The Arts Edition SARAH MUNAWAR
My name is Sarah Munawar and I am a third year student at the University of Toronto. I am currently pursuing a double major in Ethics, Society and Law and Political Science with an additional minor in Writing and Rhetoric. I cannot tell you how to teach, but I can tell you how to adjust your teaching to be better received by students. I am super involved in school as a FLC Philosophy Peer Mentor, President of Because I am a Girl-UofT and The Underwear Club. I am also a student ambassador for Student Life UofT and the VP of Communications for the Ethics, Society and Law Students’ Association. As a mentor, member of student government, club executive and student, I can safely say I know quite well the needs of undergraduates. Teaching is not the projection of words. Its about creating a physical space for students to test drive their knowledge. Students want to learn how to critically analyze and apply their knowledge—not memorize facts and theories. As a teacher you should aim to show students how to read not tell them to read. The goal of teaching should be to produce scholars and agents of social change not robots who can successfully regurgitate information. The purpose of this guide is to show you how you can positively influence a student’s academic experience by simply prioritizing the needs of your students.
Sarah Munawar CTSI Student Liaison
Connect. Engage. Empower……………..….1 Open Space Technology…………………..….3 What do you mean by participation?...........4 Know Your Audience …………………….......5 Blackboard: Underused and Abused……….6 Social Media: Friend or Foe……………...….7 Online Office Hours…………………..8 Twitter, Tumblr or Formspring?.......9 In The Spotlight………………………….....11 Professor Joseph Carens….…………12 Professor Mairi Macdonald…………13 Professor Vikki Visvis……………….15 Teaching The Google Generation………....17 The Art of Office Hours……………………..18 Acknowledgements………………………….19
Teaching is not a one-way projection of words; it’s a reciprocal relationship in which the professor and student must work together. The student’s perception of you is what determines whether it is the former or the latter. Better communication between the professor and student transforms the student from a number to an active participant in class discussion and an engaged listener. Words are not the only channel of communication between the professor and the student. The way you speak the words, the way your body presents the information and the way you acknowledge the existence of your audience is more important than the words you speak. This is because if you do not pay attention to these aspects then the student will retain less information, tune out and lose focus.
The quality of your lecture is determined not only by the content, but also the way the content is communicated to the student. You need to be self-aware of your presence as a professor in order to effectively communicate your information to the student. Whether you are teaching a class of 30 or a class of 1200, the followings tips and tricks will help you become more self-aware of your teaching style and increase student engagement in your course:
The Power of The Name Incorporating the names of student’s in your lectures shows that you are committed to the course, the evaluation of students and their academic success. When a person hears his name he is more likely to react to you in a more positive manner. The recitation of a student’s name makes that person feel special and inspires other students to aspire for their name to be recited. Simple recitation of a student’s name in lecture not only validates his existence but also inspires other students to make themselves known to the professor. I remember how Professor Clifford Orwin called on students by name in Pol200Y1. He asked first-time speakers their full name and for the rest of the school year referred to them as Mr or Ms. Last Name. In doing so he validated the student’s existence, encouraged others to participate to gain same recognition and projected a genuine respect and appreciation for his students and their participation. He always spoke with a smile and used his tone of voice and the power of storytelling to present the works of Plato and Machiavelli in an intriguing and exciting manner. Ways to incorporate the names of students into your lecture include: • Citing quotes from student’s essays in lectures (have T.As select worthy quotes) • Bringing up conversations from past lectures in present lectures to show continuation of dialogue with student • Acknowledgement of student’s work • Having students upload journals voluntarily to Blackboard or a social network and quoting some in lecture
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Body Language The way you use your body to present information to your students is a decisive factor in determining the quality of your teaching. Standing in one spot speaking in a consistent and monotonous tone is not going to captivate and inspire students to actively listen. Present your information in a physically moving way. Catch short attention spans with quick body movements and changes in tone. Strategically channel excitement with your body and voice tone to show your students how entertaining the course content can be. Show them how passionate you are about the content, why you are so passionate and how they can be passionate too. Failure to do so leaves students with a subpar impression of your capabilities as a professor and devalues the importance of the content. As a political theory junkie, I cannot tell you how annoying it is when a professor introduces an extremely significant text or thinker to students in a monotonous and unsatisfactory way. It’s a truly sad thing when a student is turned off by or fails to pursue the analysis of a thinker due to the professor’s pale presentation of the thinker’s thoughts. Students tend to get better grades and participate more in courses taught by professors who present information in an exciting and passionate way because passion is infectious. Professor Maria Subtelny (Above) is an excellent example of a professor who’s passion for her field of study emanates through her body language and speech. I took her course The Islamic World (NMC184H1) in my first year. She presented information in a narrative manner using art, poetry and parables from different time periods to provide insight into the different lifestyles and attitudes. She used her voice and her hand gestures to tell a story; every week I would come to class with the same excitement I used to come to my parents for storytime as a child. The way she presented the information captivated her audience; through speech and body language she brought the historical dates and facts to life.
“Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths pure theatre.” - Gail Godwin 2
Ways to Excite Students Speaking with a smile : If a professor smiles when lecturing, students feel invited to explore his intrigue and want to explore the content themselves to see if they can find similar contentment. Add mystery and suspense to the lecture by reading texts like jigsaw puzzle. Tie the classes together with a red thread. Mention certain observations and give clues in classes to encourage students to solve the puzzle themselves. Be careful not to hide the answer and clues in flowery language because flowery, inflated and indirect language alienates the student and is perceived as condescending. Be direct like “Why is Machiavelli mentioning Moses here?” or “Why is Hobbes not mentioning nature here?” Be Animate and employ your wit Do impressions of famous figures. Turn words into images and gestures. Strategically use your tone of voice to emphasize points and show students when to get excited and why Have open body language. Move around a lot. Staying locked in one position and crossing your arms and legs and mumbling presents information in a dull light. Be silly. Start off every class with a personal anecdote or a joke. Use media like videos or music
Professor Melissa Williams used Open Space Technology in POL330Y1 to determine the content of the course for the winter semester and to facilitate academic dialogue. It was an enlightening experience because it empowered us, the students, to design the rest of the course based on our needs as learners. It’s a lot like a community café. Open space technology is an excellent education tool to discern the needs of your students and to facilitate academic dialogue and interaction in a large group. At first it was really awkward expressing my views on political theory to complete strangers, but because we had the power to choose our discussion topics, I realized that the process allowed me to refine my arguments through conversation and light debate. By physically creating a space for academic discussion and allowing students to choose which topics they feel most comfortable speaking about, Professor Williams was successful in prioritizing the needs of the students. It is an effective educational tool for enhancing critical analysis and student participation. Process: 1. Book a large open space where furniture can be moved around 2. Ask students to sit in a circle 3. Ask students to come to the middle and write down on a piece of paper what they would like to learn about next semester (or a topic they would like to discuss) 4. Once topics have been gathered, put up topics around the room in different locations. Person who suggests a topic is the topic representative and should write down main points of discussion. 5. Ask students to coalesce around those topics which they desire to speak and learn more about 6. Have students discuss topics for 15-25 minutes. Students can move around and explore other topics if they find students getting off track or are curious. 7. Recollect the group in a circle and review main points discussed in each topic group. 8. See if there is a general convergence towards a certain topic or theme. Incorporate certain topic or theme into syllabus.
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%10 for Class Participation. What does that mean? Is it referring to class attendance? Do irrelevant comments count towards it? What if there are many conversation monopolisers in the tutorial? Is the class environment and types of students considered when evaluating a student’s %10? Do the amazing thoughts in the student’s head which are silenced by shyness and intimidation count for the %10? All students have ideas they want to share. Verbalizing them to an audience is the tough part. The two biggest obstacles which prevent me from speaking in class are 1) Not knowing what to say and how to participate and 2) Fearing that what I have to say is not good enough. Both these fears are rooted in not knowing the appropriate way to participate to get the %10 and fearing the judgement of others. Taking too long to articulate a thought only to find out that the class has moved on. I always find myself worrying that my thoughts are not as good as the thoughts of other more vocal students. There are things you can do as a T.A or Professor to calm these fears. The following are possible remedies for these two causes of low class participation: 1. Providing students with a rubric outlining expectations and guidelines for class participation Such a rubric can outline: • What kind of comments are encouraged (textual observations, questions etc.) • The weighting of class attendance and class participation in the %10 • Different ways to participate in class (journals on Blackboard, reading passages etc.) • What each student should prepare before the class for discussion This way students know how to prepare for discussion; and so, will have more confidence in sharing their thoughts.
Open Space Technology? What’s That?
2. Reading Questions • Providing students with a list of reading questions to guide their reading of texts and help them make valuable textual observations • One problem professors often make with reading questions is making them too difficult. Students do not have the time to comprehend both the reading questions and the text. Reading questions should aim to: 1)Help the student summarize the text 2)Create an equal ground of understanding of the text among the students from which they can ask questions and reach further levels of analysis 3) Help them ask the right questions not give them the answers.
3. Breaking down the otherness in the room by encouraging interaction (not competition) between peers. • Non-physical icebreakers in smaller classes always help breakdown the otherness regardless of how “cheesy” or “elementary” they seem. • Creating platforms to facilitate student discussion outside the classroom (Blackboard discussion application, optional tutorials, attending course union events as a group etc.) • Open Space Technology
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Know Your Audience
Shaquelle
Shannon
What inspires you to talk or participate in classrooms? I'm inspired to talk/participate in the classroom if I'm really interested in the topic and I actually know something about it. If I feel confident in what I know about what is being discussed then I will participate. If I'm interested, but not really sure what I can contribute then I'll keep quiet. What stops me from participating in classrooms are loud and pretentious students that always put their hands up first. I somehow feel intimidated by their confidence and then just tend to stay quiet.
Would you rather ace a class by memorizing a bunch of facts or get a B in a class that taught you how to critically think? Why? I would rather get a B in a class that taught me how to critically think because that is a lasting skill that you have now acquired. I wouldn't feel that great about myself if I simply memorized facts because anyone can do that. I think courses should focus less on marks and more on educating students in a way that when they leave the course, they have skills they can apply to the future.
Would you use social media if it was offered as a means of participation for your course? Definitely. I consider it as a much easier and less intimidating way to share my views on the course material. Social media such as Tumblr and Twitter allows for students to still be a part of class discussions even if they do not yet feel comfortable enough to verbally participate in class. However, I do not think that social media can completely substitute in-class participation. I believe that it is important to learn how to coherently and confidently express yourself verbally.
How can Professors present information in an exciting manner? An effective way for Professors to present information in an exciting manner is to incorporate media into their lectures. Showing a video clip normally catches my attention, especially if it has some modern relevance. Also, guest speakers often offer a refreshing new perspective to the course when sharing knowledge on their expertise. There are many ways for Professors to provide a more exciting lecture but I think it ultimately boils down to how enthusiastic the Professor is about teaching the material.
What makes a great professor? I've been lucky enough to have some really good professors at U of T. But I think what separates the great ones is their passion for the subject. Professors who speak to the class as opposed to reading at us make me feel more engaged. When a professor shows a real enthusiasm for their material, I feel more prone to listen and enjoy class. I like knowing that my professors enjoy their jobs and want to teach me, because it makes me want to be in their class and learn.
How can professors create a better connection with their students? I think professors who encourage students to come to their office hours and encourage students to ask questions generally form a better connection with their students. Professors who engage with students tend to be the ones who want to level with the students. I like being treated as an adult, and having a mutual respect with my professor. Eliminating the fear in a class room can make a more comfortable and enjoyable environment for everyone!
Jessica
Students need: Connection. Excitement. Recognition. Respect. Enthusiasm. External Validation. 5
What bothers me about Blackboard is that it is perfect in theory but difficult to put into practice. On one hand, Professors, at least all the ones I have had so far, are hesitant to use Blackboard for anything other than posting grades, creating tutorial groups, sending emails and making announcements. I feel these functions compose the bare minimum of Blackboard because Professors seem to only use Blackboard for these functions and ignore the other helpful tools like journal and calendar. However, when professors do not use Blackboard at all then it is extremely difficult to keep up with the course and communicate with the professor. On the other hand, Blackboard’s interface and layout is not user-friendly and confuses many students. The fear of everyone getting notified by your mistake in pressing the wrong button or typing the wrong answer prevents many students from exploring the blackboard tools. Discussion boards are dominated by the two overly eager students in class who know way too much about everything and intimidate other students from participating. The mass email function is abused by event promoters and lying last minute note hunters. And the other
functions like journal, blogs and conference are not understood or promoted by professor so students rarely forage into this unknown territory. Also, something about Blackboard makes me want to procrastinate. I think it’s because that it is a physical manifestation of readings piling up and so, naturally I run away to the next tab—Facebook. Debby Downer comments aside I really think Blackboard has the potential to be great if Professors were trained on how to use it effectively and students were taught how not to use it. Blackboard has all the right tools to facilitate conversation between students. It can do everything social media can do but better because its familiar territory for both professors and students, has all tools in one place and all students have an account. To make Blackboard work, it is up to the professors to invite the students to try out its tools. Providing an incentive like participation marks or bonus marks for making use of Blackboard tools is a great way to encourage students.
Blackboard is a space for students to engage in course-related conversation, get help and stay updated. Some underused tools I would love to see professors make use of include: Journals, Collaboration and Blackboard Collaborate.
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Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains. - Rousseau
Why does Rousseau use so many paradoxes to make his point?
The Pros of Social Media Having a presence on social media networks increases not only your connection with your students but also your brand as a professor. Social media can be used to create a reciprocal relationship between you and your students in which dialogue flows both ways. Social networks create a space in which your students can discuss course content and solve problems together. If I had the option to exercise my class participation both in class and outside class, the quality of my participation would increase. This is because I would have more time to articulate my thoughts and share content according to my own reservations and comfort zone. For example, in class the fear of stuttering, not thinking fast enough or speaking off topic prevents me from participating. Social media gives the student more power to decide how she wants to participate. It would give me more time to create a response to the lecture material and share content freely without the fear of
misrepresenting it or not knowing enough about it to share verbally. The Art of Conversation Social media harnesses the power of community and connection to increase student engagement. As a political theory junkie, I want to explore and refine my arguments through conversations and dialogue with my classmates. The formal structure of tutorials and lectures is a turn off for peer to peer conversations. You either talk to yourself in your head or to your T.A. A lot of students fear taking a position in tutorials and lectures in fear of entering into a debate. Debating should be kept in the halls of Hart House and law schools. Conversation should be encouraged between students and social media is a great way to facilitate conversation. I learn most through conversation. Through conversation, students bring their knowledge into reality and apply it to real life scenarios to convey it to others.
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Could you please clarify your interpretation of Hobbes’ state of nature?
Time, location, availability and shyness are all obstacles which prevent me from attending office hours. One way to eliminate these physical barriers is to hold online office hours. You can use Blackboard’s chat application, Twitter’s chat application with hashtags, Tumblr’s Ask Box and Formspring. You will already be in office for office hours and so, if no one physically attends you can monitor your online social network of choice and
answer questions uploaded by students. Holding online office hours is an effective way to increase faculty-student interaction because they can 1)be easily incorporated into your regular office hours; and 2)remove physical barriers which prevent students from attending office hours. Check out UTM’s Professor Barbara Murck’s experience with holding online office hours here.
Tutorials for next week are cancelled due to reading week. #UofT #POL101
Talking with your peers about course material has been frowned upon since grade school. Classrooms are designed for teacher-student conversation not peer conversations. Social media does not have the physical barriers (like time restraints, formal seating structure and one way communication with T.As in classrooms) and so, is a great place to foster conversation between students.
participate with Tumblr and Formspring because of their anonymity option. However, although content can be made available to the public, social networks like Twitter and Blogger require students to make an account in order to interact with users. Another drawback is students can abuse social networks and troll discussions and spam social networks.
Cons of Social Media There are some drawbacks of using social media as an educational tool. Using social media may alienate some students who do not use a certain social network. All students can
Possible Remedies to Cons Ways to remedy these drawbacks include polling students to determine the best social network to use, appointing T.A or students as social network moderators to filter trolling and
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spam and providing students with a code of conduct to guide use of social networks for educational purposes. Choosing a Social Network When choosing a social media platform, assess the needs of your course, your reservations and ability to maintain the social network to determine which social network complements your teaching style and your course. Based on this criteria, choose a social network which best suits your capabilities and purpose. Remember to use this tool sparingly. A course with a Twitter, a Tumblr and a Blog would overwhelm students and be counterproductive.
Tumblr, Twitter and Formspring are mediums of social media which are most suited for educational purposes. They allow for interaction between the professor and the student and the student and his classmates. They are easy to use, low maintenance and free to join! Check out how you can use them as educational tools! Twitter can be used in many ways as an education tool: • Inviting students to join you in dialogue via tweets on topics, concerns and issues of your interest • Having a positive presence in the student’s life outside of the classroom • Keeping students informed about current issues and news in field of study • Encouraging student interaction and dialogue through the creation of an online community • Announcements, reminders and event promotion • Hosting online chat sessions and conferences with http://tweetchat.com/ (Great way to take questions after class, facilitate dialogue, interaction and increase student engagement)
Pros of Twitter
Cons of Twitter
•Time-efficient: Content is limited to 140 characters •Free, mobile-friendly and easy to use •Not high maintenance compared to other social networks
Cons: •Students may use it to annoy professors with questions about course readings and assignments Solution: Providing students with a guideline outlining its purpose and code of conduct
Time Commitment: It is not as easy as just 1 tweet a day. Twitter requires you to 1) consistently produce content and 2)interact with followers and facilitate discussion. As long as you are committed to maintaining and growing this social network, it will be effective.
Purpose: To share information about yourself, your interests and your work with students, the university community and the academic community on Twitter. You can share quotes, articles, the book you are reading or projects you are working on. You can choose to make a personal account or an account just for the course.
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Purpose: Creating a space online where students can ask questions about the course. Your answers to these questions are catalogued and archived so other students with similar concerns can benefit from your answers as well. Formspring is not like an instant messenger; questions can be answered at any time after student uploads them to your inbox. You can choose to answer them during office hours or whenever you have free time. T.As can also help you answer the questions. It’s a low maintenance way to encourage student-faculty interaction, address concerns about course content and learn more about your audience.
Pros of Formspring
Cons of Formspring
•Low maintenance •Easy to understand •Has an anonymity option which students can use if they feel their question is stupid •Anonymity option open to non-users and users •Non-users can see content but need to sign up if they want to reveal their identity.
Students can abuse anonymity option by uploading spam and trolling discussions Solutions: •Comments/questions can be moderated by T.As •Anonymity option can be turned off •A Code of conduct and guidelines to regulate use of Formspring
Purpose: Tumblr can be used to create a community online where both you and your students can post their feedback, concerns and questions in one space. If you enable the “allow submissions” button, both you and students can share with each other relevant articles, discuss reading questions and solve problems together. It is an excellent medium because it uses the power of community to facilitate dialogue not only between the professor and the student but also between the students themselves. You can share pictures, ask for feedback on articles, address student concerns and encourage interaction with their classmates.
Pros of Tumblr
Cons of Tumblr
•Community: Students can submit content, interact with professors and other students and see responses of students •Allows many types of files to be uploaded such as videos, quotes and links •Anonymity Option which can be exercised by non-Tumblr users •Mobile friendly and free •Non-users can see content but need to sign up if they want to interact with content
•Difficult to understand how to use at first •Tumblr is used by students as a personal blogging tool •Students might not feel comfortable mixing private lives with professional lives •Solution: Students can choose to follow course page and reveal identity or act as anonymous
A Tumblr blog can be used as a microcosm of the academic world in which students refine their thoughts by taking part in discourse in their field of study and test driving their arguments.
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The title of professor comes with dual responsibilities; when you accept the title, you have to be prepared to not only teach but to be a mentor for your students as well. If you do not embrace this latter responsibility, then you are just projecting information. Sharing with your students personal experiences in the field, showing them how to practically translate theoretical information and structuring the course to facilitate their growth are all ways to be a mentor and a teacher. As a professor, you should aim to teach your students how to critically think and analyze instead of throwing readings at them and expecting them to know how to critically read them. Students are not born with an innate talent of critical analysis. To read and think
critically is a learned skill; the onus to refine and teach this skill is on the professor. I find that when a professor tells us how we should be approaching a text we are more likely to write better essays. This is because when you show us how to read a text, we learn to do it ourselves and apply the analysis skills you teach us when writing essays. Throughout my years (thus far) at UofT, I have had the pleasure of being taught by Professor Mairi Macdonald, Professor Vikki Visvis and Professor Joseph Carens.
Check out my interviews with them to find out what makes their teaching styles effective!
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A political theory lecture by Professor Carens consists of close readings of the text, open-ended questions and his occasional JFK impression. Professor Carens guides students through the text by showing them how to read texts and what to watch out for. What I admire about his teaching style is that he communicates the dense writings of Rousseau and Hegel with simple language. He does not push on students his interpretations of the text; rather by showing students how to read and analyze the texts (by doing so in lecture) he shows students how to create their own interpretations. Only a vibrant personality and a teaching style which prioritizes the needs of students can make every minute of 2 hour lecture on modern political thought (Pol320Y1) worthwhile and entertaining . Professor Joseph Carens: The big danger in a course like POL 320 -- and perhaps in any course that aims to teach critical thinking -- is that students will just take notes and repeat back what has been said in a lecture. That is a very passive form of learning. I try to make that more difficult (though I'm sure it still happens a lot) by looking for ways to enable students to see that these texts are addressing issues that still matter and addressing them at a deep level (as I believe is the case with these texts). POL 320 asks students to read texts written more than a century ago, often in language that seems abstract and alien. So, the challenge is to make the texts come alive, to persuade students that it is worth the effort to try to understand what these authors themselves have written (and not just what I say about their texts in a lecture). One key tactic is to use concrete examples from real life, especially from the lives of the students themselves, to illustrate the points being made in the text so that they can connect the language in the texts to their own lives. Better still, I try to ask the students to come up with examples to illustrate a point being made in the text. This encourages the students themselves to make the connection with their own lives. Another tactic is to ask for the students' initial opinions on the topics that the texts are addressing. Once they have become conscious that they have an opinion on the topic, they are more invested, more willing to consider what the texts have to say (which is often at odds with their own initial opinions). That is part of what develops critical thinking. And, of course, the texts are at odds with one another, so if I can get the students to engage with the questions and with the conflicting answers offered by different texts, that also promotes critical thinking. Finally, the political theorists whom we read are offering subtle, closely reasoned arguments about politics. To understand those arguments – not just the content of the claims, but the ways in which the different authors support those claims -- requires the exercise of analytical capacities. So, I try to help students to see the steps in the arguments and also the questions one can raise about the steps or about what is missing. And this requires not treating the texts with too much reverence, encouraging students to feel entitled to argue with the texts and not being too formal both in my own interactions with the class and in the way I talk about the texts.
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TRN303H1 (Ethics and Society), taught by Professor Macdonald, is one of the most enriching academic experiences I have had at UofT. What makes Professor Macdonald’s teaching style admirable is little things like remembering names, bringing up past conversations with students and incorporating all comments into the discussion topic. The course’s structure encouraged students to discover their own answers through in-class discussion guided by selected readings. Professor Macdonald used Is That A Fact by Mark Battersby to show students how to critically assess the course readings and information in general. Professor Macdonald also incorporated a role-playing exercise in the course to help students apply their knowledge of international development to a real-life scenario. We were assigned different groups which represented different political actors while Professor Macdonald acted as a facilitator of dialogue. With the role-playing exercise, she created an artificial playground for students to test drive their knowledge. How can a student actively participate in class? How a student actively participates depends on the nature and size of the class. In the case of classes between 25 and 35 students, I believe that most can, if properly encouraged, contribute orally to class discussions. Students who are shy or hesitant to speak in public should be encouraged to participate in other ways. They might initiate or participate in online discussions of course topics, for example. Here the role of the professor is to monitor discussions to ensure that they remain good examples of polite academic discourse, and to clarify misunderstandings and mis-statements of relevant facts and theoretical perspectives if necessary. Shy students might also keep journals of their reactions to course readings and discussions, and share them with their professors (and other students, if they're brave!). Is there such a thing as a irrelevant or stupid comment? Making sure that students get a chance to speak in class, particularly in a class of this size, can be tricky. Of course people sometimes make irrelevant comments - I've done it myself, many times but part of the job of facilitating discussion, as I see it, is to help students to articulate their thoughts so as to emphasize their relevance to the discussion. And of course, the more articulate and obviously relevant a student's comment is, the easier it is to incorporate into discussion. However, as you probably noticed, I really enjoy the challenge of finding and articulating the connections between comments in a way that advances the understanding I'm trying to promote of the issues at hand.
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How can professors teach critical thinking to help student’s better engage with course material? At some level, I think all university professors are trying to teach critical thinking. In this case, I used a text (Battersby's) as a support for students' efforts to respond to the quantitative data and the reasoning derived from that data. We didn't talk about the text very much, but the method it proposes that critical thinkers take in approaching quantitative data seems to have helped the students to understand other course readings and to contribute to our discussions. Discussions Discussions are also a good way to teach critical thinking, though it isn't always obvious because my job is (also) to encourage students to participate by trying out ideas so being explicitly "critical" would undermine that objective. In other words, it can be pretty subtle. However, I encourage students to formulate and articulate observations about readings, the positions advanced by me and by other students - and those observations, ideally, demonstrate that the student is thinking critically about the material. Pluralism Pluralism is a big help here. In a class of this size, there are bound to be diverse views. If students are encouraged to respond to one another's observations, they can develop their powers, not only to think critically, but also to express reasons for opposing views in a way that is respectful and, ideally, constructive. Critical thinking and constructive expression are also present in the process of determining whether a comment is relevant to the issue at hand - and how, whether it helps resolve the issue, etc. In your class, I encouraged students to advance examples they had encountered in their other studies and in their lives. Since the topic was development, those examples could be local as well as international. The process of assessing the relevance of those
examples was one of critical thinking. Several students expressed their concern that they didn't have the necessary range of empirical information to participate directly in this process. I encouraged those students to contribute in other ways: with theoretical insights, for instance, or with close readings of the texts we were thinking about as a class. Not everyone took me up on this, but enough did that I think our discussions were far, far richer and more enlightening than they would have been had I restricted comments to discussions of either theory or empirical evidence. The two should inform one another, and I hope that the class modeled at least one way that they can do so. Role-Playing Exercise The role-playing exercise was an opportunity to apply the theoretical issues we'd discussed to a very concrete situation. Moreover, it forced all the students to prepare and deliver a very short talk on one or more aspects of the issues and situation. Generally, on student engagement: I'd say that as a prof, pick topics you're passionate about, then work hard to convey that passion in a way that doesn't exclude others from expressing their own ideas about the subject even if those ideas amount to why we're wasting time if we think about these topics! The engagement doesn't always come, but it's incredibly rewarding when it does, especially if the students also get to demonstrate that they're learning both skills and subject as they go.
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Always smiling, willing to help and genuinely invested in my academic success—that is my lasting impression of Professor Vikki Visvis. I had no idea what university level critical analysis meant until I took the course INI203Y1 The Foundations of Written Discourse taught by Professor Visvis. It was the first course in my university career in which I spoke with confidence and felt my comments were unique and not just summations of the readings. Professor Visvis showed students through in-class exercises, open discussions and practical assignments how to apply critical analysis strategies to texts to produce quality arguments. She also used product advertisements and famous speeches to test students’ ability to apply analysis skills to real life scenarios. By making the content accessible to students by using contemporary examples to communicate her message, Professor Visvis was able to maintain high student engagement and teach critical thinking. Check out my interview with her below!
How can Professors teach students to critically engage with the texts? My approach to teaching critical thinking is based on showing, not just telling. For INI203, I tried to develop detailed PowerPoint slides that offer many examples of the rhetorical issues we discuss in class. I want to give students clear models that they can use as guides. I also try to enact those critical thinking processes in class, so that students can refine their own ways of thinking by watching someone else do it. I think this is where class discussion is very useful. A productive discussion further enacts that critical reasoning process, where many students approach an issue from many perspectives. That multiplicity allows for comprehensive understanding, which is essential to good critical reasoning. If my presentation of course material results in a discussion that teases out the intricacies of an issue or text, then, its been a productive class. The way I present lecture material, namely, by offering practical examples as models, is one strategy. Another is practice, repetition. I try to organize the course assignments so that students are given multiple opportunities to refine their skills. Usually, we don‘t engage with a critical issue under review just once in assignment form, but many times, and that repetition often helps develop those critical reasoning abilities.
How can students actively participate in class? What can students do to better prepare for class discussion? Active participation in class usually begins with a good understanding of the course material. If you can engage with the course readings well, then, you're off to a good start. Try to be prepared for class. I think I've been very fortunate as an instructor because I always find class discussion extremely useful and informative, and am consistently impressed with the level of discussion in my courses. So, I wouldn't really characterize any of the commentary as irrelevant. But, I think instructors (and students) like focused discussion and try to steer clear of digressions that don't really shed light on the issue at hand. Class conversation that unravels textual, rhetorical, or grammatical nuance in a focused way is usually best. Generally, I do my best to stick to the text, and I think that students who do the same benefit most from the conversation.
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Break this vicious cycle:
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In a world of Sparknotes, Wikipedia and online note banks, the last thing students come to class is for a summary of the readings. What the thinker is saying, basic pros and cons of her argument and a summary of the context of her argument are all easily available through one quick Google search. I go to lectures to learn how to critically approach texts; I go to Google to get a general understanding of the material. I stop attending lectures when the professor summarizes arguments and texts, instead of synthesizing the information and showing us how to critically approach it. The Google generation comes to class to learn how to think critically. It’s easier to rely on Google for facts and theories because you can learn at your own pace with the help of multiple sources of information. I only prioritize attending a lecture if I know it will help me analyze and interpret information in the readings in a unique way and meaningful way. One thing you cannot Google is the ability to apply and discuss what you have learned. You can encourage critical thinking in the Google generation through dialogic programming and the application of facts and theories to contemporary scenarios. I love leaving a lecture with the ability to talk about and apply what I have learned. I find that the ability to apply
knowledge is more intrinsically valuable than simply knowing facts and theories. The aim of lectures should be to facilitate a student’s ability to talk about and apply knowledge. One way to encourage this is through programming which encourages dialogue not only between the professor and students but also, between the students. The physical structure of the room and the structure of the lecture must work together to create an environment for critical discussion. Of course this cannot be successfully accomplished at Con Hall; but it can be implemented in classrooms which have less than 200 students. Breaking students off into groups, circular seating, optional tutorials and even incentivizing out-of-the-classroom learning. Encouraging students to attend events hosted by student unions such as speakers’ series or discussions relevant to course content are great ways to facilitate a student’s ability to apply knowledge outside of the classroom. Applying theories and facts to current situations is a way of synthesizing information in a meaningful and relevant way. For example, in a political theory class instead of mapping out arguments verbatim from the text, try showing students why the arguments are important in light of contemporary scenarios. (Cont’d on next page)
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The Art of Office Hours The other day my friends and I were discussing how amazing Dean Allen is as a professor. He remembers names, really listens to student concerns and is always willing to chat about non-class related matters. Then one of my friends asked: “Why can’t all professors be like him”. I thought a lot about that question. All professors can be great. However, if they are not great, do they choose not to be? What separates a great professor from a good one is initiative. Notifying your students of your office hours or email address is not enough initiative to establish a connection with your students and increase engagement. If you just tell your students to come to office hours if they have any questions, then all you are going to get is students with yes or no questions about readings or lecture content. These issues can simply be handled in class or over email. I avoid going to office hours to discuss just course content because of the following reasons: • I do not want my professor to find out how behind in readings I am •I do not want my professor to think I’m stupid •I’m scared I do not have enough questions or insight to carry on a conversation long enough for office hours •I do not think my questions or thoughts are worth a trip to office hours Clearly, a professor’s opinion of me means
(Cont’d) My obsession with Hannah Arendt is rooted in Professor Melissa Williams’ discussion of her concepts in light of the Occupy movement. In POL330, Professor Williams deconstructed elements of the global Occupy Movement to show how the meaningfulness of Arendt’s concept of public space and human action. She showed me how I can bring to life theoretical concepts to facilitate social change. Outside the classroom, it’s rare to bring up theories in normal social interaction. However, theories help understand current events which in turn enriches discussion about them.
a lot to me. I feel more comfortable with attending office hours when a professor communicates her willingness to learn more about us and our goals, concerns and questions about life. By holding office hours, you are creating a time and space for dialogue not a oneway projection words. Therefore, office hours should not be presented as means to get answers for questions about course content. They should be presented as an invitation for dialogue. I have received a lot of life changing advice through office hours. One of my professors helped me plan out the next few years—everything from the LSAT application procedure to avoiding social climbers in law school. If a student has questions about course content, then that is great; but if a student brings non-course related questions it is even greater because then they are gaining advice which cannot be found in a classroom. When a student takes the initiative to attend your office hours, you should take the initiative to discuss more than the course content. Share with them personal stories of perseverance and hard work. Talk to them about their goals and ambitions. Help them plan out the next big step. Tell them what you would have done differently if you were to redo your undergrad.
Therefore, discussion of theories in class in light of current events enables students to apply theories outside the classroom. When Google does not help me find any information on a lecture topic, I know lectures are worth attending. If I know attending lectures will help me test drive my knowledge and become more comfortable with speaking about the content, then I will prioritize class attendance. Professors must adapt to the needs of the Google generation, or face the fact of lower attendance and engagement rates.
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Acknowledgements Thank you to Professor Mairi Macdonald , Professor Joseph Carens and Professor Vikki Visvis for participating in the interviews and providing quality feedback for this publication.
Thank you to the CTSI Student Liaison Team for all their feedback and support
Thank you to Xinuo Gao (x.gao@live.com) and CTSI for the photos and graphics for this publication.
Thank you to Martha Harris and Kathleen Olmstead from CTSI for the continuous support and feedback in creating this publication.
Important Links/Resources: More About Social Media: http://www.tumblr.com/about https://twitter.com/about http://about.formspring.me/#intro http://tweetchat.com/ Open Space Technology: http://www.theworldcafe.com/method.html
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