule, because that feels good, too.

Me and my favorite playmates

As teachers with a seasonal schedule that includes breaks every few months, it’s easy to fall into the trap of “I’ll relax once (X).” But, “X” is always replaced with another “X.” We stretch ourselves tight with overwork during the semester because relief seems just around the corner on the calendar.

But as I’ve experienced, that rubber band of overwork springs back hard. As a result of the snap-back, the break I dreamed of could easily amount to curling up on the couch in a ball of protection, dreading the return to work. Again, not what I’m going for.

Investing time in play throughout the school year (and not just on breaks) is a goal for this serious teacher. I’m always looking for ideas – What do you do for play?

The post It’s Play Time for Teacher appeared first on My Love of Learning.

play, spring break, Write6x6

It’s Play Time for Teacher

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I am the youngest of four children. Therefore, it was my birthright to become a clown, the fun one, a good kind of “player.” Instead, I became a teacher. And, for me, this role brought all the attendant expectations: long days, not-a-few sleepless nights, regular coffee-fueled thrusts towards pedagogical glory.

So, it should come as no surprise that when I see a week of spring break sprawled out in front of me, I start to calculate how much I can accomplish in order to get caught up at work (as if such an elusive state actually exists). But then, that baby-in-the-family in me reaches out from the deep recesses to wave her tiny finger and say, “Not so fast, Missy!”

As a psychologist, I know the importance of play. But, I constantly have to remind myself that all work and no play actually makes Dr. Duggan a tightly-wound shell of a human. Not exactly what I’m going for in life.

Before we went on break, I asked my Health Psychology students about what they do for play. One of them immediately popped up with, “Define play!” (I love these people!) According to Merriam-Webster, to play is to “engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.”

It turns out, students and teachers alike can get caught up into cycles of overwork. Our talk about play in class quickly morphed into a discussion of “Who the hell has time?” However, one of my students mentioned giving and getting tattoos as a form of recreation. Another student said playing with her dog is her go-to for enjoyment. The conversation moved into other forms of play, such as watching TV, playing video games, and hanging out with friends.

My students inspire me, and so far my break is off to a good start. Yesterday I jogged around the park with my friends and went out for a nice breakfast after. Today, I read (for pleasure) and got a foot massage. And then there’s my daily Wordle and even more-fun Nerdle. I will do some schoolwork this week, of my choosing and on my schedule, because that feels good, too.

Me and my favorite playmates

As teachers with a seasonal schedule that includes breaks every few months, it’s easy to fall into the trap of “I’ll relax once (X).” But, “X” is always replaced with another “X.” We stretch ourselves tight with overwork during the semester because relief seems just around the corner on the calendar.

But as I’ve experienced, that rubber band of overwork springs back hard. As a result of the snap-back, the break I dreamed of could easily amount to curling up on the couch in a ball of protection, dreading the return to work. Again, not what I’m going for.

Investing time in play throughout the school year (and not just on breaks) is a goal for this serious teacher. I’m always looking for ideas – What do you do for play?

The post It’s Play Time for Teacher appeared first on My Love of Learning.

empowerment, higher education, Write6x6

Lifelong Search ….

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Almost Losing My Heart

Whenever I saw a piano (as a child) I felt compelled to play it. I attribute this to my birthday because it fell just after the kindergarten cutoff for enrollment by two hours, and resulted in piano lessons for a year. When I did start kindergarten a year later our class shared many miscellaneous items in Show and Tell, (one involved a large coconut which I carried ten blocks with two skinned knees – the frustration of dropping and falling over and over, and the excitement of wanting to show it to my classmates… I still remember).

I am told that one afternoon our kindergarten teacher was called out of the room. As you know, teachers rarely leave the classroom because chaos often ensues. With a bit of trepidation she returned to find the entire class quietly huddled around the piano where I was sharing some of the pieces that I had learned. I wasn’t showing off, just simply showing them things I had learned, much as teachers did for me for many years to follow.

I have memories of many teachers who made a difference. It wouldn’t be fair to single out one because I was lucky to have had so many. Everyone talks about good teachers that make a difference. They never talk about the lousy ones, but I had a crop of those, too. By that time I was much older, an accomplished pianist after decades of lessons, but now ignored primarily because I dared to try to write music instead of just play music. That also taught me a lot as a teacher. It taught me never to pre-judge a student by assuming that they didn’t have anything to offer because of the notion that only certain people can write music or learn about music. It sounds almost impossible today. People lose jobs over that. I almost lost my heart over it.

No, I didn’t teach at that school, although I did create a course at one of its sister institutions, a course in Marketing the Arts, which I taught for several semesters – much to my professors’ chagrin. I persevered in the program, and, as luck would have it, became a music critic at a major metropolitan newspaper and ended up reviewing every professor I had and their music writing. (Unlike them, I was kind). I graduated and changed schools.

At this new school I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never did. I expected the same treatment. My music was representational which was not in vogue. What I found instead was that the faculty and students accepted me and my music. Interestingly enough, I rarely play piano anymore except to compose. My many days of performing in order to be an accepted musician were now only as an accepted composer – I made a point of it. I taught theory classes, which is what most composers teach while finishing their terminal degree. I wrote articles and produced concerts. I reviewed concerts at another major metropolitan newspaper from time to time. But I now never introduced myself as a pianist, which was where I found my heart. I now only refer to myself as a composer, where I found it again.

It took losing my heart to find it again and it means too much to me to let it go. I love teaching music and teaching about being a musician. I love teaching about the creative process and I love the enthusiasm of my students, learning about or hearing music for the first time. That is where my heart takes me.

 
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My Mathography

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by Dr. Krysten Pampel

This is an assignment that my students complete in my MAT256 course at the beginning of the semester. (link to the assignment) I have been asked by multiple students about my own mathography and since the theme this week is HEART, I thought I would take this opportunity to create and share my mathography.

Dear MAT256 & 257 Students,

My name is Dr. Krysten Pampel, and I will be your instructor for this course.  My hobbies include watching movies, scrapbooking, reading, and have grown since the pandemic to include daily mediation and knitting. I like various genres of movies but tend to watch action, superhero, and animated films most often. I have knit 4 blankets so far, the first one was arm knit, then I did a finger knit blanket, and my last two were knitted using needles. One of my biggest accomplishments has been daily meditation since the thought of sitting still, in almost silence, used to make my skin crawl. I always felt like I needed to be moving, producing, or changing something in order to feel peace. Meditation has helped me with my anxious thoughts and brings me more peace than I would have guessed. This practice has given me the gift of relaxation, something most people who meet me ask if I ever get any of.

I have always admired my parents since they have never been afraid to try something new. My parents have served in the army and have worked as plumbers, locksmiths, administrative assistants, police dispatchers, accountants, enrolled agents, and their most recent adventure has been over the road truck driving. They have encouraged me to do what brings me joy and if I ever lose that joy never be afraid to try something new. They inspire me to remain flexible and try new things. I am still aspiring to embrace change without resistance but I know we all have areas of growth. There are seven people in my immediate family, my mother, father, sister, nephew, husband, son, and myself. I also have a grandmother that is almost 90 that I care for on a regular basis.

I love learning. I have always felt like a bottomless well and that my thirst for new knowledge and challenges can never be quenched. I am blessed to have a job I love and the ability to learn even more within my career. My favorite classes when I attended Glendale Community College were world religion, psychology, and bio medical ethics. I had no idea what I wanted to do when I started at GCC but I always gravitated toward mathematics courses. I earned my bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University in secondary education mathematics, my master’s degree from the University of Phoenix in adult education and training, and my doctorate degree from Arizona State University in Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education. I have five years of experience teaching at the high school level and six years of experience teaching at the Paradise Valley Community College as an Adjunct Faculty. This is my fifth year as a Residential Faculty member at Glendale Community College.

My love for mathematics stems from a singular event in my high school education. I attended Ironwood High School and in my first semester of freshman year, I took a math course that was challenging and was the first time I had struggled to understand the content in front of me. I barely passed the class and in the next semester took yet another math course. I was terrified that I would have the same problem with comprehension. However, as we have all come to see there is a fair amount of cyclical review that occurs in mathematics courses. I was reintroduced to the same concepts in this new course and found that my struggles before had little to do with the content but rather how the content was being taught. At that moment, I realized the power of teaching. The power does not reside in the content presented but in the presentation of the content.

Even though my love of math is strong, my love for teaching is stronger. I have a passion for teaching teachers and I am fortunate I have the amazing opportunity to teach all of you mathematical strategies that will aid you in teaching the next generation. I believe that every student, and therefore every teacher, has the capacity to learn, stay flexible, and grow. This flexibility manifests when you are not afraid to try something new. Shaking things up like lessons, activities, tools, etc. hones your craft and makes you stronger than you ever thought possible. It will be my goal for these two courses (MAT256 and MAT257) to open your minds up to alternative math strategies and remind you how powerful you become when you try something new.

Sincerely,

Dr. Krysten Pampel

 
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To be an Exceptional Nurse!

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💖 The New Nursing Student

Dr. Ingrid Simkins

We take a moment to go around the room and you share your name, a personal detail or two and then why you chose nursing as your profession. We discover among the array of responses some are here finally following through on a childhood dream, some are exploring a second career, or for some this is a legacy and you will be the third generation of nurses in your family. We discover some were called to the profession as they reflect on their experiences within the healthcare system. Whether it was their own health issue or that of someone they loved, a nurse stood out and shaped the person they were to become. For some, this is a desire to give back to others as the nurse did for them and for others a desire to never be the nurse they experienced. Whatever the reason…you are here!💖

In my role as Residential Nursing faculty I have the privilege of witnessing all of those “first ”experiences. Being there the first day as you walk into the classroom in your neatly pressed uniform and brand new shoes, I observe how your face beams with a blend of excitement and a touch of anxiety as you begin this new journey. I watch as you enter the classroom and claim your space for the next 16 weeks, unpacking your computers and colorful binders with coordinating pen sets. I notice the array of caffeinated beverages that you stopped to purchase on the way to campus this morning as a “treat to celebrate this occasion”. You settle in and class begins.💖

Time moves on and you become inundated with assignments, readings, care plans, exams, group projects, lab skills, skills check-off, clinical experiences, simulations, virtual simulations and this is just the first six weeks. The uniforms are now slightly wrinkled-”who has time to iron”, the caffeine a necessity-”there is no time to sleep”, and the beaming light on those faces a few watts dimmer because reality has set in…the reality of what nursing is and the responsibility you carry…you realize this because you care… because you have heart💖. It is in these moments that I witness a new set of firsts and see the heart you have to succeed.

“Caring is the essence of nursing.” —Jean Watson

💖. This may be the first time you had to rely on someone to help balance your life at home. The first time you realize you are not alone on this journey and instead of competitors for a seat in the program, you are working as a team to accomplish your mutual goals. The first time you realize that you are going through all of this because someone’s life may depend on it one day, and the first time you realize and say out loud, “I know this is what I meant to do”!.  

A nursing instructor can teach you the textbook content and the nursing skills, but what we can’t teach is caring. We can develop and nurture it, but it has to be there in the first place. So just remember as we approach midterms and your GPA may no longer be perfect, call upon that reason that brought you here. This is hard…but you will be successful and reach your goals because you have heart.💖  

💖New Graduate Nurse

Dr. Mary Resler

As a new graduate nurse the opportunities are endless. You have hundreds of options for growth and education. The one thing a new graduate nurse doesn’t have is experience. They have had hundreds of clinical hours following a nurse, learning from a mentor, practicing the skills of the profession, and geeking out over cool medical diagnoses. There is little an educator can do to prepare students for the feelings they will experience going into the profession. It can be very stressful and full of emotions. The lack of confidence is as palpable as a radial pulse in an athlete. This is completely normal, do not panic. 💖

“They may forget your name but they will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

The heart of a nurse is more like a calling. The profession is a series of degrees and examinations. Almost anyone can endure nursing school and become a registered nurse. The difference is in having a ‘job’ versus having a ‘profession.’ This concept can be challenging to understand. You can teach anyone the skills and responsibilities that a nurse is accountable for. An educator cannot teach a nurse how to care; this is the calling part of the profession.💖

There was a time in my life that I was not sure I could do the tasks and skills needed to be a nurse. I was not sure if I could complete the program. I was not sure if I was smart enough or capable of doing the job responsibilities. On my first clinical day, I walked in to take care of an elderly patient who could not take care of themselves. At that moment, my heart and mind connected, and I knew that taking care of patients would be my calling. My confidence grew over time as will yours. My nurse’s heart grew too. 💖

New Nurse Educator 💖

Dr. Grace Paul

Growing up, I never wanted to be a teacher! I would say, “My voice is too soft, and no one will listen to me.” Fast forward to nursing school, I realized that a soft voice is the least of the problem! What is essential is the passion – the heart, the ability to adapt to the changing demands of the classroom, the nursing student, and connecting to the learners.

Students can smell a new instructor from a mile away. The academic qualifications and recent experience in healthcare are essential. But, the qualities of kindness, compassion, and understanding, while at the same time being firm and consistent, is priceless. Educators must have a high bar for students to achieve and, at the same time, give the support necessary. Do not bring down the bar so that you can be “popular” with students. Students must be held accountable for achieving their course objectives. 💖

“Let us never consider ourselves finished, nurses. We must be learning all of our lives.” —Florence Nightingale

Students are more engaged when they acknowledge the students when they participate in class, have eye contact, add humor, show genuine happiness and enthusiasm when they perform better. These are behaviors that let the student know that you care. There can be no learning if there is no connection between the educator and the students. 💖

In the educator and student relationship, both the educator and the students are learners. The best teachers aim for every student to be successful, and that starts with the heart – Being approachable, being available, and being kind!💖

 
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Breathing My Way into the Classroom

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I once lived next door to a woman named Elsie who was a glider. I don’t mean a hang-glider or a supermodel on a runway. Rather, her general mode of getting around in the world was slow and smooth. Each footfall was steady, her arms gently swaying as she walked.

Me, I am more of a scurrier. I always seem to be a step behind where I want to be at any moment. (One night, I caught myself literally running into bed.) So, I am jealous of Elsie’s cadence, her here-and-now presence – especially when I am walking sprinting into my classroom.

Picture my typical classroom entry: I fling myself through the door to start class. I’m pulling down the screen and tapping my fingers as the computer takes its sweet-a** time to wake up. I’m arranging the day’s materials while mentally rehearsing how the lesson will go down. At times, I’m breathless.

I really should provide popcorn for my students as they watch this weekly show.

Okay, maybe it’s not all that bad, but earlier this semester I had the sense that my Health Psychology class would be improved if I was more at-peace as I deliver my opening greeting. If I were more emotionally available to my students before class. If I modeled the very same self-regulation I encourage in them.

In the book The Spark of Learning, psychologist Sarah Rose Cavanagh supports this notion. Cavanagh advocates for teaching with mindfulness, or what she refers to as “a continual calling back to the present moment.”  She also writes about presenting a sense of immediacy with students – showing I am interested in them, the subject, and the process of learning. None of this can occur if I am off kilter from minute one.

To change the way I typically fly into the room, I decided to set aside 15 minutes before each class for my own meditation and/or breath work. My class starts at 2:30, so I blocked off 2:00-2:15 as a repeating commitment on my calendar. I created a special meditation-do-not-disturb sign as a stiff arm to all door knockers. I face my chair away from my office window so I don’t have to worry about anyone seeing me in all my meditation glory.

Author next to her do not disturb sign

Headspace is my meditation app of choice, but simply doing diaphragmatic breathing or box breathing works just as well. The point is to quiet the mind, soothe the stress response system, and tether to the present moment before greeting my students. To release the relentless chatter of the to-do list playing on an endless loop.

And so far it is working! I feel more relaxed as I start class now. I am able to enjoy initial class conversations with increased focus on the people in front of me. I sense that I am connecting better with my students. It also helps that I shared what I am doing with my students since breathing and meditation are topics in this particular course – a form of what Cavanagh refers to as metainstructing.

I may never naturally glide like Elsie, but before each class I can center myself through meditation like a yogi-boss!

The post Breathing My Way into the Classroom appeared first on My Love of Learning.

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Breathing My Way into the Classroom

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I once lived next door to a woman named Elsie who was a glider. I don’t mean a hang-glider or a supermodel on a runway. Rather, her general mode of getting around in the world was slow and smooth. Each footfall was steady, her arms gently swaying as she walked.

Me, I am more of a scurrier. I always seem to be a step behind where I want to be at any moment. (One night, I caught myself literally running into bed.) So, I am jealous of Elsie’s cadence, her here-and-now presence – especially when I am walking sprinting into my classroom.

Picture my typical classroom entry: I fling myself through the door to start class. I’m pulling down the screen and tapping my fingers as the computer takes its sweet-a** time to wake up. I’m arranging the day’s materials while mentally rehearsing how the lesson will go down. At times, I’m breathless.

I really should provide popcorn for my students as they watch this weekly show.

Okay, maybe it’s not all that bad, but earlier this semester I had the sense that my Health Psychology class would be improved if I was more at-peace as I deliver my opening greeting. If I were more emotionally available to my students before class. If I modeled the very same self-regulation I encourage in them.

In the book The Spark of Learning, psychologist Sarah Rose Cavanagh supports this notion. Cavanagh advocates for teaching with mindfulness, or what she refers to as “a continual calling back to the present moment.”  She also writes about presenting a sense of immediacy with students – showing I am interested in them, the subject, and the process of learning. None of this can occur if I am off kilter from minute one.

To change the way I typically fly into the room, I decided to set aside 15 minutes before each class for my own meditation and/or breath work. My class starts at 2:30, so I blocked off 2:00-2:15 as a repeating commitment on my calendar. I created a special meditation-do-not-disturb sign as a stiff arm to all door knockers. I face my chair away from my office window so I don’t have to worry about anyone seeing me in all my meditation glory.

Author next to her do not disturb sign

Headspace is my meditation app of choice, but simply doing diaphragmatic breathing or box breathing works just as well. The point is to quiet the mind, soothe the stress response system, and tether to the present moment before greeting my students. To release the relentless chatter of the to-do list playing on an endless loop.

And so far it is working! I feel more relaxed as I start class now. I am able to enjoy initial class conversations with increased focus on the people in front of me. I sense that I am connecting better with my students. It also helps that I shared what I am doing with my students since breathing and meditation are topics in this particular course – a form of what Cavanagh refers to as metainstructing.

I may never naturally glide like Elsie, but before each class I can center myself through meditation like a yogi-boss!

The post Breathing My Way into the Classroom appeared first on My Love of Learning.

Write6x6

Breathing My Way into the Classroom

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I once lived next door to a woman named Elsie who was a glider. I don’t mean a hang-glider or a supermodel on a runway. Rather, her general mode of getting around in the world was slow and smooth. Each footfall was steady, her arms gently swaying as she walked.

Me, I am more of a scurrier. I always seem to be a step behind where I want to be at any moment. (One night, I caught myself literally running into bed.) So, I am jealous of Elsie’s cadence, her here-and-now presence – especially when I am walking sprinting into my classroom.

Picture my typical classroom entry: I fling myself through the door to start class. I’m pulling down the screen and tapping my fingers as the computer takes its sweet-a** time to wake up. I’m arranging the day’s materials while mentally rehearsing how the lesson will go down. At times, I’m breathless.

I really should provide popcorn for my students as they watch this weekly show.

Okay, maybe it’s not all that bad, but earlier this semester I had the sense that my Health Psychology class would be improved if I was more at-peace as I deliver my opening greeting. If I were more emotionally available to my students before class. If I modeled the very same self-regulation I encourage in them.

In the book The Spark of Learning, psychologist Sarah Rose Cavanagh supports this notion. Cavanagh advocates for teaching with mindfulness, or what she refers to as “a continual calling back to the present moment.”  She also writes about presenting a sense of immediacy with students – showing I am interested in them, the subject, and the process of learning. None of this can occur if I am off kilter from minute one.

To change the way I typically fly into the room, I decided to set aside 15 minutes before each class for my own meditation and/or breath work. My class starts at 2:30, so I blocked off 2:00-2:15 as a repeating commitment on my calendar. I created a special meditation-do-not-disturb sign as a stiff arm to all door knockers. I face my chair away from my office window so I don’t have to worry about anyone seeing me in all my meditation glory.

Author next to her do not disturb sign

Headspace is my meditation app of choice, but simply doing diaphragmatic breathing or box breathing works just as well. The point is to quiet the mind, soothe the stress response system, and tether to the present moment before greeting my students. To release the relentless chatter of the to-do list playing on an endless loop.

And so far it is working! I feel more relaxed as I start class now. I am able to enjoy initial class conversations with increased focus on the people in front of me. I sense that I am connecting better with my students. It also helps that I shared what I am doing with my students since breathing and meditation are topics in this particular course – a form of what Cavanagh refers to as metainstructing.

I may never naturally glide like Elsie, but before each class I can center myself through meditation like a yogi-boss!

The post Breathing My Way into the Classroom appeared first on My Love of Learning.

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My Heart Just Wasn’t In It After Day 1

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I taught my first face-to-face class in two years 3 weeks ago. It’s a late start ENG102 hybrid that meets once a week in LA108. I didn’t really want to teach the class face-to-face, but my chair said that admin would like us to have more on-campus classes this semester. “The data show that is what students want.” I saw the data and had a completely different interpretation, but I’m a team player, so I agreed to teach the class. It is one of the two classes I previously taught on campus in 2020, so the class was prepared and ready to go.

The first indication that things were going to be different is when I noticed I wasn’t teaching in my preferred space. Apparently, HT2 classrooms were not big enough to accommodate our class sizes (18). I was bummed but verified I’d have a Chromebook cart in my new teaching space. On the first day, I arrived about 15 minutes early just so I could familiarize myself with the technology in the classroom. I’d promised students I would do a live-online class so students who couldn’t make it to class for whatever reason could attend live from home. I also have the same course as an all online and thought it might be nice to offer the option to them. Turns out LA108 is a cave with no cell service. You might think that fact is not that important, but trust me it is.

I began by trying to log into the teacher station computer, which I haven’t had to do since Duo Two-Factor Authentication was introduced into our lives last year along with having better log-in passwords. I had found a loophole and was successful in using the same password for probably 3 years. I should be ashamed, but I wasn’t. I actually knew my password back in the day BC (Before Covid). Today, not so much. My souped-up 17 digit numbers and symbols are a solid password now. So I looked up my password on my phone using my LastPass app; I have offline access on my phone, and I typed it into the prompt on the computer at the teacher station. The computer went into some weird realm that took probably 5-6 minutes before it stopped and prompted me for a user name and password again. Again? I looked it up again and typed all the letters, symbols, and numbers again. After another ridiculous amount of time, you know what happened. No, it worked, but our new friend Duo popped up. I asked Duo to send me a text. She goes into spin mode waiting for me to complete the action on my phone. Nothing appears on my watch or phone. So I kindly ask Duo to send me another text. And then again. By this time I have about 5 students sitting in front of me watching. Duo never complies so I give up on that endeavor.

I thought to myself, I don’t need your crappy technology. I’ve got a backpack full of it sitting at my feet. We are about 10 minutes into class time at this point when I realized I needed to log into the WiFi on campus if anything was going to happen today – my first day back in the classroom after 2 years. That wasn’t going to happen, so Maricopa net or whatever the open wifi is called was it. Fifteen minutes into my first class, with 5 students sitting in front of me, and one single person online, I was finally ready to teach. I learned later that several students gave up on the online class when I wasn’t there to let them in. Bummer. But hey I was ready. I say to the students in front of me. Let me just “plug” my laptop into the teacher station and you’ll be able to see my screen. I had already started teaching but had no visual for them yet.

Let me ask you a question before I continue. Does anyone have one of these plugs on their computer anymore? Oh, never mind. The whole point of this post is to point out how I was done after day one. And I can’t say that the following week was any better. I had a whole new set of problems. I’m so out of practice with trying to use someone else’s technology that my heart is just not into teaching face to face anymore. It ruined my experience. Technology should enhance, not prohibit. Apparently, you need cell service in order to get Duo prompts or be logged in to wifi on a computer to get a password to log into the computer. Or you need to remember to put your dongle in your backpack so you can connect your fancy technology to the old school kind in the classroom. Or…(fill in the blank). It’s just too much to deal with. I need to stick with what I do best and tackling GCC technology ain’t it.

P.S. Thank you Caryn Bird for hiding whiteboard markers in the classroom because of course you have to bring your own low tech too.

engaging students, flipgrid, SoftChalk, video, Write6x6

Okay, All Your Students are Online. Now What?

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I still chuckle when I think about every teacher I work with is now doing some form of remote or online teaching. I know it’s not a laughing matter, but I can’t help it. After spending four years as eCourses coordinator at the college, I know the reality of that statement. I’m sure everyone is doing their best. However, I can’t help but think about that select few who wanted to teach online because they thought it would be easy. Well, it’s not so easy after all, especially when you only get two weeks to do it.

It’s easy to post content (documents) online, and most LMS’s make it easy to record video and audio. But the hardest part is engaging students. How do you even know they are watching, listening or reading what you put online? I hope I’m not freaking people out, but trust me, they’re not watching, listening and reading all that stuff you just put in Canvas. They are just looking for the stuff the “counts.” I know I sound pessimistic, but I speak from experience. When I first started teaching online over 15 years ago, the first thing I noticed was that if there was no point value attached, it got ignored. That included textbook chapters, handouts, content pages in Canvas, and yes, even YouTube videos. I was shocked. They don’t like my videos? Did anyone even watch them?

I couldn’t really tell if students were engaging or not with my content, but they were missing huge gaps in knowledge that would have come from engaging with that content. I constantly found myself asking in my feedback, “Did you watch the video?” or “Did you read the handout?” It was definitely frustrating especially since I made a ton of videos. Once I got fed up with that I decided to change the design of my courses. I now have several different formats depending on the course. I made a couple of videos showing how I changed things up that you can watch below, but I’ll summarize here first.

For my ENH114 African American literature class where reading is crucial (Duh!), I changed the course so that every reading is an assignment. Yes, you read that right. Every single reading is an assignment. I call them lessons, and each lesson either has reading handouts, video or audio and then something for students to do. For example, in Lesson 1.1.1 Origins of African American Language, students watch a YouTube video and then write a summary about what they learned. Simple. I create this by using Assignments in Canvas, embed the video, write my instructions and then set the assignment to accept text and uploads for submission. The best part is I didn’t have to make the video. Thank you internet and YouTube.

Another example from the ENH114 class is a lecture I wanted students to read. Again, I made it a lesson: Lesson 1.2.1 Importance of Negro Spirituals that included a recording of me reading the lecture as well as the text of the lecture, and then asks students to answer a question about the content. I use rubrics so the students know what I’m looking for, and it makes it easier for me to grade. The idea that everything I want students to do is graded in some way can be daunting, but using rubrics makes quick work of it. I’ll demonstrate more ways that I engage students in this class in the video below.

For my freshman comp classes, I have a slightly different approach. Not everything I want for them to read and do is made into a lesson, but I do wish that would work. However, I do consistently make some of the content into lessons. You really need to have something for students to engage with on a weekly basis. If you don’t, students get in the habit of “skipping” weeks. Having assignments with weekly due dates draws them into the course. They don’t have to be much, just something that says, “Hey, remember you have this English class over here.” You can see more from these courses in the video below. You can find the YouTube Series I mention here: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information.

Lastly, I teach a hybrid (used to teach a hybrid) JRN203: Writing for Online Media course. Luckily for me, I design all my courses as online courses, so I only had to make a few adjustments in this course to transition to online. The biggest change was adding more online discussions. Oh, I know. That sounds so boring, especially since students hate online discussions. But these discussions are fun. I use FlipGrid. It’s a social learning platform that allows educators to ask a question, then the students respond in a video. Students are then able to respond to one another, creating a “web” of video discussion. They’re fun and students really like these discussions. Some are a little shy at first, but they quickly get over it. I got permission from my students to show a discussion they are working on currently in class. See below.

The reality of the situation is I didn’t create all of this in two weeks. These are things I’ve added as I’ve taught over the years. For many faculty out there now rushing to move content online, my best advice is to pick one thing you can add now to help engage students, and as the semester continues on, consider what else you might be able to add. You can’t do it all now, but just one thing might prove helpful.

Engaging Students in JRN203 with FlipGrid
ENH114 Course Using Canvas, Softchalk, and FlipGrid
ENG101 Composition Course Using Canvas,
McGraw-Hill Connect & YouTube