During my drive down to Pennsylvania this week, I was listening to an interview with a sculptor. The interviewer asked if he was still teaching. “No, I’m not. Teaching sculpture is easier than doing it. I need to devote my efforts to doing it.” His comment reminded me of that old adage. “Those who can, [...]
Archive for June, 2009
More on Questions and Participation
Posted Thursday, June 25th, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerI’m still thinking about participation … even more convinced of the point in the previous blog … we need to be asking questions that do a better job of engaging students’ interests. I’ve also been thinking about how I don’t often prepare questions.
The Power of a Good Question
Posted Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerWe need to spend more time thinking about the questions we ask students and how they can do more than just test what students know (or don’t know). They can also hook students and pull them into our fascinating content domains.
When Students Say ‘Thanks but No Thanks’ to Feedback
Posted Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerHere’s something I was surprised to find. A group of researchers in the UK decided to show students how to use written feedback on papers to improve their writing. They collected feedback given students on eight previous writing assignments and had writing tutors review and analyze the comments. Then they looked at the writing assignment students were to complete next, paying special attention to the stated criteria for grading, and developed a specific set of recommendations for each individual student.
Conference Leaves Educators Energized and Inspired
Posted Thursday, June 11th, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerI’m home from another successful Teaching Professor Conference and couldn’t be more pleased with how things went. For three days, we had more than 600 enthusiastic participants soaking up everything the conference offers.
Against Critical Thinking
Posted Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerI enjoyed as an especially well-written commentary by Miriam Marty Clark in the current issue of Pedagogy. She confesses to a “growing skepticism” she has come to feel about critical thinking “and the place it holds in discussions of university education.”
Education is a Bit Like Composting
Posted Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerI’ve been thinking that education is a bit like composting. You take a disparate collection of ideas and information and toss them into a student. Most of us do chop that content into pretty small pieces (something else recommended in the composting booklet), but I’m not sure with courses being as separate as they are, much of the valuable mixing occurs.