(Week 4) And so it is...

This week’s readings gave me a lot of great information about grading and cheating. As the weeks move along, it is good to read about issues and techniques that continue to come up during the semester. I was a bit worried, during our first few weeks, most of our readings dealt with planning a course. It is great to be able to read about grading and cheating at a time when I can still implement them into my classroom.

The following are things I found useful in this week’s reading and how they can be implemented into my field:

Grading

• The authors of First Day to Final Grade touch on controlling grading time (p. 147). A four to seven page paper is suggested to take no more than 30 minutes to grading. Taking too much time on a student’s work can allow for too many remarks, thus confusing the student. Allowing only a set amount of time can assure the instructor is making only the most important comments about the paper. I was always under the impression the more time spent grading, the more constructive it would be for the student. Our reading made me change my tune.
  
• My first time grading I spent over an hour on each student’s speech. I made too many comments and strayed from the overall purpose of the grading. For this reason, it would be important to implement this strategy in my field. By keeping a close eye on the time it takes me to grade, I can assure myself that student’s are getting the most important comments/suggestions on their work. This practice can help me to save time and offer my students better feedback.

Cheating

• McKeachie gives us a great deal of information about cheating in this weeks reading. I was most interested to see how he explained what to do about “wandering eyes” during an exam (p 120-121). As the reading points out, there are many decisions to be made and steps to follow when you suspect cheating. Instructor uncertainty, university policy, and student feelings are all considerations. My biggest concern is instructor uncertainty. During the first quiz I gave, I had a student’s eyes wander. I wasn’t sure if he was anxious, nervous about the test, or just looking into space while he was thinking. I kept an eye on him, but McKeachie’s suggestions will be used in the future.
  
• To implement McKeachie’s suggestions, I plan to have the student move away from others. I could also make eye contact with the student to let them know I am watching them. I also believe that advising the university would be an important step, if I was sure that the student was looking at someone’s paper. I think this will help me by giving me a set of standards to follow when I believe a student is cheating.

Grades

• In McKeachie’s Teaching Tips, the author mentions keeping students informed about grades throughout the semester. Advising students about what the instructor expects, how he/she grades, and updating students as to where they stand are all important. The most useful information was about having grades available to students. We use Blackboard in my classroom, but I have not been good about getting grades posted. Some of my students did poorly on the first speech and quiz, but don’t seem to be improving. McKeachie suggests that grade protest may be more likely if a student only sees a poor grade as the class concludes (p. 135).
• To implement McKeachie’s suggestions, it would benefit me to post grades in a timely manner and be more explanatory in breaking down grades. Because Comm 110 is mainly structured by the department, I often overlook the influence I have on my own grading. By getting students more involved in grading it could help them determine goals. It can also help me avoid problems with grade protest at the end of the semester.
  

Further tips and suggestions to integrate into my classroom:

• Listen first, when talking to a student about a grade change. You may learn something!
  
• Effort and progress should be praised to make students understand that grades aren’t the only goal.
  
• Meaningful activities should be incorporated to make students feel like learning skills, and not just grades, are important.

Additional Resources:

What will they think of next...

A little cheating humor from Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd...

3 is a Magic Number

Another week gone by and I’m still here to write about it. This week was my introduction to the “grad school experience” others have waxed philosophical about. Reading, grading, and lesson plans seem to have taken over my life, but it’s becoming a comforting routine. And what would any new TA’s routine be without McKeachie?

I found this week’s readings on discussions and lectures to be more informative than previous topics. I’ve selected a few examples to include in this week’s blog.

The following are things I found useful in this week’s reading:

• Facilitating discussion with questions requiring application and interpretation, rather than questions of definition, leads to better comprehension. This seemed obvious when I read it, but I realized that I don’t often use this strategy. As I looked through past lesson plans, few of my discussions allowed students to use application or interpretation. This reading was quite useful in that it led me to change my approach. I am able to put more effort into the process of writing questions so they will best benefit my students. Factual questions are sometimes important, but they aren’t as constructive for the students.

• Students’ attention is highest in the first 10 minutes and near the end of a lecture. This was interesting because I usually struggle to keep students’ attention on days of heavy lecture. I often try to open with an activity to engage students, only to have them glassy-eyed within minutes of the lecture. This information is useful because it can guide how to structure a lesson plan. If an instructor knows when students will most often be attentive, they can gauge when to incorporate the most important aspects of a lesson.
  

There are many things that were useful in this week’s readings can be implemented into my field.

• Preparing discussion questions for class is a standard component of lesson planning. Taking more time to draw up questions students can apply or interpret to their own experiences will help them further understand the lesson. For instance, in Comm 110 students can suggest how aspects of public speaking relate to their future careers. A discussion probing how the material from the text applies to their everyday lives may help me to connect them to the material. They can comprehend that these techniques will help them far beyond their time in the classroom.

• Understanding when a student is most attentive can be an advantage to the instructor. Hartley and Cameron’s (1967) research shows that students are most attentive at the beginning and end of lecture. This can help me to plan my lecture according to when they will absorb the most information. I can plan to lecture in small amounts at the beginning and end of class and hold activities and discussions in the middle to keep them engaged.
  

The following are techniques, theories, or suggestions that I want to incorporate in my own teaching:

• To check understanding after a lecture, I plan give students a minute to write down questions, or comments, to share with their peers. I often ask if anyone has questions, following each section of lecture. After reading the text I realized that this may be ineffective. I want to have students write down questions because they are more likely to participate. I may be able to respond to questions that would have previously gone unanswered.
  

• Incorporating better listening practices into my classroom is another technique I plan to use. I learned a lot from text about note taking during lecture. I want to avoid students’ focus on taking notes in place of actively listening to my lecture. By asking the students to just listen and write a summary for 5 to 15 minutes after, they may be able to concentrate and retain more. I am also going to take McKeachie’s suggestion of asking students to compare their summaries to encourage peer discussion.
  

• Telling students why they are participating in discussion and what I want them to learn are other suggestions I plan on incorporating into my teaching. Like last week’s reading, students understand more if they know what goal is to be met. If they understand the importance of the discussion, they may be more inclined to participate. If they know what they are supposed to obtain from a discussion, they can work to achieve that goal.
  

• I also want to try to include online discussions into my teaching. I find that many students are much more interested in incorporating technology into their learning. I want to use online discussions not only to try to gain more from nonparticipants, but to allow for participation outside of the classroom. I think it would be interesting to have students begin discussion on a message board. I believe that it may facilitate further discussion during our scheduled class time.
  

• Finally, I plan to give students questions at the end of class to ensure they are reading. I have a difficult time with one class because they are reluctant to read the text. Discussions and activities are difficult because many of them don’t know the material. I want to give them a few questions, before chapter readings are due, to help prepare them for discussions. Rather than having quizzes at the start of each class, we can use the time to delve deeper into the material.

Additional resources:

Discussion Formats
This site has list of various discussion activities. We have discussed some of them, but there are a few new activities that I may implement in my own classroom.

Online Discussions
Here is a pdf I came across when looking into online discussions. It gives a few examples and also lists some great sources.

How To Take Effective Class Notes
Taking notes seems like second nature to many of us, but some of my undergrads struggle with taking notes when they aren’t written out word for word. This is a site I may incorporate before my next lecture to give them some tips.

And we're off...

This week’s reading dealt with preparing for class, discussion, and class planning. Last week’s readings were a great introduction to teaching. This week, I found the reading helpful for those of us that are already teaching in the classroom.



The following are things I found useful in this week’s reading:

• Do not teach to disruptive students. I often focus in on the one student that is not paying attention in my class. It takes a lot of energy to try to engage the student who doesn’t care to be involved in the class. This energy is then taken away from the students that are actively participating. I found this idea useful because it will help me prioritize my energy and efforts. I need to teach to those that want to learn and understand that I can’t reach every student all of the time.
  
• It is important to focus one or two major goals for each session. Daily goals allow an instructor is to put lessons into perspective and keep them on task. It can also give students a way to gauge their understanding of the content. I found this useful because it will help ensure students are gaining the proper information from a lesson. I often find myself reflecting on what my students have learned after class is finished. By setting a goal, the students and I can have a shared understanding of what needs to be accomplished in a given session.
  
• The section on lesson formats gave me a different perspective on how to plan my classes. I often have discussion questions or activities to gauge how well students understand the material. I also feel it breaks up the monotony during days with heavy lecture. The text suggested varying formats, not only to keep things lively, but to accommodate different learning styles and get students accustomed to learning in different ways. I found this information useful because it provides me with a different outlook on activities and discussion. Using various formats not only teaches students the material, but it also trains them in visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning.
  

Many things that were useful in this week’s readings can be implemented into my field. For example:

• Disruptive students are a part of many classes. They are not always obnoxious or loud, as the book stated, but they can be distant and unwilling to engage in learning. This practice will help me give my full attention to those who want to learn. By not focusing on teaching a disruptive student, I can give those who are engaged all of my energy. As the text suggested, most of the class is aware of disruptive students. Hopefully many of them can ignore those not willing to participate if I refuse to give them all of my attention.
  
• In planning the week’s lesson, I can start with one or two goals I wish to accomplish in each session. I can use the goals to guide my lesson plans, rather than reflecting on what the students learned when the class is dismissed. I can also announce the goals to the students when class begins to help them understand my intention with the lesson. This practice will help me stay on task and ensure I am providing students with the most relevant information. It will also give students an idea of what the purpose of the content is.
  
• When planning lessons, I can implement daily activities and discussion to ensure I am reaching visual and kinesthetic learners. Discussion questions and activities should be well thought out to encompass the material that auditory learners gained from my lecture. Planning various lesson formats, that correlate with my daily lecture, will help me to engage students will all learning styles.
  
  

The following are techniques, theories, or suggestions that I want to incorporate in my own teaching:

• Start the lesson by going over bureaucratic details. I frequently make announcements at the beginning of class, but I don’t often ask for questions about reading or assignments until class is nearly over. The text mentioned that students are often getting materials packed up and wanting to leave at the end of a session. This may often result in questions not being asked or concerns going unsaid. I want to begin class by going over questions or concerns that students have. It may even be something I can incorporate into my lecture or spend more time on in the future.
  
• Making sure class starts on time is important. Occasionally, I have some students coming into my class late. I usually feel that I need to update them on what they have missed or wait until they arrive. I want to incorporate this because it is important to utilize all of the allotted time for the class. If I give the impression that being late is acceptable, it will be unfair to those students that arrive on time. It is not only a poor message to wait for a late student, but it takes away from time that others could be learning.


• Inviting a public speaker to my class is something that I have been thinking about for some time. Since I instruct a course on public speaking, it seems relevant to invite a prominent speaker in the community that could share their expertise with my students. I plan to follow the steps the text provided so I can incorporate a guest effectively, not only for the students but for the speaker as well. It is important to have students write questions ahead of time to ensure that they are prepared and participating.
  

Additional Resources
Find your learning style
Many of you may already know your preferred learning style, but this is interesting when thinking of learning from a teacher’s perspective.

www.mnispi.org

Blog Entry #1

As week two comes to an end I am amazed that I am still here to blog about it. I’ve survived the ice-breakers and lesson plans. I made it through the apprehension and mistakes. I feel I was prepared for the worst and experienced the best. As with any learning process, my first blog entry will be an adventure on its own. I intend to use this entry to discuss important readings, useful techniques, and future plans, based on my reading and classroom experience.


I. This week’s reading covered nearly every step from preparation to the first day of class. I highlighted a few of the most interesting ideas below.

• McKeachie’s hypothesis regarding the importance of learning over teaching was a reality check for me. Much of my first two weeks have been spent struggling with details about the act of teaching, rather than my role as a teacher. I found McKeachie’s idea useful because it puts my position as a teacher into perspective. It is easy to get caught up in planning a lesson that will fulfill the department’s criteria. Meanwhile, the purpose of my position as an instructor is to facilitate learning. After reading this hypothesis, I realized that I need to constantly keep the students’ learning at the top of my instructional goals. I decided to print this idea inside my planner as a reminder of the true meaning of teaching.

• The influence that gender has on students, in the First Day to Final Grade, was an aspect of teaching I hadn’t considered. I remember being overwhelmed with the first impression I gave to the students. I was trying to come across as fun, while proving my authority. By adding gender influence to my nervousness, I wonder if I would have overcompensated to try to avoid gender bias. Would I have tried to be overly strict as a process of intimidation? Although I am beyond my first impression in the classroom, it is something I can use for the remainder of my teaching. I want to be sure that my students are all being treated fairly. I don’t want any of the students to feel that they are favored due to gender, or can treat me differently because of my gender.

• Out-of-Class learning is a concept I didn’t fully grasp until I read Chapter 2 of First Day to Final Grade. Previously, I considered out-of-class learning to be just a part in the process. Every student must read and digest information so they are aware of the material. I didn’t consider my role as a facilitator of learning after the students left my classroom. The fact that their out-of-class work can make them engage more in the classroom makes sense to me now. This will be useful when I assign future homework. I need to spend time preparing out-of-class work so it can perpetuate their learning and get them motivated for the next class.
  

II. A large amount of this week’s reading contains theories and techniques to be used by first time instructors in various fields. I found a few of the techniques would be especially useful in the field of communication.

• I can learn the names of my students in a timely fashion. To be honest, I haven’t put much effort into learning the names of my students. I often give the excuse that I am not good at memorizing names. On the second day, I had my students make name cards to be placed on their desks during class. While the cards have served the purpose for calling on them when they have questions, there has been little attempt to learn their names without the cards. Learning their names will help me to show respect and compassion to my students. I am instructing a course on communication. I should be expected to learn their names to improve the instructor-student communication.

• I can have students fill out “vital information” cards to help me contact them. Currently, my out-of-class contact with students is strictly by email. I learned about the limitations of this plan yesterday when one of my students couldn’t get into his email or on Blackboard. “Vital information” cards could help me contact a student when technology is down. It could also help me get to know my students better, by containing information about their interests and other courses.

• I can use excess time constructively rather than dismissing class early. I had 10 minutes to spare when we concluded our lecture last week. It was too little time to go through an extra activity, but enough time to do something productive. I can plan questions and short activities to use if we have extra time. I can also have the following week’s lesson plans outlined to see if students have questions or concerns.
  

III. There are a number of things I would like to incorporate in my teaching for the future. Many of this week’s readings dealt with syllabus structure and how to plan for the first day, but I feel many things can be implemented at any time.

• I will reflect more on my own goals for the class, so I can include them in the syllabus. The department has goals about their expectations, but I believe my own goals for the class would help students better understand my expectations. Because I will be facilitating learning in the classroom, it is important that students can strive to meet goals that I have set out for them.

• I will do my best to understand and make note of appropriate teaching methods. The last two weeks have given me a chance to get acquainted with my teaching style. The process has been one of trial and error, but I feel I learn something new each day. I want to take notes on what works and what doesn’t work as it pertains to certain lessons, situations, students, etc. I feel this will be important in my growth as a teacher. The more I can learn how to maximize my teaching, the better it will be for future students.

• I will check my resources prior to the first day. By understanding the university system, my classroom setup and the classroom technology, I can be more prepared for my students. Checking my resources can ease tensions and give me a better understanding of the tools at my disposal.

• I will not try to interest every student all of the time, and accept the fact that it is nearly impossible to do so. I found this to be helpful information for the future because I tend to teach to the students who aren’t engaging. I need to work more on keeping interested students engaged rather than bending over backwards for those who don’t care. In doing so, I can teach to the students who are actually interested in learning.

• Learning names! I need to learn the students’ names. (I could use this under each heading.) I need to put forth the effort to treat my students with the same respect I do my peers. In doing so, I will gain more respect from them. It will not only make activities and discussion easier, but it may help strengthen the unity of our classroom.
  
  
  The Comm TAs were involved in an intense orientation at the beginning of the semester. I feel that we covered a lot of what has been discussed in the text. As much as I learned in orientation, it still feels helpful to review certain concepts. It is also nice to get a different perspective on why we have different rules and techniques. Overall, I feel that my first two weeks have been a success. I feel prepared for the bad days (I hope) and look forward to more of the good ones!
  
  

Recommended Readings:

• I stumbled across this page from the U of Utah while looking for advice for new TAs. The info on basic teaching styles is interesting. There are also many links and “printer-friendly” tips.
  http://web.utah.edu/taresources/
  
• This may be interesting for others using PowerPoint and different technology in the classroom.
  http://chronicle.com/article/Teach-Naked-Effort-Strips/47398/