Day 14: Feedback for Students

Day 14 of the Reflective Teaching Challenge asks us to consider what sort of feedback we provide for students and how well we think we do.

Feedback on papers is. so. hard. It's hard to do well, at least, because (I think) there are so many approaches. Too many comments and the student would be overwhelmed and I would be exhausted and permanently behind (as if I'm not already!). Not enough comments and, well, do they even know if the instructor read?

I'm thinking of a pre-college level writing course and their homework. I assign three types of writing: journals, article summary-responses, and of course, essays. Since I collect something every day from those students, I have to move pretty fast on feedback. I see journal feedback as more of a conversation. Since the journals are designed to get students connected with the reading and assist with comprehension, I see them as an opportunity to just get to know the students. What insights do they have? What did they like about the reading? (Did they understand it?) So I might make a couple of margin comments asking them questions or telling them why a particular statement stood out to me.

Article Sum-Responses are more academic in nature, so after giving them extensive feedback the first time they submit these, I tend to just read and make sure they are not plagiarizing unintentionally (it happens) and understood the gist of the article, which they attach. Sometimes I can interact with them in their response to the article, which is more personal in nature.

For essay drafts, I provide a couple of layers of feedback. Yes, it's an English course, so if I notice patterns of error I will point those out. Some essays are full of typos, and while I don't identify all of those, I might just indicate that they need to spend more time in the proofreading process. I still make margin comments asking questions designed to get them to reconsider weaker areas (instead of "develop this" "Can you tell me more about what happened? I feel like something is missing here.") I then put an overall comment at the top.

Admittedly, these kinds of margin comments are time-consuming, and sometimes I resort to "Remember AXES for paragraphs" or something like it in the margins.  It is not a perfect system. I am sure I do a better job on some papers than others.

Lately I've been trying to be complimentary in a way that encourages growth, not just in a vague "this is a great paper" sort of a way. Whether it's a solid or not-so-great draft, I try to locate a specific talent they have. Nerdy as it might sound, "You have a knack for explaining the quotes you locate--you really understand the reading and how it applies to your situation!" might be one.

I don't think we can hit everything a student is doing well or what they need to work on when grading a paper, even if we comment on more than one draft. Maybe that is the point! I'm trying to remember that I'm just the guide; I can't cover everything.

Day 13: EdTech Tools

Day 13 of the Reflective Teaching Blogging Challenge asks us to name the top edtech tools that you use on a consistent basis in the classroom, and rank them in terms of their perceived (by you) effectiveness.

#1 (in terms of frequency) Blackboard
I use Blackboard, our school's CMS, on an almost daily basis. Let me get straight to why it's a 6/10. 

First, the positives. A LOT of teachers on our campus use Blackboard, and students have come to expect it. They find it easy to use, and they like having regular access to their grades and the online feedback I can provide with that feature. Most of them are so comfortable using Blackboard that it's second nature. Even for a f2f course, in a lab I can house a task in Bboard and even on the first day, students can access and complete it easily. It's kinda nice having a universally-known system like that to post links and relevant handouts.

The negatives
There's something very... flat about Bboard. Sure, one could argue that this is an English class, and since it's pretty easy for the instructor to communicate with the students through text and for them to do the same it should be fine. But something is just missing. Something is lacking. There is a hurdle to overcome to get students to engage socially as they do naturally in a f2f class, and most of them don't. I'd like to move a CMS beyond being another on our students' to-do list and get them really excited about what our CMS can do, to integrate it a bit more into their lives. 

Bboard also isn't quite as streamlined as it might be. I am not a design expert, but I have a feeling that in a few years the current layout of Bboard (or Moodle, which I've used as a student) will modernize pretty dramatically.

#2 VoiceThread
A colleague of mine turned me on to VoiceThread. I love how easy it is to create video/text material for students. I think it's great for introducing a unit. In a fully online class I can easily create scenarios for them to engage with in a mode of communication they see fit (text, audio, video). This is great for students who want just a little bit of instructor presence, and if the instructor matches the video with text on the screen, it is good for hard-of-hearing users, too. (Accessibility!) Students can watch, rewind, and see what other students have posted. 

I'm not teaching fully online now, but I use the video feature to introduce the unit (like a mini-lecture) and provide the space for students to ask questions. I often preview some of the questions we'll tackle when we meet f2f, and I accompany their watching the VT and completing other readings with a weekly quiz. I struggled this summer in getting students to use the comment feature in lieu of Blackboard's traditional discussion board, so I will have to work with that next time around.

I give VT a 7/10. Lots of possibilities, but it's hard to manage a very interactive, truly threaded discussion that mirrors a f2f class when you're expecting 30 students to log in and post. 

In case you're curious, here is a link to the video I did to preview this week's class. https://voicethread.com/share/6042725/

Day 12: envisioning change

My first post on a mobile device! I'm out of town so I've got to keep this one short. The theme for day 12 is how I envision my teaching changing in the next five years. 

I'm at sort of a crossroads. I've spent a lot of time learning techniques to improve online teaching, and without getting into the nitty-gritty, I will say that despite improvements in engaging with the students and course design I have pretty substantive reservations about the medium. (Resistance from the students to these new techniques being the most surprising.) So, if I continue with purely online, I will just have to keep working to improve retention and create rapport online that is so crucial to a f2f class. 

If I back off and do purely f2f courses I will have to find ways to deal with my mild to moderate social anxiety. Maybe restructure the class time so I am *really* not on stage--a regular blend of of individual , partner, and group work a la On Course/the flipped model with me acting as more of a coach. 

Just some musings from a warm beach house on my belated bachelorette weekend!

Day 11: The Shared Energy

Day 11 of the Reflective Teaching Blogging Challenge asks us to consider our favorite part of the school day.

Since I teach college, I don't actually get to be with the students all that much compared to K-12 folks. So of course, being in the classroom is pretty great. I cherish that time.

Being pregnant has really confirmed how special being around other human beings engaged in a similar task can be. I often feel sick or just plain exhausted, and there have already been many a day where meetings, prep, and grading are nearly impossible to do. But once I get into the classroom, there is a sort of shared energy that comes to life. It doesn't matter how I'm feeling, because I swear, we start feeding off each other, and after a few minutes whatever I'm feeling kind of drops away.

I can usually pinpoint the moment it happens. The first 10 minutes or so can be awkward, even if I'm feeling great. I am often nervous and it takes me a while to get into the lesson. (It's probably the same for them, too.) I've read that it takes about 15 minutes to really get our brains engaged in a task. I believe it-- about that time (provided the lesson plan is OK!) everything we've brought into the room kinda drops away and we can get into the task at hand. That shared energy is magical!

Day #10: LISTS!

In case you're just dropping in, this months posts are a response to the Reflective Teaching Blogging Challenge.  

Day #10 is lists! Yay! Who doesn't love lists about themselves? 



Share five random facts about yourself.

1. I've been catching up on The Walking Dead lately (season #4! What's with all the filler episodes?!)
2. I love my three cats to death and hope they don't freak out when the baby arrives. And by "freak out" I mean peeing everywhere or clawing things up or hurting the baby. #s 1 and  2 most likely.
3. I go to bed pretty early these days. Like, before 10 most nights.
4. I feel guilty about not exercising since I got pregnant. Aside from walking to work (approx 10-15 minutes each way) I don't exercise at all. 
5. I'm a pretty good baker. Bring me some berries and I will make you a killer pie, from scratch.

Share four things from your bucket list.

1. Go to the Amazon and meet a shaman and, possibly, do an ayahuasca retreat
2. Raise a child that doesn't need to go to therapy.... much
3. Go back to Asia, this time with my husband (maybe Vietnam, Cambodia)
4. Stay married. Hopefully have a happy one.

Share three things that you hope for this year, as a “person” or an educator.

1. I hope to finish out this semester strong and not let baby expectations dampen my love of the classroom
2. I hope more students successfully complete my 115/116 hybrid paired course than they did last semester
3. I hope childbirth goes OK and that we get through the first few months loving a healthy baby with our relationship in tact.

Share two things that have made you laugh or cry as an educator.

1. I cried over the student who said I was going to cost him his future, his athletic scholarship to a university, because I told him he wasn't going to pass my course
2. I laugh constantly during work. It's my response to anything ridiculous, outrageous, or just plain funny. (In line for coffee this morning, I hear "I'm not going to class today." "Is the teacher doing anything important?" "No, it's just a review for the test Friday.") Chucklechucklechuckle. Sometimes, you gotta laugh.

Share one thing you wish more people knew about you.

1. Speaking of laughter, if you make me laugh while you're telling me, I will accept pretty much anything you say.

Day 9: My Biggest Accomplishment

DAY 9 of the Reflective Teaching Blogging Challenge: Write about one of your biggest accomplishments in your teaching that no one knows about (or may not care).

This is embarrassing, but like many instructors, I spent the first couple of years (possibly more!) of teaching obsessed with convincing people I had the right to be their instructor. I wanted to be as funny as the funniest instructor on our campus, as smart as the smartest instructor, and as tech savvy as, well, you get the point.

I was, sadly, more interested in avoiding looking like a fraud than whether students' writing and critical thinking skills were improving. It was all about me.

Eventually, the "I'm a little kid playing dress-up in my mom's closet" feeling subsides. Or, maybe it is that the desire to assess and what students are actually learning and encourage more growth overpowers the fear. So, I started letting go of the need to look great in front of the class and focusing more on the students. It sounds like, "of course, dummy" but really, it's a shift in thought. I know instructors, good instructors, who have been teaching for years, who don't do anonymous surveys or check-ins with their students to see if they're getting it or how they think the class is going. It can be scary to do so!

Anyway, the last few years went by without my getting official student evaluations. Finally, last year I renewed my tenure status and had the gamut of student evals again. (I do anonymous surveys and check-ins but for some reason those HR surveys hold special weight!) For the first time, I got a lot of comments to the effect of "this is a hard class, but I'm learning so much," and "I think my writing is really improving."

Awesome!

My Desk Drawer: Making Inferences (Day 8 of the Reflective Teaching Challenge)

Today we have a seemingly random blogging challenge: What is in our desk drawer, and what inferences can someone make from the contents?

I'm going to show it all. No hiding, no shame. This is the top-left drawer of my office, which is also pictured below. 

There's a lot of stuff here: a hairbrush, Advil gels in a baggie, Excedrine, candies, a CD of a student's band (they already broke up), $5, lipstick, powder, kleenex, really old markers that are probably dried up, post-its, a hammer and a couple of business cards.

I admit I don't have a lot of nice things to say about this drawer, should I make inferences of the person (as if I didn't know who she was, I suppose the question asks). It's messy and filled with randomness. Why are the Advil in baggies? Why is the Advil label scratched off, the word Excedrine written on top? Can she not just buy a bottle for her office? This is not the drawer of an organized, calm person. This is a person who is overworked and has little time to get her S#%^ together. Either that, or she just doesn't care about having her s#@* together, which could be a sign of mental illness.

I guess if I were to take a kinder view of my office and drawer I could be a little more sympathetic. It's nice her student thought enough of her that he wanted to share his band's music with her. The handle of the hammer could indicate she once was ambitious about personalizing her office. It's always good to have $5 lying around; you never know when you might need coffee and the credit card machine is down, or someone is coming around asking for donations for a worthy project. Two shades of lipstick? That's just being prepared.

Still. It's only week #4 and already things are a mess. I gotta get it together!