Day 21: Hobbies or Interests

The Reflective Teaching Blogging Challenge is nearing its end, and I'm sad for this! I love making the time for this and seeing what my colleagues are sharing. What a great idea exchange!

Today I'm asked to discuss what hobbies or interests I bring into the classroom. Aside from occasionally mentioning that I did yoga or a movie I saw, or admitting that I have played WoW and The Sims, I don't talk much about my hobbies. (I did, however, take a few moments to describe a scene from The Sopranos in which Steve Buscemi's character has a "liminal moment"--long story as to why I was sharing that concept with students--when he is deciding between staying "clean" after his time in prison or getting back into the life of organized crime. Does that count? :-)

But I realize my interests definitely filter into the class and what I decide we'll be studying. In one course we look at Edward Said's concept of Orientalism, and to illustrate the way an "other" is constructed, we take a look at a conversation between Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor on disability, a clip from the film The Examined Life.

One of the theoretical veins I'd jump into feet first were I still in grad school would be disability studies. Thanks to a rockin' colleague, since graduating I've just been able to get my feet wet in this field. I've come to see that of all the "isms," ableism is one of the least visible. (Case in point: A professor at our college who has made a wonderful collection of mandatory-viewing videos for her students to supplement the lecture. I asked if she'd be willing to participate in a free captioning program in our campus effort to make sure the videos we show our students are ADA compliant. She said no, multiple times, asking in all sincerity why auto-captions aren't enough.)

The same lack of awareness is everywhere. I just watched a wonderful play in a very gay-friendly theater here in San Diego. The play brought up issues of class, women's rights, white privilege, and marriage equality, and the actors were incredible. But in this otherwise liberatory play, one of the characters shouts that the other looks like a "retarded leprechaun." Seriously?

Anyway, I think the Butler/Taylor conversation is kind of a mind-blower for students, as it was for me. They easily see how race or gender is used to manipulate people into positions of submission, but expectations for what bodies are and how they function?  The question is, "What can a body do, not what should a body do?" That's some brand-new thinkin' for these guys.

I tell them I'm interested in this field, that I have only dipped my toe in the water. I've been inculcated with all kinds of bias, ableism just one of them. But we've got to be fearless and be willing to lead the students through big topics, right? That's what they're already experiencing in their educational path.

I guess that's an interest I share with students!

Day 20: Curating Student Work

You'd think as a writing instructor I'd have ample opportunity to get students' work out there. And there are some. Our college has a journal, and some of the faculty have gotten our campus to participate in a local organization where they write, rehearse, and read aloud their work to an oh-so-captive audience ("So Say We All," local folks!).

But aside from singling out some creative writers and encouraging them to join a creative writing club or submit their work to the journal, I don't do much.

I gotta think about this...

Day 19: Reflecting on Our Learning

In a writing class, there are ample opportunities to get students to reflect on their learning. I even introduce the concept of meta-cognition and its benefits (not that I'm an expert!) to developmental writing students so they know why we occasionally take time to think about our process and why we learn.

Three methods of getting students to reflect on their learning (and one that I use the most)

--I start off my developmental composition courses with an activity called Academic Survival 101. Instead of listing a lot of resources and strategies that the students should pull when they hit a rough spot, it asks them to reflect on what impact their life (work, family, friends, other classes, personal challenges) has on their stated goals for the class and the college. They also reflect on why improving their writing skills will help them in other classes or a job.

I ask them to then think about how their time is used. I base this part on an On Course "Quadrants of Time Use" activity. I kinda cringe at the reductiveness (reductivity?) of the quadrants, but having done this a couple of times I think the students appreciate the eye-opener of how time is spent.

Finally, they come up with a plan and identify their resources so they can attain their stated goals in class and college. Hopefully, this self-generated self-awareness will translate into sincere investment in the course and to their learning.

We come back to this Academic Survival plan periodically so, hopefully, their goals stay fresh in their mind and they reconsider a) whether the plan works and b) whether they're really sticking to it.

--I stole another reflection idea from Bayan Professor, who is also doing this challenge. The idea of taking a moment at the end of the class and having students quickly reflect on a concept we learned, or leaving it open-ended and asking them what is something they've learned, how they will use it, and an option to ask a question for clarification. It takes less than five minutes, and it lets me know whether they got it and whether they see the concept as helpful in some way.

--Since I've started teaching I've asked students to reflect on how the writing process is going at various stages. Before submitting a rough draft for feedback, for instance, they answer a few questions such as, "What is one thing you learned about writing or how you write (by completing this draft)"? They do this at every stage of the writing process.

Day 18: A Teacher is a _______.

Day 18 of the Reflective Teaching Challenge
Create a metaphor/simile/analogy that describes your teaching philosophy. For example, "a teacher is a ________…”

I've already shared with the community my analogy for teaching. I like to think of a teacher as a guide of some sort. We are all on the hike together. I can name some interesting features and give my hikers some guidance on how to avoid fatigue, move in the right direction, and enjoy the experience, but they have to do the work--they burn the (mental) calories, use a map, and note what they see that is interesting.


As a guide, I do have responsibilities: I need to have a route that is navigable and at the appropriate skill level. I need to be attentive to their needs and give individual feedback when necessary to intervene when someone might be getting off track. I also need to keep my skills up, which is why blogging challenges like these are so great.

How might this manifest in a composition class? Most teachers have been inundated (I hope!) with strategies for effective teaching. We need a plan, to know what the class goals/outcomes are. This is manifest in a good calendar and well-crafted assignments (where are we going this time?). We need guidelines on how to behave in the classroom and standards for completing work (a map!). Readings aren't given just for fun; they're well-chosen as model texts. The instructor does modeling, demonstration, allowing for lots of questions before turning the students loose on their creative, analytical journey (group work, individual writing activities, lab exercises, etc). I think an instructor should make it clear that they are alongside the student at all steps, providing encouraging feedback and clarification.

What a warm and fuzzy analogy. It's a little unlike me! :-)

Day 17: The Biggest Challenge in Education Today

Day 17 of the Reflective Teaching Blogging Challenge asks us to consider the biggest challenge in education today. That's a big topic, and honestly, I don't feel I'm qualified to address it. I'm going to talk about the biggest challenges in teaching English at my community college.

I can't help but talk about two. (I feel like someone tightened a key in this wind-up toy's back!) The overriding one is class size. We have a 30 student max in each composition course. I realize many colleges have more, but I feel this is a lot to manage and impossible to do as well as I'd like. Grading load aside, classroom management can be a challenge. Just today, I had students working on a draft--just 15 minutes--and I had hoped to circulate around to at least half of them. Well, one student started crying as she was essentially in crisis. Of course, a student in crisis takes priority, so I spent most of the time attending to her. This means I didn't get to the other students to see how they were doing as a class or give them individual feedback. In a smaller class I could have managed the time a bit better--some time on her, then extend the time so I could see at least a handful of the class and check in.

Those moments where we connect with our students and offer encouragement or clarification are really where the magic happens. I'm reminded of what I overheard a therapist friend saying to another therapist: "it is the relationship that heals, it is the relationship that heals."

Is it the relationship that teaches? How can one have a relationship with 120--or more--students a semester?

The other challenge that I'm seeing at my school is the lack of administrative support--or at least acknowledgment--of what students need to succeed, especially online. Many students want online and hybrid courses. Many instructors want to teach them. Many instructors don't do so well, unfortunately, and students suffer in two ways:

1) They have a bad experience (teacher not engaged in the class, teacher pays a former student to grade, students learn from a book and taking multiple choice tests, students receive no meaningful feedback, don't have emails answered, etc).

 2) They are taught to expect that online learning is boring but easy if you can read a book and do multiple choice questions well. Many drop immediately from online courses like mine that do not have multiple choice tests and require two or three time-consuming activities a week that go beyond rote memorization. They don't even make it to the part where they see that they'll get feedback, actually interact with the instructor and their peers and maybe, just maybe, even learn something.

(OK, I should be humble, there may be other reasons why students drop from my online courses ;-)

Since for years there were little to no standards or oversight for online learning, colleges have been slow to adopt the new CA standards set forth by the accrediting bodies which ask for more instructor involvement and meaningful work on the student's end. Little wonder instructors are nervous about the changes! Most colleges do not have distance education coordinators or instructional designers to train faculty and offer support. Many administrators think that since they have Blackboard/Moodle/Canvas tech support, instructors have what they need to do well! But we can't ignore the pedagogical differences in the online medium. We can't ignore the students who want to learn online but who aren't getting an experience comparable to face-to-face.

I probably sound a bit ranty, and perhaps like someone who thinks she has all the answers. OK, I'm ranty, I admit that, but I don't have all the answers :-)  But I believe online can be good, really good, as good as f2f for many students. But it's just not workin' as it is.

Day 16: My Superpower?

Day 16 asks us to reflect a superpower we wish we could have and how it could help us in the classroom.

It's been so hot in San Diego that all I can think of is Mr. Freeze.

If I had magic freezing powers, I could keep classrooms cool without running up the electricity bill. We could then use the money on other things, like iPads or cheaper childcare! Students would be focused and alert in their cool classrooms, and I could make them ice in fancy shapes for their drinks.

I would be the cool teacher. Get it?

Sorry... that's all I got today!

Day 15: Three Strengths

Day 15 of the Reflective Teaching Blogging Challenge: Name three strengths you have as an educator

My husband, who used to conduct interviews as part of his job, says that in an interview situation, whenever you ask someone what their greatest strength is, it's really their biggest weakness. So, take the below with a grain of salt :-)

Strengths (I think)

1) I really love teaching. I think that when you love something, it comes across to everyone around you. Joy, curiosity, and engagement with what is happening is infectious. I'm sure the teachers I liked and learned from most loved teaching, and I hope my students can sense that I really do like my job. 

2) I'm (almost always) quick to respond to questions. If a student has a question via email, they get an answer back, usually within a few hours if not less. Although I don't think we should all be slaves to our email or work past reasonable hours, I strive to answer students' questions as fast as I can. If they made the effort to reach out to me, shouldn't I respect that with a prompt response? 

3) I've been told that I'm "nice." (I hope hope hope this means approachable and down-to-earth but not pushover.) I think I have pretty good people skills and that I interact with folks--especially students--well. I really strive to create a comfortable learning environment, and I think that starts with an instructor who is fair-minded and approachable.  

*The flip side of this is that a conflict-avoidant personality like me will have a hard time broaching an issue that could result in discord or mixed emotions. I'm thinking of situations in which we might have a student that consistently misses work, seems confused about what is due when (when other students seem to be on track). I always answer that student's questions cheerfully, but I don't often take the extra step and say, "Hey ____. I'm noticing a pattern here. Despite the fact that I remember telling you more than once that X is due on this day, you always seem surprised when I ask for that assignment. What's up?" 

More things to work on!