Much of what we do in the classroom is habitual. We do it so often that we can look at it and still fail to see the underlying assumptions. The question then, raised by the authors of the article referenced below, is this: “How do individuals discover and challenge tacit taken-for-granted assumptions in their teaching practice?” The authors suggest that teachers use “metaphorical mirrors.” They do a workshop during which they challenge faculty to probe a personal pursuit (hobby, activity, interest, or sport) and extract from it metaphors that might point to assumptions they make about teaching and learning.
Archive for January, 2010
A New Word
Posted Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerHere’s an interesting new word: “courseocentricism,” obviously related to words like ethnocentricism and egocontricism, it’s defined as “a kind of tunnel vision in which we become so used to the confines of our own course that we are oblivious to the fact that our students are taking other courses whose instructors at any moment may be undercutting our most cherished beliefs.” (p. 157)
Moral Education
Posted Thursday, January 21st, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerSteven B. Sample, president of USC, makes an interesting point in a recent online article. Universities, especially the elite research universities, make much of the accomplishments of alumni. University publications showcase what they’ve achieved, and celebratory events are scheduled when they return to campus. “What we do not want anyone to count, by contrast, is [...]
When Students are Struggling with the Content
Posted Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 by Maryellen Weimerhad lunch a couple of weeks ago with a group of about 20 math faculty, all of whom teach at a community college. We talked about what makes math so hard for students and covered the usual suspects—students haven’t had enough rigorous math in high school; they aren’t willing to work hard enough; at the first sign of trouble, they bail concluding there’s no way they’ll ever be able to figure it.
The Study Strategies that Work in Your Field
Posted Thursday, January 14th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerThere’s a piece coming out in the February issue of the newsletter that highlights content from an article written by a political scientist who teaches quantitative content to math averse students. It’s a very pratical piece but also a great model—of pedagogical scholarship and of something we should all consider doing.
The author’s basic premise [...]
Learning from Experience
Posted Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerI meet regularly, usually over breakfast, with my good friend and colleague Larry. We share our papers, ideas, and good stuff we’re reading. I am so lucky to have this wonderful pedgogical colleague. I’ve been working on a paper that explores the knowledge bases for teaching, one of which is the experiential knowledge faculty derive [...]
All That Teaching Entails
Posted Thursday, January 7th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerThe February issue of the newsletter contains highlights from an amazing article—one written by a faculty member who describes himself as a “bad teacher.” The piece chronicles his transformation as a teacher. It’s one of the best articles I’ve read in a long while (and you know I read more than a few articles).
What I’d [...]
Mentoring Undergraduate Student Research
Posted Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerIn a chapter in an e-book on undergraduate student research in psychology, authors Wadkins and Miller integrate research and resources into a wonderfully pragmatic exploration of the role of faculty mentors. When undergraduates do a research project under the guidance of a mentor, the process not only develops the students’ research skills, it also “transforms their professional and academic selves.” (p. 209)