“One telling measure of how differently teaching is regarded from traditional scholarship or research within the academy is what a difference it makes to have a ‘problem’ in one versus the other. In scholarship and research, having a ‘problem’ is at the heart of the investigative process; it is the compound of the generative questions [...]
Posts Tagged ‘teaching profession’
Thinking Constructively About Teaching Problems
Posted Tuesday, August 17th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerThe World of Pedagogical Knowledge
Posted Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerA number of our professional associations (most often in the large disciplines) have separate organizations or subgroups within the association that are focused on teaching and learning. Does your field have such an organization? If so, I would encourage you to consider attending events hosted by the group. There is such energy generated when folks who care about teaching convene to explore issues and share ideas.
A Tired Teacher
Posted Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerLast week I met a tired teacher—23 years of teaching at a two-year institution. That’s a lot of teaching; many times it was year round. He didn’t say he was tired. He said he was thinking about a career change. “Teaching’s become work, a job, no different than slicing meat at the deli counter.”
The Market Metaphor
Posted Thursday, April 15th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerI remember the first time something in the newsletter generated all kinds of reader response … well, the very first time was when I used “criteria” when I should have written “criterion”, but the first response to substance involved an article suggesting that higher education ought to be run more like a business. The response was overwhelmingly negative—some of it thoughtful, a lot of it visceral. It is a metaphor that still rankles and does not do justice, given the aims and purposes of higher education. But as Robert H. Knapp, Jr. points out, the metaphor does highlight some comparisons to which educators should attend.
Finding Motivation
Posted Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerIt’s that time of the academic year when enthusiasm for teaching and learning are harder to find. Spring semester or term courses are no longer new. Even though the feedback has clearly indicated that this course won’t be an easy A, many students have yet to buckle down and start studying seriously. The winter drags on … especially for those of us who are unaccustomed to major snowstorms and way behind due to cancelled classes.
Making a Difference
Posted Thursday, February 11th, 2010 by Maryellen Weimer“Teachers shouldn’t expect to make a difference in the life of every student. They don’t and won’t. But making a difference in one life is a powerful motivator. We never forget those students who tell we have, and we are further motivated by those teachers who once made a big difference in our lives.”
‘A Teaching Life’
Posted Friday, December 4th, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerOn a fairly regular basis, I reread what may well be my all time favorite essay on teaching—Christa L. Walck’s “A Teaching Life.” Walck’s essay draws heavily from one of my favorite books, Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life, in which Dillard describes how writing creates her life. Walck wonders if teaching does the same for [...]
‘Pedagogy of Ironic Minimalism’
Posted Thursday, October 1st, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerThis fall marks Robert Nash’s 41st year in the classroom. When asked about retirement plans, he reports telling colleagues that he’ll go when they carry him out in a box and bury him on the main university green.
“So much of what I’ve learned about teaching in the academy over four decades can be summarized in [...]
Tenure Standards: A Survey of Department Chairs
Posted Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerA survey of almost 400 department chairs inquired about tenure standards at BA, MA, and PhD granting institutions. It asked about a number of issues related to tenure standards and explored (once again) the relative worth of teaching and research.
Putting it on the Line
Posted Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerRon Berk has a nice “Tribute to Teaching” in the most recent issue of College Teaching. He uses the term “professosaurus” to describe senior faculty—I think he qualifies having recently retired after 37 years of teaching, most of it at Johns Hopkins University.
He wants to find a metaphor that captures what makes teaching more a [...]
