The last few editions of Joyful Tidings have generated some interesting and illuminating responses . I am struck by the different cool ways people share. Some folks offer long reflections, some short. Some send me an email and some post to the blog. But everyone always contributes something interesting, something worth reflecting on, something that advances the conversation.

Below we learn about everything from detailed approaches to specific classroom situations to upcoming conferences and the availability of lamination in the Copy Center (I didn’t know that!!).

So, with joy and gratitude in my heart, I offer many thanks to those who have shared and a continued invitation to everyone to join us for future topics and exchanges.

Discussing Discussions (Joyful Tidings #27)

Julie Harland:

I have been teaching the Math for Elementary Teachers courses since my first semester (except with a break for a few years recently). I have always required Service Learning where they help in classrooms, with an option to read/summarize articles for those who cannot do SL. Basically, I helped facilitate their placement as needed, collected the required materials at the end of the semester, and spoke to individuals as needed throughout the semester. But I never made it a class discussion as those courses are jam-packed with content, and I never had time. I decided last spring to make the time.

First, all desks are in a big rectangle (which is how I teach this manipulative-based, collaborative-learning, whole class and group activity-based course) so everyone can see everyone else. One day, I took about an hour and let each student share their experience/observations/thoughts (or comments on articles), and I and/or others commented. I also encouraged them to relate it to our course, and they were surprisingly good at that. I sometimes helped them with that connection. I thanked each person, and we all clapped after each person spoke. This took another class period to get through all the students. It was an amazing experience for all of us, and I was kicking myself for not doing this the past 20 years! I think the students really wanted to share with others, and they each got their turn. I’m always amazed at how well they connect what they learn in the class with what they learned through this project. I’m definitely going to continue doing this!

Active Learning and the Flipped Classroom (Joyful Tidings #29)

Daniel Ante-Contreras, Letters

I just wanted to thank you for sending this message on a day when I am a bit stuck with lesson planning. It has already made me rethink my plan for today to make it more active.

Though I try to include active learning activities often, I also for some reason generally operate under the assumption that students should be doing roughly the same activity at the same time, even if I do include “stations” (which is rare). Today I think I’ll shatter my assumption.

Right now in my English 202 course, I am teaching a unit on “alternative rhetorics”: forms of rhetoric that receive less attention academically than verbal and written rhetoric. This week we are talking about procedural rhetoric, discussing how video games can make arguments about the real world. Today, students are supposed to play Papers, Please before class, a game that positions the player as a border agent in a fictional Soviet-style country in the 1980s. The game reflects on immigration policy and empathy. We were going to discuss the game for the first half of class, and look at sample student essays for the second half.

Instead, I think what I’ll do is create stations that utilize the classroom space to get students engaged at different levels at different times. One station, at the computer, will require students to read the sample essay (which is on Papers, Please) and use Microsoft Word to comment on it and grade it like I grade their papers. Another station will have students write reactions to Papers, Please on the board and use those reactions to collaborate on an essay introduction. Another station will ask students to brainstorm a design for their own rhetorical game using a specific prompt.

Since I haven’t tried this yet, I’m not sure how it will turn out, but I wanted to thank you and Marti for the inspiration today. While I also don’t know if I’ll ever be organized enough to provide so much up front on Canvas, I’m excited to implement this idea on a smaller scale.

Denise Stephenson, Writing Center Faculty Director

I loved the photos and descriptions of Marti’s classroom. I also appreciated the resources list. I remember hearing Dave Burgess do his “Teach Like a Pirate” performance at the Active Learning Leaders (ALL) Teaching Conference at Palomar College which I presented at several years ago. He was inspiring! Unfortunately, not what I say often enough after encountering an educator. The next edition of that ALL is coming up January 28th. It’s a great flex activity. Check it out here:
http://www2.palomar.edu/pages/activelearning/

Oh, and for a very different example of our faculty using learning stations, read Lynne Miller’s recent GIFT.
http://www.miracosta.edu/studentservices/writingcenter/downloads/GIFTSMiller17.pdf

Meredith Dorner, Anthropology

I would be very interested to hear how you are applying this strategy in an online environment. I have tried doing more with a flipped classroom, active learning style in my face-to-face my classes and have found it to be very challenging as students are rarely willing to do the prep work. Most of my classes are for non-majors which I think may be part of the issue. When I used to teach pre-health classes, students came to class much more prepared and I would imagine those are the kind of students enrolled in the nursing classes. They tend to be very motivated to do the prep work because their career choice depends on their grade in the class. Any ideas for doing this with non major students and/or in an online environment?

Rachèle DeMéo, French

Thanks so much for sharing. While I don’t teach a hybrid class (yet), I do do the rotation activities which students enjoy. I’ve also created a bunch of board games (the Copy Center laminates).

John Kirwan, Letters

Thanks for sharing Marti’s classroom—whoa!

I saw Jeff Murico doing something similar—he had used CANVAS to frontload lecture, freeing himself up to have more opportunity to move laterally in the classroom, opening up opportunities for student engagement.

Good stuff—makes me think I’ve got work to do.

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Thanks again to all contributors!

Prepostero
PDP Coordinator
P3: Prince of Pedagogical Playfulness
Bringer of Joyful Tidings
the artist formerly known as gym sullivan