Faculty Develop Weekly Tips: Current and Past
Two minute "Faculty Development Tidbits" to enhance your teaching expertise and keep you fresh.
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Faculty Development Tidbit: Good Tips for Presentations
http://www.slideshare.net/Slidegarden/look-both-ways-before-crossing-powerpoint-9632569
http://simplypresentation.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/bad-presentation-bingo/
http://djakes.posterous.com/60749214
http://www.presentationadvisors.com/5-reasons-your-last-presentation-bombed
http://www.slideshare.net/jessedee/you-suck-at-powerpoint
http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2009/08/10-ways-to-use-images-poorly.html
http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_pp
http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/index.html
November 02, 2011
Professors teach in a vacuum; we enter the classroom,
deliver our lessons, and leave, and rarely get any feedback on the quality of
our instruction before the end of the semester when formal faculty evaluations
are completed by students. Other than grades on tests and other assessments, we
really don't know for sure if students are learning what we are teaching, and we
often don't have a good handle on whether our instruction is working.
The plus/delta is a brief, half-page form that I hand out at the beginning of
class. It was first developed by Dr. Marj Davis and Dr. Helen Grady at Mercer
University. I ask students during class to think of a "plus" — something they
like about our class, and a "delta" — something they'd like to change. When
class is over, I ask them to leave their completed forms (with no name) by the
door, and I collect them and read the anonymous answers. After being sure to
tell the students to give me substantive feedback, and not to mention that the
room is too cold or that they are hungry after lunch — things I cannot control —
I usually get good, solid comments that I can use to improve my teaching.
I conducted a plus/delta in two of my classes recently, and
learned that my students liked the PowerPoint presentations I was giving, but
felt I wasn't using the textbook enough. I also learned that they wanted more
hands-on assignments so that they could apply what they were learning. This was
immediate, timely feedback that enabled me to redirect my lesson planning to
accommodate their interests.
It's not a perfect solution, of course. Not everything the students write is
valuable. Sometimes they write a plus but leave the delta blank. And sometimes
they comment that everything is fine the way it is. Nevertheless, the plus/delta
is a quick and easy way to receive valuable feedback from students on a regular
basis. It takes very little class time, keeps the responses anonymous, and
points me to small changes I can make to improve the class. This in turn makes
the class experience more valuable for everyone!
source:
Faculty Focus: Susan Codone, PhD associate professor of technical communication
in the School of Engineering at Mercer University. (http://ebm.facultyfocusemail.com/c/tag/hBOsUErB8X3cvB8eJPRAAAdtfBF/doc.html?t_params=EMAIL%3Ddaviss2%2540ohio.edu%26PASSWORD%3DB8X3cvAAAdtfBOsUErrf6cXI8XMIH1&utm_source=cheetah&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2011.11.02%20-%20Faculty%20Focus%20Update)
October 31, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit: Reader's Guide
Planning
BEFORE YOU BEGIN READING
1. What is the title of the
chapter?
2. Name three questions you
would like to have answered from this chapter?
3. What are the subheadings
listed in this chapter?
4. For each subheading listed
in question three, write one statement describing what you think the paragraph
will discuss (based on the subheading).
5. What are the bold face words
in this chapter?
6. Using questions 3 and 4,
briefly put together an outline that effectively displays the organizational
structure of this passage?
7. Skim each of the paragraphs,
noting whether or not the paragraph will discuss what you predicted in question
4.
Reading
READ THE CHAPTER
8. While reading the chapter,
underline any ideas you believe are important.
9. While reading the chapter,
write the following symbols next the sentences as you feel they are necessary.
? = I have a question about
this
A = I agree with this
D = I disagree with this
! = Interesting or important
point
C = Confusing
10. Write down two ideas from
the text that you believe your instructor may put on a test.
11. Using the two ideas from
question 10, write down any information you knew about these items before
reading the passage.
12. Can the information from
the chapter be easily associated with the information you knew about these items
prior to reading the chapter? Yes or No?
13. While you are reading,
write down the number of times you noticed that you experienced a failure in
comprehending the material? What did you do about it?
FINISH READING THE PASSAGE
Evaluate
14. Looking back to question 2,
were the questions you wanted answered by the chapter answered?
15. Give a brief summary of the
chapter you just read.
16. Was summarizing the chapter
difficult? Yes or No? Why?
17. Was your summary accurate?
Look back at the passage to determine your accuracy.
18. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 =
very inaccurate to 10 = very accurate) how would you rate your summary?
Source:
Tiffany F. Culver, Ph.D. assistant professor of psychology at Sul Ross State
University, Rio Grande College (tculver@sulross.edu).
http://www.facultyfocus.com/wp-content/uploads/images/readers-guide.pdf
September 06, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit: Talking Drawings
Purpose: To activate and evaluate student knowledge of a topic.
Description: In this activity, students will activate prior knowledge by creating a graphic representation of a topic before the lesson. After engaging in learning about that topic, students will re-evaluate their prior knowledge by drawing a second depiction of their topic. They will then summarize what the different drawing say to them about what they learned.
Procedure:
1. Ask students to close their eyes and think about topic X. Using the Talking Drawings worksheet, have students draw a picture what they saw while they were thinking about topic X.
2. Teach cognitive portion of your lesson.
3. At the end of the lesson, ask students to elaborate upon their initial drawing by creating a new drawing that incorporates what they learned about topic X during the lesson.
4. Have students share their before and after drawings with a partner. Students should discuss the differences between the two depictions of topic X.
5. Finally, have students respond in writing at the bottom of their Talking Drawings worksheet. What do the two drawings tell them about what they learned during the lesson?
Wood, K. (2001). Literacy strategies across the subject areas. Needham
Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Sample Talking Drawings
NOTE FROM STEVE: Scientist John Medina states in his recent book, “Brain Rules,” that (Rule #10) “Vision trumps all other senses…We are incredible at remembering pictures. Hear a piece of information, and three days later you'll remember 10% of it. Add a picture and you'll remember 65%.” Check your next presentation for appropriate visual representations, label appropriately and remember, a picture is worth a thousand words so this can really help you uncover your material for students! Source: www.brainrules.net.
Find more tips at your OU-HCOM and CORE faculty development web resources pages: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
September 19, 2011
September 26, 2011
August 01, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit:
Hidden Curriculum
Within every learning encounter, there is an explicit curriculum that students
are marked on and an implicit curriculum that students are never told about
directly, although they may find themselves judged in other ways because of it.
Frequently this hidden curriculum revolves around how the instructor expects
students to behave or think.
Unintentional Role Modeling
Students closely watch us for clues about both our professional and
personal preferences. Sometimes faculty role model behaviors they would never
want students to emulate such as mistreatment of staff, prejudice against or
neglect of certain types of patients, backstabbing of colleagues or disrespect
for certain types of students.
Intentional Role Modelling
It is very important that you think about how you are going to role model
how medical faculties think through problems and behave professionally.
Positive Feedback
If you want students to develop the habits of heart and mind of
physicians, you need to let them know when they are performing well and give
them opportunities to change their behavior or correct mistakes. Listen to a
podcast
about the hidden curriculum.
For further reading:
Rewriting the hidden
curriculum: Keeping empathy alive
Uncovering the Hidden
Medical Curriculum through a Pedagogy of Discomfort
Source:
http://medicaleducation.wetpaint.com/page/Hidden+Curriculum
NOTE FROM STEVE: Making the implicit explicit increases the ability to set
clear expectations and standards. It’s worth some thought.
August 11, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit:
Instructional Strategy to Engage Learners, “Exit Slips”
Hint: Exit Slips are a great way to assess your own teaching. They will often
indicate whether or not students understood the presented material. When used to
pose a question, they can provide discussion questions for the next day's
lesson.
August 15, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit:
Instructional Strategy to Engage Learners: “In
The Hot Seat”
|
Purpose:
To motivate student learning
1.
Prior to the beginning of class, the teacher
will prepare questions related to the topic of
study and write them on sticky notes. Four
to five questions are usually enough.
2.
Place the sticky notes underneath student
desks/chairs so that they are hidden from view.
3. At
the start of the class, inform students that
several of them are sitting on "Hot Seats" and
will be asked to answer questions related to the
topic of study for the day.
4.
Have students check their desks/chairs for the
strategically placed sticky notes.
5.
Students who have questions on sticky notes will
then take turns reading the question and
attempting to provide an answer. Due to
the nature of this motivational activity, these
should be questions that students are able to
answer.
Sample Hot Seat Questions:
Internet:
1. What is your favorite
search engine and why?
2. When was the last
time you used the internet to complete a
classroom assignment?
3. If you had to
recommend a website to a friend, which one would
you pick and why?
4. What do you think
would be the impact if the Internet was gone
tomorrow?
5. Do you think that
students should be allowed to use the Internet
unsupervised? Why or why not? |
August 22, 2011
Faculty
Development Tidbit: Three-Step Interview
|
Purpose:
To engage students in conversation for the
purpose of analyzing and synthesizing new
information.
Description:
The Three-Step Interview is a cooperative
structure that helps students personalize their
learning and listen to and appreciate the ideas
and thinking of others. Active listening and
paraphrasing by the interviewer develops
understanding and empathy for the thinking of
the interviewee.
Procedure:
1. Students work in pairs. One is the
interviewer; the other is the interviewee.
The interviewer listens actively to the comments
and thoughts of the interviewee, paraphrasing
key points and significant details.
2. Student pairs reverse roles, repeating the
interview process.
3. Each pair then joins another pair to form
groups of four. Students introduce their pair
partner and share what the partner had to say
about the topic at hand.
1. Present a very challenging filter/sort
combination problem to the students. Allow
them to use the interview to discuss possible
solutions.
2. Present students with an ethical situation
related to privacy and the internet. Allow
students to use the interview as a means of
discussing the different components of the
issues at hand.
3. Provide students a short (four to five words)
list of vocabulary to be reviewed. In the
interview, they are to explain the definitions
and applications of the words. By regrouping
with the other interview pair, appropriate
student use of vocabulary will be reinforced.
Lipton, L., & Wellman, B. (1998). Patterns and
practices in the learning-focused
classroom. Guilford, Vermont: Pathways
Publishing. |
NOTE
FROM STEVE:
Engaging students in conversations to analyze and synthesize is a learning
activity that can be as richer than a lecture. Is there a topic you teach that
might lend itself to this one or more of the three samples? Remember:
Humans’ attention span under normal circumstances is about 10 minutes. This
exercise would be a great way to “pull them back” and help them make sense of
all you are teaching.
Find more tips at
your OU-HCOM and CORE faculty development web resources pages:
www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy, please send it to me, and I’ll include it
in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of
your Office of Faculty
Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia
Sheehan, Ph.D.
July 05, 2011
Faculty
Development Tidbit:
QUICK LIST OF HINTS FOR GOOD
INSTRUCTION
Source:
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/edref/traingde.htm#S8
NOTE FROM
STEVE:
For your next lecture, try out our “Quick Lesson Planning Template” that
reminds/helps you develop an organized approach that includes an introduction
with an attention, motivation and overview; a body with 2 to 5 points each
including some type of engaging activity and a conclusion with a summary,
remotivation and closure. (http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/Quick%20lesson%20plan%20counter.htm).
July 11, 2011
- Pause in the lecture after making a major point. Show students a multiple-choice question based on the material you have been talking about.
-
Ask students to vote on the right answer, and then to turn to their neighbors to
persuade them of the answer within the space of two minutes.
When time is up, ask them to vote a second time. Usually far more students
arrive at the correct answer when voting the second time.
-
Stop the lecture and ask students to write for one or two minutes in response
to a particular question. Then ask them to discuss their answers with their
neighbor. The writing will give everyone a chance to think about and articulate
a response, and may enable broader participation.
-
Do a one-minute paper at the end of class.
In this exercise, students write down what they consider (a) the main point of
the class and (b) the main question they still have as they leave. Collect and
read these unsigned papers. You can use some of these questions to begin the
next lecture. This technique encourages students to listen more carefully, to
review their notes, and to think about the lecture before running to their next
class.
Source: Adapted from Ellen Sarkisian's Participatory Lectures, from the
Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard Univ., 1992.
http://trc.virginia.edu/Publications/Teaching_Concerns/Spring_1995/TC_Spring_1995_Students_Thinking.htm
Find
more tips at
your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources:
www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it
to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits
courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin
Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
July 18, 2011
Comprehension checks were short unannounced quizzes, given once every week or
two. There were 3-4 questions, usually fill-in-the blanks or multiple choice,
which covered the major points from the previous lecture. I put the questions on
an overhead. After the quiz, students graded their own papers (and signed the
pledge) as we discussed the answers.
The crucial factor that made the comprehension checks a positive experience was
that they could only help, not hurt, students' grades. Since I came up with the
plan after the syllabus was printed, I couldn't factor them in as part of the
course grade. Instead, I announced that I would sum the comprehension check
points at the end of the semester. Those whose comprehension check scores were
in the top half of the class would have their mid-term/final percentage
weighting (normally 60/40) automatically reweighted ten percent in the direction
that benefitted them most (i.e., 70/30 or 50/50).
For the small cost of entering scores into my spreadsheet, the benefits (some unanticipated) were tremendous:
Class attendance was better;
Students were generally better prepared for class;
Students got feedback about what they didn't understand;
Students got practice on concepts covered on exams;
I had records of which students missed some classes;
Students got instant negative feedback when they missed a
previous class;
I got feedback about what I hadn't explained well enough;
Exam scores were higher than in previous semesters.
Course grades were not much different than without the reweighting, mostly
because mid-term and final grades were similar. By the middle of the semester,
students forgot the details of the incentive and remembered only that it was
important to attend class and keep up with the material.
Several students commented positively about the comprehension checks on the
final evaluations; no one complained. The checks were a rare win-win situation.
July 25, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit: Teaching
Strategies: Lecturing
The 200 students in the room are clattering about greeting the friends they
haven't seen since last semester, trying to find their favorite pens at the
bottoms of backpacks, trying to remember whether they've bought a spiral
notebook for this class or whether to use the one they just used for their last
class, wondering if their significant others really meant what they said last
night.
You are at the front of the room, about to introduce them to the subject that
has held your interest through a decade of graduate school, poverty, travel,
intellectual separation from loved ones. You are, in fact, about to introduce
them to something you've loved, planned for, grappled with, despised, rejected,
and/or re-embraced for years. It is your field, your spouse, your child. They
are still wondering about the location of their favorite pens, the movie they
saw two nights ago.
By all means, organize your lecture carefully. Have the thing make sense. Be
concise. But, perhaps most important, communicate the passion you have. If you
REALLY want to be an inspirational teacher, show your students your passion.
Richard L. Weaver, who has taught at the University of Michigan and Indiana
University, suggests usingthe A.I.D.A. formula for putting passion in your
lectures: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.
To grasp students' attention:
To maintain students' interest:
To communicate your desire for students to be as committed to their
education as you are:
To inspire students to be as filled with action as you are:
Putting these suggestions into action does not guarantee that students will sit
wide-eyed and breathless on the edges of their chairs, using all their restraint
to raise their hands before asking questions, but it will help communicate your
passion. And if your students understand your passion, they may just become
impassioned themselves--keeping up with the reading, asking relevant and
significant questions, visiting at your office hours to ask how to research a
related issue, and maybe learning how to make the love of learning into the most
helpful life tool they have.
Adapted from "Effective Lecturing Techniques: Alternatives to Classroom Boredom"
by Richard L. Weaver in Teaching College: Collected Readings for the New
Instructor. Ed. by Rose Ann Neff and Maryellen Weimer. Madison, WI: Magna
Publications, 1990.
June 06, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit: help students to grow: Create a standard and a style from which people can learn3.
Source: From “Good Teaching” by Theodore Sizer, Former Dean, Harvard College of Education (http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/goodteac.htm)
NOTE FROM STEVE: Quickly rank yourself on each “EFFECTIVE” attribute from 1 (low) to 10 (high)…pick your lowest and make a plan to move it one click to the right. Quickly rank yourself on each “INEFFECTIVE” attribute from 1 (never) to 10 (always)…pick your highest and make a plan to move it one click to the right. Let me know if I can help.
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
June 13, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit: help students to grow: Create a standard and a style from which people can learn2.
Source: From “Good Teaching” by Theodore Sizer, Former Dean, Harvard College of
Education (http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/goodteac.htm)
NOTE
FROM STEVE:
Students (or
anyone) don’t care what you know till they know that you care. You show
the degree you care by the ACTIONS you take. Pick one of the above and put
it into ACTION!
June 27, 2011
Faculty
Development Tidbit: help students to
grow:
Create a
standard and a style from which people can learn.
Source: From “Good Teaching” by Theodore Sizer, Former Dean, Harvard College of Education (http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/goodteac.htm)
NOTE FROM
STEVE:
Students (or anyone) don’t care what you know till they know that you care.
You show the degree you care by the ACTIONS you take. Pick one of the
above and put it into ACTION!
May 02, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit: 6 Ways to Use Class Discussion to Promote Transformation
During a lecture, stop and ask students to pair up for 30
seconds to generate one question based on the notes they're
taking.
Have students do "free writing" for two minutes and then break
into groups where they share what they've written.
Use groups and assign each a different problem, question, or
section of the reading to summarize and report back to the
class.
Increase your wait time when asking questions.
Rephrase and wonder about the questions as if you're trying to
figure out possible solutions like the students are.
Break up cliques by having students count off and then assign them to groups based on their number.
Another
important consideration for encouraging class discussion is how to handle the
students who participate too much and the reflective or introverted students who
are hesitant to add their voice to the conversation. In the case of the
introverts, Torosyan will often send an email to them encouraging them to
participate by reinforcing the value of what they've done in written
assignments. For the overparticipators, besides saying "What are others
thinking?" or "Who we haven't heard from?" Torosyan will ask the class a
question like, "What are you wondering or trying to understand better?" He says
that often stumps the students who are used to performing by talking.
NOTE
from Steve:
Literature indicates average question wait time is around .3 seconds.
Students learn instantly if you answer your own questions and then, they let
you. Also, always, always, always repeat the question – it clarifies and
allows everyone to know what your answering.
Find more tips at
your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources:
www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it
to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits
courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis,
Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
May 09, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit: Ask students to analyze what makes their classes more or less "motivating."
Sass (1989)
asks his classes to recall two recent class periods, one in which they were
highly motivated and one in which their motivation was low. Each student makes a
list of specific aspects of the two classes that influenced his or her level of
motivation, and students then meet in small groups to reach consensus on
characteristics that contribute to high and low motivation. In over twenty
courses, Sass reports, the same eight characteristics emerge as major
contributors to student motivation:
Instructor's enthusiasm
Relevance of the material
Organization of the course
Appropriate difficulty level of the material
Active involvement of students
Variety
Rapport between teacher and students
Use of appropriate, concrete, and understandable examples
NOTE FROM
STEVE: Self-assess and make a plan to increase in one or more areas Source:
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/motiv.htm
Find more tips at
your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources:
www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it
to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits
courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with
Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin
Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia
Sheehan, Ph.D.
May 16, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit: Questions Answering Strategies
In approaching
a question, it is useful to figure out what type it is. Is it a question with
one definite answer? Is it a question that calls for a subjective choice? Or
does the question require you to consider competing answers?
1. One System
·
requires
evidence and reasoning within a system →
→a correct answer →
→knowledge
2. No System
·
calls for
stating a subjective preference →
→a subjective opinion →
→cannot be
assessed
3. Multi-System
·
requires
evidence and reasoning within multiple systems →
→better and worse answers →
→judgement
Source:
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/3kindsquest.htm
Find more tips at
your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources:
www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it
to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits
courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with
Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin
Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia
Sheehan, Ph.D.
May 23, 2011
Faculty
Development Tidbit: Effective
vs. Ineffective Teacher
People often remember more about how a subject is taught than the teacher's
knowledge of the subject. Here is a list of qualities of teachers from a 1986
survey of 12,000 adults:
EFFECTIVE
TEACHER
empathetic
cooperative, democratic
kind, considerate
patient
wide interest
sense of humor
interested in students
flexible
knowledge of subject
accepting, supportive
resource of information
INEFFECTIVE
TEACHER
dominates, preaches
"flies off the handle"
never smiles
sarcastic
explanations not clear
partial, has favorites
superior, aloof
overbearing
not friendly
judgmental
Source:
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/effectvsineffect.htm
NOTE
FROM STEVE:
Quickly rank yourself on each “EFFECTIVE” attribute from 1 (low) to 10
(high)…pick your lowest and make a plan to move it one click to the right.
Quickly rank yourself on each “INEFFECTIVE” attribute from 1 (never) to 10
(always)…pick your highest and make a plan to move it one click to the right.
Let me know if I can help.
Find
more tips at
your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources:
www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it
to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits
courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with
Steve Davis,
Ph.D.; Robbin
Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia
Sheehan, Ph.D.
April 11, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit.
Corresponding with Students via E-mail
Michael T. Eskey, Ph.D., an
associate professor of criminal justice at Park University, offers the following
advice in the website “Faculty Focus”:
“My
advice is simple: At the beginning of the term, set aside a separate thumb drive
for e-mails for a specific course, or create a separate subdirectory on your
hard-drive for that course. When you receive e-mails, save them by last name and
number (Smith – 1; Smith – 2, etc.) When you send e-mails, save them in the same
manner. When you send e-mails to the class, save them by class number, for
example CJ400-1, CJ400-2. When necessary, in responding to students, inform them
that you are “cc: ing” your supervisor (and do so).
Note
from Steve:
Email is just tool…learn to use it wisely.
Find more tips at
your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources:
www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it
to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits
courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with
Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin
Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia
Sheehan, Ph.D.
April 18, 2011
Faculty
Development Tidbit:
What is an interactive lecture?
In an
interactive lecture, the lecture is interspersed with short activities for
individuals, pairs or small groups. The activities help engage students and help
the instructor gauge student understanding.
For example, rather than asking a question and calling on the
first student who raises a hand, ask all students to reflect on the question and
then discuss with a neighbor first. This gives everyone a chance to participate.
Other
strategies for engaging students include concept tests, the “question of the
day,” and in-class small-group activities. Interactive lectures can be used in
classes of any size. Learn more about interactive lecture activities at
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/interactive/index.html.
April 25, 2011
Faculty
Development Tidbit:
Using
Polling and Smartphones to Keep Students Engaged
You want to
make the most of every minute you have with your students, but it’s been proven
that most people can only retain about 20 minutes of content in our short-term
memory before we have to reflect on it in order to move it to our long-term
memory or it will be lost.
Polling
provides an ideal way to both keep a class’ attention and provide a reflective
activity to move information into long-term memory. Plus, it’s remarkably easy.
Free websites allow you to set up polls that students take by submitting their
answers via text message or on the Web. These polls are a wonderful way to
engage students in the material & keep their interest. Best of all, results
appear in real time so students can see changes as they come in.
One good use of polls is to gather information about a subject before it is
covered. This is especially helpful when the subject concerns information that
students might not want to make public with a show of hands. For instance, a
science instructor can ask students to guess the results of an experiment before
it is conducted to generate thought and interest in the outcome. Forcing
students to take a position not only creates reflection, but also commitment to
results. Everyone wants their position affirmed.
Another option
is to ask students for their opinions and use the results as a way of initiating
a discussion on the issue. Or you could ask a factual question that you know
most people will get wrong in order to demonstrate a widespread misconception.
Polls also can be used after content is presented as a means of generating
reflection on the issue. These can be simple factual questions that demonstrate
whether the students understood the material, or higher level questions that
will help them to retain the material.
Using
smartphones to conduct polls
While many
instructors consider smartphones the bane of teaching—causing distraction and
even cheating during a test—polling turns the technology into a teacher’s
advantage by engaging students with the content.
In this
screencast, I demonstrate how easy it is to use polling software.
Watch it here »
Source:
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/using-polling-and-smartphones-to-keep-students-engaged,
By:
John Orlando, PhD
in
Effective Teaching Strategies
Find
more tips at
your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources:
www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it
to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits,
courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with
Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia
Sheehan, Ph.D.
March 01, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit. Teaching Tip #17 Provide your students with examples of work.
Show your students examples of both good work and poor work, from previous classes.
Source: http://www.utc.edu/Administration/WalkerTeachingResourceCenter/FacultyDevelopment/TeachingTips.php.
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
March 07, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit. Teaching Tip #20 Listen.
Listen to what students have to say. Tell and show your students you care about what they have to say. Don’t cut them off, belittle their comments, etc. or soon they will learn not to participate, ask questions, etc.
Source: http://www.utc.edu/Administration/WalkerTeachingResourceCenter/FacultyDevelopment/TeachingTips.php
Note from Steve: Students don’t generally care what you know until they know that you care. Plus, if you don’t fight for feedback it’s very unlikely that you’ll improve/make course corrections/understand what they are experiencing. Provide your students with an avenue for feedback…stop/start/continue, back channel communications (cell, twitter, blog, Bb, Facebook) – Help them, help you!
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
March 15, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit. INNOVATIVE USE OF AN AUDIENCE RESPONSE SYSTEM IN MEDICAL EDUCATION
Electronic voting is an interesting audience response technology for classroom use. Using on-the-spot voting changes one-way interaction of a standard presentation into a two-way communication process that motivates and involves the audience to active participation and provides the teacher with immediate feedback on the students’ level of understanding or their opinions.
METHODS: Teachers use several applications for using voting in their lectures. Scenarios include basic knowledge tests at the start or end of a lecture to assess the students level of knowledge, screening tests to determine those topics students know less about, panel discussion tools to determine the audience’s opinion and interactive lectures in which students have direct influence on the content to be presented.
RESULTS: Basic tests are generally used to find out the knowledge level of the students. If students perform poor on the test, the teacher can immediately adjust the lecture to fill in the gaps detected. In combination with a post-test, the actual increase of knowledge can be measured. Many teachers also use tests in the middle of their lecture. Using the technique at a moment where concentration may decrease helps students to stay focused and to increase retention time of information.
Screening tests are used to deliver tailor made lectures. First, the teacher
presents a test of about 20 questions. Based on the results, only the top-5
items with the least understanding will be discussed in class. This makes
education more efficient. Addressing audience opinions in a lecture might also
lead to very interesting effects. Because of the anonymity of the system,
students can answer what they really think of have done, even the answer is not
socially desirable.
Finally, the
audience can actively steer the direction of the lecture. Students choose
between two options and the teacher will select the option that gets the
majority of votes. A very special option is a lecture that describes a patient
case. By voting one out of a list of possible clinical actions, the audience
can simulate treating the virtual patient presented and will immediately be
confronted with the implications of the chosen action.
CONCLUSIONS:
Audience Response Systems can be used in many didactic ways to enhance the
quality and efficiency of education.
http://iamse.org/conf/conf14/instructional_methods.pdf
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
March 30, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit. Orchestrating Classroom Discussions
Effective discussions don't just happen. They must be orchestrated by a sensitized listener who protects the ideas and dignity of students. The following should be useful in your efforts to achieve more worthwhile discussions:
Like so many teaching and learning activities, orchestrating discussions—live or online—is a balancing act between the costs of time and potential learning benefits. To ensure the greatest reward, always plan effectively, with your learning goals foremost in your mind.
Source: http://www.developfaculty.com/tips.html
Note from Steve: I love the “Conductor” analogy. Each instrument, like each student, is uniquely suited to contribute to the overall symphony of learning. With practice, attention and careful guidance, you can direct the group to beautiful learning.
Find more tips at your OU-COM and CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
February 07, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit: Teaching Tip #: 32 Student Feedback Can Help You Improve Your Teaching: Getting Student Feedback
Here are some questions you might want to ask your students to get a feel for how the class is going. What I usually do is give the students index cards and ask them to label each side… 1 and 2. Then give the students 3-5 minutes to answer the following questions (They do not need to put their names on the cards).
1. What do you think of the class so far?
2. If you were the professor, what would you do differently?
Source: http://www.utc.edu/Administration/WalkerTeachingResourceCenter/FacultyDevelopment/TeachingTips.php
NOTE FROM STEVE: Students, like all people, care more about what you know when they know you care! Typically, you only get feedback at the end of the block…then it’s too late for the current students. Always, fight for feedback and constantly seek to improve.
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
February 14, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit. Teaching Tip #: 36: Start each class with specific goals and objectives in mind
For each class, plan specific educational goals and objectives that relate to your overall goals and objectives. These should be directly related to what the students will learn in each class; not what you will presenting each class. Develop your goals and objectives around a variety of activities: demonstrations, experiential activities, specific critical thinking skills, writing skills, attitudes and values, etc., or the personal implications found in the course content. -- Eison, J. (1990). Confidence in the classroom: Ten maximums for new teachers. College Teaching. 33(1):21 – 25.
Source: http://www.utc.edu/Administration/WalkerTeachingResourceCenter/FacultyDevelopment/TeachingTips.php
NOTE FROM STEVE: According to John Medina’s book “Brain Rules” the length of attention span you get before drift is 10 minutes max…unless you do something to draw the attention back – something that requires engagement.
See http://ic.educ.indiana.edu/workshop2003/pdf/active_learning_techniques.pdf
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
February 22, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit. Teaching
Tip
#16: ENCOURAGE STUDENTS’ USE OF LEARNING STRATEGIES
Encourage students to use specific learning strategies by:
Source: http://www.utc.edu/Administration/WalkerTeachingResourceCenter/FacultyDevelopment/TeachingTips.php.
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources:www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
January 04, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit: Teaching Tip #1: BE ORGANIZED
If lecturing, put a short outline on the board or provide handouts of the lecture. Check off topics on the board as you go through the lecture. Students will be reminded throughout the class period of where you have been and where you are going.
Teaching Tip #10 from University of Tennessee Chattanooga Walker Teaching Resource Center (http://www.utc.edu/Administration/WalkerTeachingResourceCenter/FacultyDevelopment/TeachingTips.php).
NOTE FROM STEVE: In our large lecture hall use the second screen for the outline! For more on the importance of being organized see http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/Successful%20Tch%20Poster.pdf.
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
January 10, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit: Teaching Tip #7: Sample Quizzes and Tests
Provide students with sample quizzes and tests. Students can then become familiar with your style of asking questions and testing formats.
NOTE FROM STEVE: as a quick lecture activity, and to garner student engagement, ask them to submit a test question on the topic just covered using their computer or mobile devise. These “student generated” test items give you a window into their understanding and can possibly jump start some new test items.
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
January 18, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit: Teaching Tip #11: Remember to Review
Begin each class session with a five-minute interactive review of the concepts dealt with in previous classes. Get students involved with the content.
NOTE FROM STEVE: This is a great “attention-getting” step. See how many student neurons you can get to fire regarding your previous topic. They usually know more than (WHO?) might think, but it takes a little time and effort to pull up undergraduate or even previous day’s work. Grease the skids for today’s lesson by asking a few key questions via Turning Point or even Power Point, and let them commit to an answer. Then collaborate and review. You’ll have them right where you need them for the lesson ahead.
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
January 24, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit: Teaching Tip #15: Use small group discussions
Involve students in small group discussions and have them share important points through graphic organizers and concept maps.
NOTE FROM STEVE: Humans tend to remember what they’ve been involved in. A simple “think, pair, share” activity can make the difference between surface learning and deeper remembered learning. See http://www.eazhull.org.uk/nlc/think,_pair,_share.htm for a nice one page explanation and http://www.mind-mapping.co.uk for a nice page on mind mapping.
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
January 25, 2011
Faculty Development Tidbit: Teaching Tip #30: Demonstrate enthusiasm for your discipline; enthusiasm and energy can carry the day.
Are you a teacher that makes things happen, watches what happens or asks, “What happened?” Enthusiasm about the subject matter (or a lack of such) is catching. If you’re not enjoying your time in the classroom, your students won’t either. And, as far as I know, fun is NOT the opposite of hard. So, you can be enthusiastic and have fun, while still challenging the students to think.
NOTE FROM STEVE: Five ways to show enthusiasm; 1) speak in expressive ways, 2) gesture, 3) move around, 4) maintain eye contact with your students at all times, 5) vary your tone, get excited once in a while!
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
December 06, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Stimulate Classroom Discussion
Get those discussions started by beginning class with a discussion of an “issue of the day.” Discussions can last for 10-15 minutes and can revolve around issues of the field or discipline, an issue from current events (as it relates to your course content), or a generic campus issue.
Teaching Tip #41 from University of Tennessee Chattanooga Walker Teaching Resource Center (http://www.utc.edu/Administration/WalkerTeachingResourceCenter/FacultyDevelopment/TeachingTips.php).
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
December 13, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Admit When You Don’t Know
Be willing to admit you don’t know an answer or tell the students you’ll look something up and get back to them. This can promote ongoing learning. Be sure to remember to get back with them on the answer.
Teaching Tip #10 from University of Tennessee Chattanooga Walker Teaching Resource Center (http://www.utc.edu/Administration/WalkerTeachingResourceCenter/FacultyDevelopment/TeachingTips.php).
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
November 01, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Socratic Questions3
Socrates was one of the greatest educators who taught by asking questions and thus drawing out ('ex duco', meaning to 'lead out', which is the root of 'education') answers from his pupils. This is week two of a “Faculty Development Tidbit” series, that will highlight the types of questions that Socrates asked his pupils, often to their initial annoyance, but more often to their ultimate delight.
The six types of questions include:
1. Conceptual clarification questions;
2. Probing assumptions;
3. Probing rationale, reasons and evidence;
4. Questioning viewpoints and perspectives;
5. Probing implications and consequences;
6. Questions about the question.
The overall purpose is to challenge accuracy and completeness of thinking in a way that acts to move people towards their ultimate goal. This week, we look at type 3:
TYPE 3. Probing rationale, reasons and evidence
When they give a rationale for their arguments, dig into that reasoning rather than assuming it is a given. People often use un-thought-through or weakly understood supports for their arguments.
· Why is that happening?
· How do you know this?
· Show me ... ?
· Can you give me an example of that?
· What do you think causes ... ?
· What is the nature of this?
· Are these reasons good enough?
· Would it stand up in court?
· How might it be refuted?
· How can I be sure of what you are saying?
· Why is ... happening?
· Why? (keep asking it -- you'll never get past a few times)
·What evidence is there to support what you are saying?
· On what authority are you basing your argument?
Print this out and try these at your next teaching or facilitating venue.
source: http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/socratic_questions.htm
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
November 08, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Socratic questions4
Socrates was one of the greatest educators who taught by asking questions and thus drawing out (“ex duco,” meaning to “lead out,” which is the root of “education”) answers from his pupils. This is week four of a “Faculty Development Tidbit” series that will highlight the types of questions that Socrates asked his pupils, often to their initial annoyance, but more often to their ultimate delight.
The six types of questions include:
1. Conceptual clarification questions;
2. Probing assumptions;
3. Probing rationale, reasons and evidence;
4. Questioning viewpoints and perspectives;
5. Probing implications and consequences;
6. Questions about the question.
The overall purpose is to challenge accuracy and completeness of thinking in a way that acts to move people towards their ultimate goal.
TYPE 4. Questioning viewpoints and perspectives
Most arguments are given from a particular position. So attack the position. Show that there are other, equally valid, viewpoints.
· Another way of looking at this is ... does this seem reasonable?
· What alternative ways of looking at this are there?
· Why it is ... necessary?
· Who benefits from this?
· What is the difference between ... and ...?
· Why is it better than ... ?
· What are the strengths and weaknesses of ...?
· How are ... and ... similar?
· What would ... say about it?
· What if you compared ... and ... ?
· How could you look at this another way?
Source: http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/socratic_questions.htm
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development withSteve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
November 15, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Socratic Questions5
Socrates was one of the greatest educators who taught by asking questions and thus drawing out (“ex duco,” meaning to “lead out,” which is the root of “education”) answers from his pupils. This is week five of a “Faculty Development Tidbit” series that will highlight the types of questions that Socrates asked his pupils, often to their initial annoyance, but more often to their ultimate delight.
The six types of questions include:
1. Conceptual clarification questions;
2. Probing assumptions;
3. Probing rationale, reasons and evidence;
4. Questioning viewpoints and perspectives;
5. Probing implications and consequences;
6. Questions about the question.
The overall purpose is to challenge accuracy and completeness of thinking in a way that acts to move people towards their ultimate goal.
TYPE 5. Probe implications and consequences
The argument that they give may have logical implications that can be forecast. Do these make sense? Are they desirable?
·Then what would happen?
· What are the consequences of that assumption?
· How could ... be used to ... ?
· What are the implications of ... ?
· How does ... affect ... ?
· How does ... fit with what we learned before?
· Why is ... important?
· What is the best ... ? Why?
Source: http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/socratic_questions.htm
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development withSteve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
November 30, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Socratic Questions6
Socrates was one of the greatest educators who taught by asking questions and, thus, drawing out (“ex duco,” meaning to “lead out,” which is the root of “education”) answers from his pupils. This is week six of a “Faculty Development Tidbit” series that is highlighting the six types of questions that Socrates asked his pupils, often to their initial annoyance, but more often to their ultimate delight.
The six types of questions include:
1. Conceptual clarification questions;
2. Probing assumptions;
3. Probing rationale, reasons and evidence;
4. Questioning viewpoints and perspectives;
5. Probing implications and consequences; and
6. Questions about the question.
The overall purpose is to challenge accuracy and completeness of thinking in a way that acts to move people towards their ultimate goal.
TYPE 6. Questions about the question
You can also get reflexive about the whole thing, turning the question in on itself. Use their attack against themselves. Bounce the ball back into their court, etc.
· What was the point of asking that question?
· Why do you think I asked this question?
· What does that mean?
Source: http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/socratic_questions.htm
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
October 04, 2010
Faculty development tidbit: Teaching Large Classes
Interactive lecture is an easy way for faculty to involve students as active participants in a lecture-based class of any size.
Making lectures interactive draws students into the lecture by engaging them in working with the material. In an interactive lecture, the lecture is interspersed with short individual, pair, or small-group activities. These activities also provide feedback to the instructor on student understanding. For example, rather than asking a question and calling on the first student who raises a hand, asking all students to reflect on the question and then discuss with a neighbor before calling for student responses gives everyone a chance to participate (think-pair-share). Other strategies for engaging students include ConcepTests, the Question of the Day, and in-class small-group activities. Interactive lectures can be used in classes of any size, including large classes. Learn more about interactive lecture activities
Interactive lectures combine information-rich lectures with activities that engage students, make students think about and apply lecture material in class, and give the instructor feedback in class on student understanding of the material.
Interactive lectures are an important way to enhance student learning, particularly in large classes. They help to keep students' attention focused on the class, give students repeated opportunities to practice, and increase student retention of lecture material. They also provide an easy way to experiment with different teaching techniques. Learn more about the benefits of interactive lectures
Giving interactive lectures involves delivering effective lectures, organizing the class period and selecting student activities, managing the class, and collecting feedback on what the students have learned. Tips for giving interactive lectures
Source: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/teaching/LargeClasses.html
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
October 11, 2010
Faculty development tidbit: Gallery Walk
What is Gallery Walk? It’s a discussion technique for active engagement.
Although designed as a teaching aid for earth science, Gallery Walk can be easily adapted to teaching medical sciences. Gallery Walk gets students out of their chairs and actively involves them in synthesizing important concepts, in consensus building, in writing, and in public speaking. In Gallery Walk, teams rotate around the classroom, composing answers to questions as well as reflecting upon the answers given by other groups.
Questions are posted on charts or pieces of paper located in different parts of the classroom. Each chart or "station" has its own question that relates to an important class concept. The technique closes with a oral presentation or "report out" in which each group synthesizes comments to a particular question. Learn more here
Why use Gallery Walk? It promotes higher order thinking, oral/written presentation skills, and team building.
Gallery Walk is flexible and has many benefits. Gallery Walk can be organized for a simple fifteen minute ice breaker or for a week-long project involving graded oral and written reports. The technique encourages students to speak and write the language of science rather than just hearing it from the instructor.
In addition to addressing a variety of cognitive skills involving analysis, evaluation, and synthesis, Gallery Walk has the additional advantage of promoting cooperation, listening skills and team building. Learn more here
How to use Gallery Walk? Student teams rotate between posted charts.
In Gallery Walk, student teams rotate to provide bulleted answers to questions posted on charts arranged around the classroom. After three to five minutes at a chart or "station," the team rotates to the next question.
Gallery Walk works best with open ended questions: that is, when a problem, concept, issue, or debate can be analyzed from several different perspectives. In this section find a variety of instructional resources such as preparing students for this technique, a step-by-step guide for using Gallery Walk, evaluation rubrics, and challenges in implementing the technique. Learn more here
References on Gallery Walk
Find journal and web references relating to Gallery Walk. Learn more here
Source: http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/gallerywalk/index.html Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
October 18, 2010
Socrates was one of the greatest educators who taught by asking questions and thus drawing out (as 'ex duco', meaning to 'lead out', which is the root of 'education') answers from his pupils. Over the next six weeks the “Faculty Development Tidbit” will highlight the six types of questions that Socrates asked his pupils, often to their initial annoyance but more often to their ultimate delight (Conceptual clarification questions; Probing assumptions; Probing rationale, reasons and evidence; Questioning viewpoints and perspectives; Probe implications and consequences; Questions about the question). The overall purpose is to challenge accuracy and completeness of thinking in a way that acts to move people towards their ultimate goal.
TYPE 1. Conceptual clarification questions
Get students to think more about what exactly they are asking or thinking about. Prove the concepts behind their argument. Basic 'tell me more' questions that get them to go deeper.
Why are you saying that?
What exactly does this mean?
How does this relate to what we have been talking about?
What is the nature of ...?
What do we already know about this?
Can you give me an example?
Are you saying ... or ... ?
Can you rephrase that, please?
Print this out and try these at your next teaching or facilitating venue.
http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/socratic_questions.htm
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
October 25, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Socratic Questions2
Socrates was one of the greatest educators who taught by asking questions and thus drawing out ('ex duco', meaning to 'lead out', which is the root of 'education') answers from his pupils.
During the next six weeks, the “Faculty Development Tidbit” will highlight the six types of questions that Socrates asked his pupils, often to their initial annoyance, but more often to their ultimate delight.
The six types of questions include:
1. Conceptual clarification questions;
2. Probing assumptions;
3. Probing rationale, reasons and evidence;
4. Questioning viewpoints and perspectives;
5. Probing implications and consequences;
6. Questions about the question.
The overall purpose is to challenge accuracy and completeness of thinking in a way that acts to move people towards their ultimate goal. This week, we look at type 2:
TYPE 2. Probing assumptions
Probing of assumptions makes students think about the presuppositions and unquestioned beliefs on which they are founding their argument. This is shaking the bedrock and should get them really going!
·What else could we assume?
·You seem to be assuming ... ?
·How did you choose those assumptions?
·Please explain why/how ... ?
·How can you verify or disprove that assumption?
·What would happen if ... ?
·Do you agree or disagree with ... ?
Print this out and try these at your next teaching or facilitating venue.
source: http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/socratic_questions.htm
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
September 07, 2010
Faculty development tidbit: Good Teaching Requirements #3 & #4 of 10
Three. Good teaching is about listening, questioning, being responsive and remembering that each student and class is different.
It’s about eliciting responses and developing the oral communication skills of the quiet students. It’s about pushing students to excel and at the same time it’s about being human, respecting others and being professional at all times.
Four. Good teaching is about not always having a fixed agenda and being rigid, but being flexible, fluid, experimenting, and having the confidence to react and adjust to changing circumstances.
It’s about getting only 10 percent of what you wanted to do in a class done and still feeling good. It’s about deviating from the course syllabus or lecture schedule easily when there is more and better learning elsewhere.
Good teaching is about the creative balance between being an authoritarian dictator on the one hand and a push-over on the other. Good teachers migrate between these poles at all times depending on the circumstances. They know where they need to be and when.
Source: Dr. Richard W. Leblanc is an associate professor at York University in Toronto. Contact him at rleblanc@yorku.ca. http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/good-teaching-the-top-10-requirements/
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
September 13, 2010
Faculty development tidbit: Good Teaching Requirements #5 & #6 of 10
Five. Good teaching is also about style. Should good teaching be entertaining? You bet! Does this mean that it lacks in substance? Not a chance! Effective teaching is not about being locked with both hands glued to a podium or having your eyes fixated on a slide projector while you drone on. Good teachers work the room and every student in it. They realize that they are the conductors and that the class is their orchestra. All students play different instruments and at varying proficiencies. A teacher’s job is to develop skills and make these instruments come to life as a coherent whole to make music.
Six. And this is very important, good teaching is about humor. It’s about being self-deprecating and not taking yourself too seriously. It’s often about making innocuous jokes, mostly at your own expense, so that the ice breaks and students learn in a more relaxed atmosphere where you, like them, are human with your own share of faults and shortcomings
Source: Dr. Richard W. Leblanc is an associate professor at York University in Toronto. Contact him at rleblanc@yorku.ca. http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/good-teaching-the-top-10-requirements/
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
September 20, 2010
Faculty development tidbit: Good Teaching Requirements #7 & #8 of 10
Seven. Good teaching is about caring, nurturing and developing minds and talents. It’s about devoting time, often invisible, to every student. It’s also about the thankless hours of grading, designing or redesigning courses and preparing materials to still further enhance instruction.
Eight. Good teaching is supported by strong and visionary leadership, and very tangible institutional support—resources, personnel, and funds. Good teaching is continually reinforced by an overarching vision that transcends the entire organization—from full professors to part-time instructors—and is reflected in what is said, but more importantly, by what is done.
Source: Dr. Richard W. Leblanc is an associate professor at York University in Toronto. Contact him at rleblanc@yorku.ca. http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/good-teaching-the-top-10-requirements/
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
September 27, 2010
Faculty development tidbit: Good Teaching Requirements #9 & #10 of 10
Nine. Good teaching is about mentoring between senior and junior faculty, teamwork, and being recognized and promoted by one’s peers. Effective teaching should also be rewarded and poor teaching needs to be remedied through training and development programs.
Ten. At the end of the day, good teaching is about having fun, experiencing pleasure and intrinsic rewards … like locking eyes with a student in the back row and seeing the synapses and neurons connecting, thoughts being formed, the person becoming better, and a smile cracking across a face as learning, all of a sudden, happens. It’s about the former student who says your course changed her life. It’s about another telling you that your course was the best one he’s ever taken. Good teachers practice their craft not for the money or because they have to, but because they truly enjoy it and because they want to. Good teachers couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Source: Dr. Richard W. Leblanc is an associate professor at York University in Toronto. Contact him at rleblanc@yorku.ca. http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/good-teaching-the-top-10-requirements/
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
August 02, 2010
Faculty development tidbit: The name game
The Name Game is an ice-breaker and collaborative learning exercise that helps you learn your students' names quickly and it helps them to learn each other's names. It’s also a fun way to demonstrate early on that collaboration has advantages over working in isolation. Start by having seven to ten students introduce themselves and then ask an individual in the group to name other individual:
If Susan doesn't know the name of the person next to Attila, say, “Ask Attila” or “Ask Luke!” This way, you can keep everyone on his or her toes, because anyone might be made responsible for an answer at any time—and everyone knows that someone nearby can be counted on for help. No one is made to feel stupid, because the entire group helps out. You can play the name game at the beginning or end of the class, and it’s also to interject in the middle of a long class, to rev up attention.
Source:http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/namegame.htm
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
August 09, 2010
Faculty development tidbit: Teacher as organizer
For learning to take place, several factors must ideally be in place:
The task of any organizer is to enable a group and the individuals in it to work together to achieve a common goal. Here are some good tips to follow in your role as teacher:
Source: The Center for Teaching Excellence at the United States Military Academy http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/organize.htm
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
August 16, 2010
Faculty development tidbit: Learning how to learn
A teacher who says, "This is how we approach a problem in our discipline" or, "This is how I would go about answering this question," demonstrates a learning process to students. Often it isn't even necessary to provide an answer to a problem – students can work those out themselves – but it does help to demonstrate techniques for problem-solving, show how topics relate and give tips on how to organize information. This way, they learn more than information; they learn how to learn.
Excerpted from tomorrows-professor Digest, Vol 45, Issue 3, by Michael Theall, Youngstown State University, (mtheall@ysu.edu)
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
August 23, 2010
Faculty development tidbit: Listen!
What can you do to be become a better listener? Here are just four of the many simple and effective tips found in Say It Right – part of the Communicate for Success Passport 4 Pak:
Fight the urge to interrupt or finish a person’s sentence.
Tell yourself, “This is the most interesting thing I’ve ever heard!”
React with facial expressions, head nods, and posture to indicate you’re processing what you are being told.
Wait until the person finishes speaking, then say, “Here’s what I think you said.” Summarize. Then ask, “Did I get that right?”
Make a commitment to start trying these tips TODAY. They will make a positive difference for you. Are you listening?
Source: Daily Tip from http://www.walkthetalk.com/index.php
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
August 30, 2010
Faculty development tidbit: Good Teaching Requirements #1 & #2
1. Good teaching is as much about passion as it is about reason. It’s about motivating students not only to learn, but teaching them how to learn, and doing so in a manner that is relevant, meaningful and memorable. It’s about caring for your craft, having a passion for it and conveying that passion to everyone, but mostly importantly to your students.
2. Good teaching is about substance and treating students as consumers of knowledge. It’s about doing your best to keep on top of your field, reading sources, inside and outside of your areas of expertise, and being at the leading edge as often as possible. But knowledge is not confined to scholarly journals. Good teaching is also about bridging the gap between theory and practice. It’s about leaving the ivory tower and immersing oneself in the field—in talking to, consulting with, and assisting practitioners and liaising with their communities.
Source: Dr. Richard W. Leblanc is an associate professor at York University in Toronto. Contact him at rleblanc@yorku.ca. http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/good-teaching-the-top-10-requirements
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
July 07, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Using digital learning resources
Developing content for your course takes time. And with the wealth of new digital learning resources, you may want to consider learning a new skill to adapt or develop new content.
Even researching the resources out there takes time. Let alone assessing their usefulness and relevance. It’s important to strategize: establish a personal list of priorities before you begin evaluating content possibilities.
Here is a selection of criteria we suggest. Rearrange these criteria into an order that reflects your priorities.
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
July 17, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: More effective classroom discussions
To orchestrate an effective classroom discussion, an instructor must be a a sensitized listener who fosters free-thinking and preserves the dignity of students. Here are some tips:
Like so many teaching and learning activities, orchestrating discussions is a balancing act between the time investment and potential learning benefits. To ensure the greatest reward, always plan effectively and keep your learning goals foremost in your mind.
Source: http://www.developfaculty.com/tips.html
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
July 26, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Ten tips to overcoming procrastination
Select one idea from the list below and make a commitment to yourself to create a new habit by making it a part of your daily routine.
1. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Break large projects into manageable "bites" and create a timeline to accomplish these tasks.
2. Each project expands to the time allotted to it, so set limits: "I am going to return all my phone calls in one hour." "I will file papers for 30 minutes." You’ll be amazed how much you get done when you focus your time.
3. Check your self-talk. Do you frequently say, "I gotta...," "I should...," or "I have to..."? Replace this self-talk with "I choose to..."
4. Eat a live toad first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. Tackle that "toad"—the task you have been putting off, the one that's hanging over your head. It will lift an immense load and you will feel much more productive.
5. Train yourself to trim the F.A.T. When papers come into your office, give yourself these three choices: File, Act, Toss. (Note that "I'll just put it here for now" is not a choice.)
6. De-clutter by setting up systems to manage the paper in your life. A good filing system is essential. For ideas, visit www.orgcoach.net/companystore/tickler_file.html.
7. Make a weekly appointment with yourself to plan your coming week. During your planning session, schedule important activities and tasks so you have a concrete plan for following through.
8. Include both urgent (deadline-driven) and non-urgent-but-important activities in your plan. A non-urgent activity might be relationship-building—something important but not time-sensitive.
9. Make appointments with yourself for administrative work, such as paying bills or catching up with reading. Treat this time as you would an appointment with someone else.
10.
Take 15
minutes at the end of each day to put things away and look at the calendar for
the next day. Gather what you need ahead of time so you will be prepared for
tomorrow.
Source:
http://www.momscape.com/articles/procrastination.htm
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
June 01, 2010
Tom Hemmick, Ph.D., SUNY Stony Brook physicist, uses a number of strategies to make his lectures more engaging.
One is simple eye contact—catching the eyes of students who are not paying attention. Once he gets their attention, he uses it to determine if students are grasping the material. Some students show through body language or behavior that they do not understand the material, and this, too, can help monitor the class.
Another is enthusiasm. Hemmick consciously demonstrates his passion for his field by varying the pace, tone and volume of his voice during a class. He tells stories, asks questions and encourages discussion.
Hemmick uses humor to lighten the classroom and re-capture attention. He even suggests that faculty members get some formal or informal training in the performing arts. He finds that gestures, inflection and movement around the “stage” and into the “audience” all help create and maintain a connection with students.
Hemmick uses his mistakes as opportunities for teaching, since students tend to remember those events. He readily admits when doesn’t know an answer and attempts to work out solutions with the students.
View a 29 minute video, and pay attention to the above points (eye contact, storytelling, pace, tone, humor, gesturing, etc.): https://tlt.stonybrook.edu/FacultyServices/IiE/Lists/Show%20List/DispForm.aspx?ID=17.
Source: https://tlt.stonybrook.edu/FacultyServices
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
June 06, 2010
A lecturer raises a glass of water and asks, "How heavy do you think this glass of water is?" Student estimations range from 20 to 500 grams. The lecturer replies, "It depends on how long you hold it. If you hold it for an hour, you'll have an ache in your arm. If you hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance."
That's how it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens too long, sooner or later, they become too heavy to carry. We have to put them down a while and rest. When we're refreshed, we can carry on. So, when you leave the office, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.
Take a moment to just simply RELAX. Put down anything that may be a burden to you, and don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while. Life is short. Enjoy it!
Here are some words of advice for dealing with life’s burdens:
Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
Never buy a car you can't push.
Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won’t have a leg to stand on.
Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
June 21, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: The Millennial Generation: Up and Coming
The Millennial Generation, born between 1977 and 1998, include the youngest members of today’s work force. The 75 million members of this generation were raised at the most child-centric time in national history.
Perhaps the high level of parental attention explains why young professionals today tend to display a great deal of self-confidence, sometimes to the point of appearing cocky. Millennials also tend to be team-oriented, preferring group projects to individual endeavors. As you might expect, this group is highly technically literate and good at multitasking.
Millennials seem to expect structure in the workplace. They tend to acknowledge and respect positions and titles, and they want to have a relationship with their boss. This doesn't always mesh with Generation X's love of independence and hands-off style.
Finally, many Millennials are new to the professional workplace. Therefore, these younger Millennials will need mentoring, no matter how smart and confident they appear. They'll respond well to the personal attention. Because they appreciate structure and stability, mentoring Millennials can be more formal, with set meetings.
Challenge these workers, but also provide the structure to back it up. This means breaking down goals into steps and offering necessary resources and information they'll need to meet the challenge.
Source: http://www.abanet.org/lpm/lpt/articles/mgt08044.html
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
May 03, 2010
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
May 11, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Resources for interactive lecturing
This week’s featured resource is an online learning module about interactive lectures. The web site offers strategies and specific activities you can integrate into lectures to help engage students in both large and small classes. The module was developed by the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College.
Take a look at some of their suggestions at http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/interactive/index.html
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
May 18, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: What is an interactive lecture?
In an interactive lecture, the lecture is interspersed with short activities for individuals, pairs or small groups. The activities help engage students and help the instructor gauge student understanding.
For example, rather than asking a question and calling on the first student who raises a hand, ask all students to reflect on the question and then discuss with a neighbor first. This gives everyone a chance to participate.
Other strategies for engaging students include ConcepTests, the Question of the Day, and in-class small-group activities. Interactive lectures can be used in classes of any size.
Learn more about interactive lecture activities at http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/interactive/index.html.
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
May 25, 2010
Lecture Tutorials are short worksheets that students complete in small groups in class to make lecture more interactive. They are designed to proactively address potential misconceptions and other topics students may find challenging. They pose questions of increasing conceptual difficulty to the students and help students construct correct scientific ideas.
To create your own lecture tutorials, establish what you want your students to learn, points of potential confusion and previous knowledge they could draw on to better understand the new material.
Learn more about interactive lecture activities at http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/interactive/index.html.
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
April 12, 2010
Leveraging your time is perhaps the most crucial strategy for success. There are only so many hours in a day that you can work. If you use only your own time, you can achieve only so much. If you can leverage other people's time too, you can increase productivity to an extraordinary extent.
Your time:
Prioritize: focus your energy on the activities that give the greatest return for the time invested.
Eliminate unnecessary activities.
Use goal setting to determine long-term strategy, set clear targets and motivate yourself to achieve those targets.
Other people's time:
Learn how to delegate work to other people.
Train and empower others.
Bring in experts and consultants to cover skill or knowledge gaps.
Outsource non-core tasks to people with the experience to do them more efficiently.
Devise a long-term group strategy and set goals and targets together.
If you can't delegate effectively, you can never expand your productivity beyond the work that you can personally deliver. This means that your career can stall out. While you may be appreciated for your hard work, you will not maximize your success.
As you begin to leverage your time, you'll find that it may involve some up-front costs, such as the investment of planning or training. While it's natural to want to conserve your resources ("I don't have time to train him – and this has got to be done by next Tuesday!"), if you never make these investments, you'll lock yourself into the old way of doing things, and you’ll limit yourself and your organization to achieving only those things that you can do by yourself.
Source: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_83.htm
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
April 19, 2010
A new book by Edward de Bono called Six Thinking Hats outlines different thinking styles and the benefits of each.
As a strategizing or assessment technique, consider wearing each “hat” in turn as you make a decision:
· White Hat: Focus on available data. Analyze past trends and look for gaps in your knowledge. Then either try to fill those gaps or take account of them.
· Red Hat: Use intuition, gut reaction and emotion. Try to imagine how other people will react emotionally, especially those who do not fully know your reasoning
Black Hat: Look at things pessimistically, cautiously and defensively. Look for reasons why ideas and approaches might not work. This highlights weak points and allows you to eliminate them or prepare contingency plans.
Yellow Hat: Next, consider the positive side. The optimistic viewpoint helps you to see the value of decisions and potential opportunities.
· Green Hat: Think creatively. This is the brainstorming hat: that freewheeling way of thinking with little criticism of ideas. A range of creativity tools can help you here.
Blue Hat: The blue hat stands for process control. This is worn by people chairing meetings. When ideas run dry, the blue hat directs activity into green-hat thinking. When contingency plans are needed, it calls for black-hat thinking, and so on.
You can use the six-hat approach in meetings or on your own. In meetings, it can help diffuse disagreements that arise when people with different thinking styles discuss the same problem.
Source: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_07.htm
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D
April 26, 2010
Two new articles in the Journal of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (JIAMSE) both address the issue of student lecture attendance.
In “Student perspectives on the value of lectures”, James Brawer and colleagues at McGill University report on a qualitative study of the student perspectives (vol. 19.3, pp. 84-88). They conclude that “a substantial number of medical and dental students at McGill view lectures as a valuable, multifaceted aid to learning.”
In “Medical school lecture attendance: Who, why, and what is the effect on academic performance?” Robert Bloodgood and colleagues from the University of Virginia School of Medicine conclude that, during the semesters studied for this report, attendance did not seem to correlate with academic performance in the first four semesters of medical training (vol. 19.3S, a supplement reporting on the IAMSE Annual Meeting).
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
March 08, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Questioning Techniques
Connection Questions: Questions gauge student understanding, while simultaneously involving the students in their construction of knowledge. In particular, “connection questions” help students to recognize knowledge systems.
Find more “Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
March 15, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Power Point rules of thumb
Choose a sans serif font like Arial, and then follow the KILL (Keep It Large and Legible) and KISS (Keep It Short and Simple) principles. Use only one concept per slide, don’t use complete sentences (unless it’s a quotation), and follow the “6×6 rule”. The 6×6 rule recommends that you never use more than six bullets, and that each bullet contains no more than six words. Some presenters reduce this to a “4×4 rule”.
Read more at: PowerPoint: Going Beyond Bulleted Lists
Find more “Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
March 29, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Faculty Focus: Free resource for higher ed.
Check out Faculty Focus, a free e-newsletter published by Magna Publications. First launched in 2003, it contains valuable information for faculty, academic deans and department chairs. Faculty Focus publishes the e-newsletter three times a week and maintains a web site spotlighting best practices in higher education today.
Sign up online for this resource and get immediate access to the site’s Free Report Quick Links. Below are several topics (available once you sign up) addressed by the Faculty Focus web site:
Creating a distance program
Teaching large classes
Student collaboration in the online classroom
12 tips for improving your faculty development plan
10 classroom management techniques every instructor should know
Effective group work in the college classroom
Encouraging student participation in classroom discussions
Academic leadership development: How to make a smooth transition from faculty to administrator
Designing effective writing and research assignments
Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
February 01, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Stories are easier to recall
Our brains are wired to forget what our brains perceive as uninteresting and unimportant to our survival. If you want your audience to remember your content, make it memorable with a good story. Stories should have interesting beginnings, engaging content and a clear conclusion.
Today it seems that almost all information is only a mouse-click away. It’s more important than ever to have a teacher who can synthesize these facts and give them context and perspective.
A presentation is never just about the facts. People want the story. Your job is to identify which elements of your content lend themselves to visualization, emotion and anecdotes.
Find more “Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
February 08, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Basic principles of learning
Find more “Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
February 15, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Active learning strategy – Breaks as action moments
It is safe to assume that most medical faculty probably use lectures—the primary teaching method in the U.S.—to some extent. Offering lecture breaks offers opportunities for critical reflection and interaction.
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Find more “Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
January 04, 2010
Faculty Development Tidbit: Conflict Resolution
The interest-based relational (IBR) approach is a conflict resolution strategy that respects individual differences while helping people avoid becoming too entrenched in a fixed position.
To utilize this approach in resolving conflict, remember:
By following these rules, you can often keep contentious discussions positive and constructive. They can help prevent the antagonism that can cause conflict to spin out of control.
From http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_81.htm
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development,with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
January 11, 2010,
See also: S.M.A.R.T. Goals at: http://topachievement.com/smart.html
From http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html
Find more “Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
January 19, 2010
Effective meetings boil down to three things: achieving objectives, time management and following a sensible process.
· Desired results
· Sequence of issues (in what order to address your priorities)
· Timing (how much time to spend on each topic)
· And, of course, date, time and location of meeting
(Download a free agenda template here as a starting point for creating your own agenda.)
Meetings are not a dictatorships. Get feedback/input on your agenda, if appropriate. Watch body language and make adjustments as necessary. If certain people are dominating the conversation, make a point of asking others for their ideas.
At the end of each agenda item, quickly summarize what was said, and ask people to confirm.
At the close of the meeting, summarize next steps and tell everyone to expect a meeting summary and notes. This should include items that require further discussion and the breakdown of tasks, responsible parties and deadlines generated at the meeting. Meeting notes serve as important records for participants and stakeholders. If you are too busy to take notes, make sure someone is assigned to do so.
From http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/RunningMeetings.htm
Find more “Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
January 25, 2010
From McKeachies’s Teaching Tips, 10th Ed., Wilbert J. McKeachie ed. Houghton Mifflin Co, NY, 1999
Find more “Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
December 07, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: Superficial or incomplete knowledge
How do you let students know the difference between superficial knowledge and deeper understanding?
From http://www.aft.org/pubs-reports/american_educator/winter03-04/HowToHelp.html
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development, with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
December 14, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognize, understand and manage your own and other people’s emotions.
When people with high EI send an e-mail, it gets answered. When they need help, they get it. Because they make others feel good, they go through life more easily than people who are easily angered or who fail to anticipate the emotional responses of others.
Characteristics of Emotional Intelligence:
Source: Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., American psychologist
From http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCDV_59.htm
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development, with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
November 02, 2009
Effective lectures end with a conclusion in three parts:
1. Summary of important points
2. Re-motivation: Why what they’ve learned is important
3. Closure for the lesson
You should plan two to five minutes for the conclusion; failure to plan is a plan to fail. Don’t miss this important opportunity to reinforce key points and excite the neurons on the importance of your topic. Give closure, ask for final questions and offer help if needed.
For help in remembering and planning a good introduction, see our quick lesson planning template at: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/Quick%20lesson%20plan%20counter.htm.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development, with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
November 09, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: Working memory
In order to store information in long-term memory, a person must somehow actively manipulate it in working memory. In order to do so, we must pay attention.
The human attention span lasts about 15 minutes and that decreases if students are fatigued, hungry or distracted with personal issues. Think of your voice as a hypnotic agent. Students may look like they are paying attention but they won't remember the experience. As a teacher, you need to do something every 15 minutes to refocus attention. Here are some ideas.
1. Pause to allow students to reflect on what they’ve heard to move it from working to long-term memory.
2. Ask for questions to refocus attention, even if no one responds.
3. Changing topics.
4. Change focus by introducing a case, telling a story or making them laugh.
5. Involve the students in a short activity such as a quiz, demonstration or game.
Working memory has a limited capacity, so divide your content into chunks of seven items or fewer. Allow students to process the set of items by actively engaging them through questions, group activities and memory devices.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development, with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
November 16, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit:
Hidden Curriculum
Within every learning encounter, there is an explicit curriculum that students are marked on and an implicit curriculum that students may not be told about directly. Frequently this hidden curriculum revolves around how the instructor expects students to behave or think, and it often affects how the instructor judges or evaluates them. Here are some related points to keep in mind:
· Unintentional Role Modeling: Students watch us for clues about our professional and personal preferences. Never model behaviors you would not want students to emulate, such as mistreatment of staff, prejudice against or neglect of certain types of patients, or disrespect for colleagues or students.
· Positive Feedback: If you want students to develop the right professional habits, you should let them know when they are performing well, and give them opportunities to correct their behavior when they are not. Listen to a podcast (5 min.) about the hidden curriculum.
From http://medicaleducation.wetpaint.com/page/Remembering. For further reading:
Uncovering the Hidden Medical Curriculum through a Pedagogy of Discomfort
The Devil is in the Third Year: A Longitudinal Study of Erosion of Empathy in Medical School
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development, with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
October 05, 2009
Silberman (1990) suggests five approaches to maximizing students’ understanding and retention during lectures. These can help ensure the effective transfer of knowledge:
Use an opening summary—present major points and conclusions up front to help students organize their listening.
Present key terms—reduce major lecture points to key words to use as verbal subheadings or memory aids.
Offer examples—provide real-life illustrations of ideas.
Use analogies—make comparisons between lecture content and prior knowledge.
Use visual backups—use a variety of media to help students both see and hear the material.
The key to an effective lecture style is to break down the lecture into its component parts and use a variety of approaches within each component. This is especially critical when a group of students will be attending a series of lectures by the same educator.
From www.reproline.jhu.edu/english/6read/6training/lecture/delivering_lecture.htm.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development, with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
October 12, 2009
The introduction should capture the attention and interest of the students. It should also inform students of the instructor’s expectations and encourage a positive learning climate.
Review lecture objective(s).
Ask questions related to the lecture topic.
Ask for a show of hands in response to a relevant general question.
Make a provocative statement to encourage discussion.
Use an interesting or famous quotation.
Use a video clip or other multimedia.
Show an appropriate cartoon or image with the overhead.
Give a brief demonstration.
Start with a short, relevant case study or problem-solving activity.
Use a quick game or role playing scenario.
Relate the topic to previously covered content.
Relate the topic to future work experiences.
Relate the topic to a real-life experience, personal or otherwise.
Once attention has been captured, the instructor can then make a smooth transition into the body of the lecture.
From www.reproline.jhu.edu/english/6read/6training/lecture/delivering_lecture.htm. Source: Sullivan and Wircenski 1996.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development, with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
September 08, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit:
Move around
While your students apply their new skills, don't just sit
back and take it easy. Now's the time to scan the room, move around and make
sure everyone's doing what they’re supposed to be doing. Answer questions, give
gentle reminders and make sure the lesson's going how you envisioned it would.
Some students may need extra attention to stay on task, so you may want to be
strategic about how circle the room and where you linger.
From
http://k6educators.about.com/cs/lessonplanskin/a/idagreatlesson.htm
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web
resources:
www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or
www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send
mailto:daviss@oucom.ohiou.edu?subject=Faculty Development Tip for you! it to
me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy
of your Office of Faculty Development, with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland,
Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
September 14, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: Give Specific Compliments
Be obvious and specific in your compliments when you see a student following directions or going the extra mile. Make sure the other students understand why you are pleased and they will increase their efforts to meet your expectations.
From http://k6educators.about.com/cs/lessonplanskin/a/idagreatlesson.htm.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development, with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
September 21, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: Critical thinking questions
Ask your students “Why…?,” “How…?,” “If…?,” and “What else?” questions to strengthen their comprehension of the issues or skills at hand. Use Bloom’s Taxonomy as a basis for your questioning and watch your students meet the objectives you set out at the beginning of the lesson.
From http://k6educators.about.com/cs/lessonplanskin/a/idagreatlesson.htm.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development, with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.
July 13, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: The Three-Person Teach
The three-person teach refers to a teaching strategy in which the teacher explains something to the class and then the students work in pairs to teach that same content to each other.
For example the instructor might explain the process of mitosis to the class. The instructor then asks the students to pair up and explain/teach mitosis to each other. The instruction might be given that each explanation should go no more than 2 minutes. It is well know that we learn something better by teaching it to someone else, thus the phrase "To teach is to learn twice."
As a student explains something to another student he often discovers he doesn't understand something as well as he thought.
Thus a form of self -assessment has taken place. Self-assessment is a skill critical to all of our medical students.
Additionally as a student listens to her peer she may hear an explanation that is easier to understand than the one given by the teacher.
In addition to all of these good things, the three-person teach also forces learning upward on Bloom's Taxonomy from verbal learning (memorization) to comprehension, because to explain something in a meaningful way, we must comprehend it.
(See: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html for more detail on Bloom’s Taxonomy).
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
July 21, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: Planning Lectures
A typical lecture presents a systematic, concise summary of the knowledge to be covered in the day’s assignment. Researchers call this approach “conclusion oriented.”
Don’t do it!
The university lecturer should not strive to be an abstractor of encyclopedias, but to teach students to learn and think.
A move from conclusion-oriented lecturing to active-learning teaching involves having students formulate questions, develop and test hypotheses, evaluate alternative solutions, put material in context, debate, diagram, and reflect on prior learning.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
July 27, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: Attention!!!
People don’t pay attention to boring things.
· The brain’s attention “spotlight” can focus on only one thing at a time: Don’t try to multitask!
· We are better at seeing patterns and generalizing the meaning of an event than we are at recording details.
· Emotional arousal helps the brain learn.
· Audiences check out after 10 minutes, but you can keep grabbing them back with emotion-rich story-telling, interactive activities and events.
From Brain Rules by John Medina, Rule #4: Get more at www.brainrules.net.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
June 08, 2009
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
May 04, 2009
Students will eventually talk. While we may think the silence is long, students need time to process your questions and to come up with answers. Give them a chance to think and they will eventually talk. In fact, you may want to silently count slowly to 10 or 15 to force yourself to wait enough time for students to think and respond.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
(If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D., Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
May 12, 2009
Goal: Increase attention during class.
Process: At the end of class give each student an index card. Ask them to write a question that, if answered, will clarify something that was confusing or unclear to them in class.
After class: Review the most frequently mentioned comment and address that topic next time you meet. You may also choose to address other students’ comments via e-mail.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
(If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D., Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
May 18, 2009
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
May 26, 2009
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
April 04, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: Focus your teaching
Do not overwhelm your students with your whole knowlege base. Focus on the course content and objectives. Spend more time reinforcing those goals and objectives, particularly when students have limited experience in the course content area. By not overwhelming your students, their long-term retention of the content should go up.
Find more "Teaching Tips" at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: Click here for OU-COM and here for CORE
(Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
April 13 & 20, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: Teaching tips for Generation Y
Some experts have asserted a growing mismatch between faculty and students in terms of teaching and learning. Here are five more tips for teaching Generation Y learners born between 1980 and 2001:
1. Incorporate experiential learning: small group discussions, team projects, in-class presentations, debates, peer critiques, service learning and field experiences.
2. Develop learning communities, small groups of students who discuss and analyze readings and assignments.
3. Provide lots of structure. Having grown up in a highly structured world, Generation Y learners like to know precisely what is required of them.
4. Provide lots of feedback. Frequent feedback lets them know whether they are headed in the right direction or getting off-track.
5. Incorporate technology into the classroom to help provide variety, stimulation and access to information. Today’s students respond well to technology, as they utilize it in most aspects of their daily lives.
6. Make it fun. Millennials learn best when they are entertained.
7. Incorporate games. For Generation Y, games—either interactive or on a computer—can be very effective in instruction. Games can engage through multi-media sensory stimulation, interaction and customization of the learning experience.
8. Be relevant. Avoid excessive repetition and rote practice once students have mastered the material.
9. Utilize their talents. This generation likes to be useful. If you have students who know a lot about a topic, let them discuss what they know. If some students finish an assignment early, ask them to help their classmates.
10. Present the big picture. Many in this generation are global or "big picture" learners. They learn better if they get the big picture first and then learn more concrete and specific information.
(Source: http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/GenY.htm)
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: Click here for OU-COM and here for CORE
(Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
April 27, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: MedEdPortal 2.0
On April 7 the American Association of Medical Colleges launched the MedEdPORTAL 2.0 repository and web site.
MedEdPORTAL is a free medical and dental publication service providing access to high-quality, peer-reviewed educational teaching and assessment resources online.
While the new MedEdPORTAL may look familiar, the web site is now fully integrated with a powerful content and digital asset management system. It allows easier downloading of 90 percent of MedEdPORTAL’s 1,300 publications (the remaining 10 percent will be disseminated by MedEdPORTAL staff due to size or firewall limitations).
The new site also features a more robust search engine with a greater number of metrics, and an analytics feature allowing authors to track the impact and utilization of their published materials.
(Tidbits courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
March 02, 2009
1. Introduction |
2. Body |
3. Conclusion |
Attention |
Point one |
Summary |
Transition |
Transition |
Transition |
Motivation |
Point two |
Re-motivation |
Transition |
Transition |
Transition |
Overview |
Point three |
Closure |
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D., Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
March 08, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: 32 e-mail etiquette tips
1. Be concise and to the point
2. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions
3. Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation
4. Make in personal
5. Use templates for frequently used responses
6. Answer swiftly
7. Do not attach unnecessary files
8. Use proper structure and layout
9. Do no overuse the high priority option
10. Do not write in CAPITALS
11. Don’t leave out the message thread
12. Add disclaimers to your e-mails
13. Read the e-mail before you send it
14. Do not overuse “Reply to All” button
15. For Mass Mailings> use the bcc: field or do a mail merge
16. Take care with abbreviations and emoticons
17. Be careful with formatting
18. Take care with rich text and HTML messages
19. Do not forward chain letters
20. Do not request delivery and read receipts
21. Do not ask to recall a message
22. Do not copy a message or attachment without permission
23. Do not use e-mail to discuss confidential information
24. Use a meaningful subject
25. Use active instead of passive voice
26. Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT
27. Avoid long sentences
28. Don’t send or forward e-mails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racists or obscene remarks
29. Don’t forward virus hoaxes and chain letters
30. Keep language gender neutral
31. Don’t reply to spam
32. Use cc: field sparingly
Source: www.emailreplies.com. Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D., Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
March 16, 2009
Active learning strategy #3: Learning activities & presentations provide options for learning. Use on a limited basis (one to three times a quarter), let students select a learning plan and grade with a rubric.
· Internet: Students conduct internet searches for a topic, compare that information to coursework and present to the class.
· Art: Students create posters, brochures, etc., to inform or teach others about specific concepts and skills.
· Exhibit: Students create a course-related bulletin exhibit for college display.
· News: Students compile a notebook with at least eight news articles about a course-related topic, summarizing each article and its significance to the course.
· Interview or survey: Student write questions on a course-related topic, conduct interviews or surveys, record answers and present results.
· Skits or videos: Students create and present short skits or videos based on key concepts or strategies presented in class.
· Game or game show: Students create board game or game show to play in class to practice and reinforce key concepts and skills.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
(If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D., Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
February 02, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: Constructivism
Constructivism, a psychological theory of learning that emphasizes personal experience and prior knowledge, has four important implications for teaching.
Source: Clinical review: ABC of learning and teaching in medicine: Applying educational theory in practice, by David M Kaufman: www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/326/7382/213.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll
include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D., Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
February 09, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: Reflective Practice
The theory of reflective practice is attributed primarily to philosopher Donald Schon, who studied industry and professional issues. He argues that formal professional theory is often not applicable to the “messy, indeterminate” problems of real-life. Schon notes that unexpected events trigger two kinds of reflection:
1. Reflection in action, which occurs immediately, is the ability to apply past experiences and reasoning to unfamiliar events while they are occurring.
2. Reflection on action, which occurs later, is the process of assessing a past situation: what occurred, whether the response was appropriate and how this situation may affect future practice.
Through the process of reflecting both “in action” and “on action,” professionals continually reshape their approaches and develop “wisdom” or “artistry” in their practice. Activities such as debriefing with peers or learners, seeking feedback from learners on a regular basis and keeping a journal can assist reflective practice.
Source: Clinical review, “ABC of learning and teaching in medicine: Applying educational theory in practice,” by David M Kaufman: www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/326/7382/213.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D., Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
February 16, 2009
“The individuals learning the most in the classroom are the teachers. They have reserved for themselves the very conditions that promote learning: actively seeking new information, integrating it with what is known, organizing it in a meaningful way, and explaining it to others.”
-Mary Huba and Jann E. Freed, from their 2000 book, Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campuses: Shifting the Focus from Teaching to Learning.
Active learning involves participation: reading, writing, discussing, creating and questioning. It activates the memory system and triggers it to respond. It increases motivation and interest.
Active Learning Strategy #1: Visual Mappings
Introduce a chapter or topic, review main ideas with supporting details, and then visualize your knowledge base. Visual learners can benefit from the study exercise of “mapping” their thoughts on paper. Learn more at www.mind-mapping.co.uk.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.
(Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D., Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
February 23, 2009
Active learning strategy #2: Collaborative learning activities
Form groups of three to five, provide markers and flip charts or post-it charts. Then have students identify key concepts, solve a problem or show details/examples of concepts.
Examples of brainstorming charts:
· In the left column, list common test-taking problems. In the right column, list techniques or strategies to deal with each problem.
· In the left column, list the seven organizational levels of medical concern. In the right column, show how they apply to a case
· In the left column, provide a formula. In the right column, work together to find the correct solution.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D., Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
January 05, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit – Zen and the art of teaching, Cpt 4
These teaching tips are taken from Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds, a leading authority on presentation design and delivery.
From Chapter 4, “Crafting the Story”: Make your ideas stick by following this formula: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions and stories (SUCCESS).
· Keep it simple.
· Look for the unexpected, using creative analogies or metaphors when possible.
· Use specific examples to drive home points.
· Stay relevant; bring everything back to the core message.
· Appeal to emotion; make them feel something.
· Tell stories; they bring ideas to life and are easier to remember.
· Brainstorm your topic first on paper to release creative juices.
Presentation Zen Web site: www.presentationzen.com
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OUCOM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or http://www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.
(Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development: Steve Davis, Ph.D.,
Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
January 12, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit – Adult Learning Theory
Malcolm Knowles introduced the term “andragogy” to North America, defining it as “the art and science of helping adults learn.”
Most theorists agree that andragogy is not really a theory of adult learning, but they regard Knowles’ principles as guidelines on how to teach independent and self-directed learners.
His principles can be summarized as follows:
· Establish an effective learning climate, where learners feel safe and comfortable expressing themselves.
· Involve learners in mutual planning of relevant methods and curricular content.
· Involve learners in diagnosing their own needs. This will help to trigger internal motivation.
· Encourage learners to formulate their own learning objectives. This gives them more control of their learning.
· Encourage learners to indentify resources and devise strategies for using the resources to achieve their objectives.
· Support learners in carrying out their learning plans.
· Involve learners in evaluating their own learning. This can develop their skills of critical reflection.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OUCOM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.
(Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D., Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
January 20, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: Self-Directed Learning Defined
Self-directed learning is a teaching method that empowers students to take personal responsibility for their own learning.
Author Philip Candy identified about 100 traits associated with self-directed learning, among them: discipline, logic, collaboration, creativity, motivation, responsibility, confidence, reflection and self-awareness.
Learners must have the opportunity to develop and practice skills that directly improve self-directed learning, such as asking questions, critically appraising new information, identifying knowledge and skill gaps, and reflecting critically on learning process and outcomes.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OUCOM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.
(Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D., Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
January 26, 2009
Faculty Development Tidbit: Self efficacy
According to psychologist Albert Bandura, Ph.D., people’s judgments of their own abilities to deal with different situations determine their actions. Self judgments influence what we choose to do, how much effort we invest in activities and how long we persist in the face of adversity.
These judgments, called “self efficacy,” may or may not be accurate, but they arise from four main information sources:
Successes raise our self efficacy, while failures lower it. Failures are more likely to lower our self efficacy if they occur early in the learning process and result from factors aside from lack of effort or difficult situations.
Observing other people performing tasks can strengthen our belief in our abilities to do so as well, especially when the tasks are unfamiliar. Verbal persuasion from a credible source also can help.
Finally, we (both teachers and learners) need to reinterpret anxiety or nervousness as excitement or anticipation, rather than vulnerability.
Source: Clinical review: ABC of learning and teaching in medicine: Applying educational theory in practice, by David M Kaufman: www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/326/7382/213.
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D., Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
December 15, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit – Zen and the art of teaching, Cpt 3
Here are some teaching tips from the book Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds, a leading authority on presentation design and delivery.
Chapter 3: Planning Analog to Prepare:
· For greater focus, try turning off the computer and going analog.
· Slow down your busy mind to see your problem and goals more clearly.
· Find time alone to see the big picture… and lay it out so your audience knows what piece of the puzzle you’re working with/on.
· Use paper and pens or a whiteboard first to record and sketch your ideas (try mind mapping: http://www.mind-mapping.co.uk/).
· Key questions: What’s your main point? Why does it matter?
· If your audience remembers only one thing, what should it be?
· Preparing a detailed handout keeps you from feeling compelled to cram everything into your visuals.
Presentation Zen Web site: www.presentationzen.com
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OUCOM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or http://www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.
(Tidbits courtesy of your office of faculty development with Steve Davis, Ph.D., Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
December 08, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit – Zen and the art of teaching, Cpt 2
Here are some teaching tips from the book Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds, a leading authority on presentation design and delivery.
Chapter 2: Creativity, Limitations, and Constraints:
· Preparing, designing and delivering a presentation is a creative act, and you are a creative being.
· Creativity requires an open mind and willingness to take risks.
· Restrictions and limitations are not the enemy; they are a great ally.
· As you prepare a presentation, exercise restraint and always keep these three words in mind: simplicity, clarity, brevity.
Presentation Zen Web site: www.presentationzen.com
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OUCOM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or http://www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.
(Faculty Development Tidbits courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., director of faculty development, and assistant directors Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
December 01, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit – “Presentation Zen” by Garr Reynolds:
The following is taken from the book Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds, a leading authority on presentation design and delivery whose tips can be easily applied to course instruction.
Presenting in today’s world:
· Students report the best professors don’t just go through the material in the book, but instead put their own personality, character and experience into the material in the form of narrative.
· The best presenters illuminate relationships in new ways.
· Allow aids such as Power Point presentations to complement your lecture; don’t read from them word-for-word.
· Playfulness and humor go a long way toward making a presentation palatable.
Presentation Zen Web site: www.prsentationzen.com
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OUCOM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or http://www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.
(Faculty Development Tidbits courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., director of faculty development, and assistant directors Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
November 18, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit—Male and female brains are different:
· The X chromosome (men have one, and women have two—though one acts as backup) is a cognitive “hot spot,” carrying an unusually large number of genes involved in brain manufacture. Women are genetically more complex, because the active X chromosomes in their cells are a mix of mom’s and dad’s, whereas men’s X chromosomes all come from mom, and their Y chromosomes carry less than 100 genes each, compared with about 1,500 for the X chromosome.
· Men’s and women’s brains are different structurally and biochemically. For example, men have bigger amygdalae, neuron bundles involved in the processing and memory of emotional reactions, and they produce serotonin faster.
· Men and women respond differently to acute stress: women activate the left hemisphere’s amygdala and remember the emotional details. Men use the right amygdala and get the gist.
-Summary of Rule #11 “Male and female brains are different” from “Brain Rules” by John Medina (www.brainrules.net).
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OUCOM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or http://www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.
(Faculty Development Tidbits courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., director of faculty development, and assistant directors Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
November 03, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: Stimulate your senses.
· We absorb information through our senses, translate it into electrical signals, disperse those signals to separate parts of the brain, then reconstruct what happened, eventually perceiving each event as a whole.
· The brain seems to rely partly on past experience in deciding how to combine these signals, so two people can perceive the same event very differently.
· Our senses evolved to work together—each sense influences perception of the other senses—which means that we learn best if we stimulate several senses at once.
· Smells have an unusual power to trigger memories, maybe because smell signals bypass the thalamus and head straight to the destinations, which include that supervisor of emotions known as the amygdala.
-Summary of Rule #9 “Stimulate more of the senses” from “brain rules” by John Medina (www.brainrules.net)
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OUCOM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or http://www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.
(Faculty Development Tidbits courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., director of faculty development, and assistant directors Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
October 28, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: Long-term memory—Remember to Repeat.
First memory traces are flexible, changeable and at great risk of extinction. Some, however, strengthen with time, appearing indefinitely retrievable and resistant to amendment. These are long-term memories.
· Most memories disappear within minutes, but those that survive the fragile period tend to strengthen with time.
· Long-term memories form through a two-way conversation between the hippocampus and the cortex, until the hippocampus breaks the connection and the memory is fixed in the cortex—which can take years.
· Our brains give us only an approximate view of past reality, because they mix new knowledge with memories and store them together as one.
· To make long-term memory more reliable, incorporate new information gradually and repeat it frequently, in timed intervals.
Summary of Rule #6 from “brain rules” by John Medina (www.brainrules.net)
Find more “Teaching Tips” at your OUCOM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or http://www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.
(Faculty Development Tidbits courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., director of faculty development, and assistant directors Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
October 20, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: Short Term Memory—Repeat to Remember.
Most of what determines whether something learned also will be remembered occurs in the first few seconds of learning. The more elaborately we encode a memory during its initial moments, the stronger it will be. Here are some points to learn—and remember:
· - The brain has many types of memory systems. One type follows four stages of processing: encoding, storing, retrieving and forgetting.
· - Information coming into your brain is immediately split into fragments that are sent to different regions of the cortex for storage.
· - You can improve your chances of remembering something if you reproduce the environment in which you first put it into your brain.
Summary of Rule #5 from “brain rules” by John Medina (www.brainrules.net)
You can find more “Teaching Tips” at your OUCOM & CORE faculty development Web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or http://www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.
(Faculty Development Tidbits courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., director of faculty development, and assistant directors Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
October 13, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: People don’t pay attention to boring things.
· - Recent studies confirm that the brain’s “attention spotlight” can effectively focus on only one thing at a time (i.e. multitasking is a myth!).
· - Our brains are better at seeing patterns and abstracting overall meanings than it is at recording detail.
· - Emotional engagement helps the brain learn.
· - Audiences tend to check out after 10 minutes, but you can keep grabbing them by integrating emotion-rich storytelling and variety of learning activities.
A summary of Rule #4 from “brain rules” by John Medina (www.brainrules.net)
You can find more “Teaching Tips” at your faculty development Web resource site (www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm) and the CORE faculty development Web site (http://www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm).
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.
(Faculty Development Tidbits courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., USAF Major (Ret), director of faculty development, and CORE faculty development coordinators Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
October 06, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: Every brain is wired differently.
· - What you do and learn in life physically changes what your brain looks like – it literally rewires it.
· - The various regions of the brain develop at different rates in different people.
· - No two people’s brains store the same information in the same place.
· - We have a great number of ways of being intelligent, many of which don’t show up on IQ tests.
· Summary of Rule #3 from “brain rules” by John Medina (www.brainrules.net)
You can find more “Teaching Tips” at your faculty development Web resource site (www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm) and the CORE faculty development Web site (http://www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm).
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.
(Faculty Development Tidbits courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., USAF Major (Ret), director of faculty development, and CORE faculty development coordinators Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
September 29, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: Check Out AAMC’s MedEdPORTAL
The Association of American Medical College’s MedEdPORTAL is a terrific resource for advancing medical learning and teaching. Its searchable database is something that you, as a medical educator, should familiarize yourself with. Click here to see a simple listing of fantastic published resources in practically every field of medicine, available to you with the click of a button (and most are free!).
You can find more “Teaching Tips” at your faculty development Web resource site (www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm) and/or the CORE faculty development Web site (http://www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm). If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.
(Faculty Development Tidbits courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., USAF Major (Ret), director of faculty development, and CORE faculty development coordinators Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D., and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.)
September 22, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: Leadership styles
Your distinct leadership style influences your teaching pace and classroom interactions.
There are three main leadership styles:
Directive
Democratic
Non-directive
To learn more about these leadership styles, and to find more “Teaching Tips,” go to your faculty development Web resource site: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, send it to me. I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., USAF Major (Ret), director of faculty development).
September 15, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: Self-directed learning
Self-directed learning is initiated by an individual learner’s needs, goals and interests. Teachers can use different approaches to influence motivation and promote different resources, thereby fostering self-directed learning:
Resources (outside reading, consultation, computer resources)
Discuss approaches to using resources for lifelong learning
Inform learners about resources for lifelong learning
Model use of resources for lifelong learning.
You can find more “Teaching Tips” at your faculty development Web resource site: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, send it to me. I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., USAF Major (Ret), director of faculty development).
September 08, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: Self-directed learning
Self-directed learning is initiated by an individual learner’s needs, goals and interests. Teachers can use different approaches to influence motivation and promote different resources, thereby fostering self-directed learning:
Motivation (types, obstacles)
Ask learners to identify goals, needs and interests.
Ask learners how they want to address needs.
Explicitly reinforce evidence of self-directed learning.
Use controversy/doubt/curiosity.
Brainstorm with learners.
Record topics for further consideration.
Provide opportunities for learners to pursue their chosen topics.
Model motivating SDL behaviors.
You can find more “Teaching Tips” at your faculty development Web resource site: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, send it to me. I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., USAF Major (Ret), director of faculty development).
September 02, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: Key Teaching Behaviors, Part IV
Here’s the last in “Learning Climate” tips I picked up from a recent “Systematic approach for teaching improvement” session.
While establishing a stimulating, engaging and inclusive learning climate, always be aware of boundaries and potential obstacles:
· Acknowledge learners’ limitations
· Invite learners to bring up perceived problems
· Admit your own errors or limitations
· Avoid being dogmatic
· Balance challenge, support and encouragement
You can find more “Teaching Tips” at your faculty development web resource site: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, send it to me. I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., USAF Major (Ret), director of faculty development).
August 18, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: Key teaching behaviors, Part II
Here’s more from the “Systematic approach for teaching improvement” session I attended at the 2008 International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) conference. Student interactivity ranks among “key components and teaching behaviors” conducive to a good learning climate.
Here are some tips:
· Look at learners.
· Listen to learners.
· Encourage learners to participate (safely).
· Avoid monopolizing discussion.
· Establish the habit of engaging students.
· Provide support through availability—of your time and your materials.
You can find more “Teaching Tips” at your faculty development web resource site: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, send it to me. I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit. (Courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., USAF Major (Ret), director of faculty development).
August 11, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: Key teaching behaviors, Part I
I attended a “Systematic approach for teaching improvement” session at the recent International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) conference. One topic was “learning climate.” Creating a stimulating classroom environment ranks high among “key components and teaching behaviors” conducive to a good learning climate. Here are some tips:
· Show enthusiasm for topic and for learners.
· Show interest through body language.
· Use an animated voice.
· Provide a comfortable and, when possible, active physical environment.
You can find more “Teaching Tips” at your faculty development web resource site: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, send it to me. I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit (Steve Davis, Ph.D., USAF Major (Ret), director of faculty development).
August 04, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: Student laptop use in class
It’s probably time to be more explicit about technology use in your classroom. Set the expectation. A simple statement at the beginning of class — “Please only use your laptop for class-related activities only.” — should suffice.
You may decide to include laptop activities as part of your instruction: looking up definitions, receiving postings, comparing ideas, building drawings, etc. But also don’t hesitate to ask for “laptops closed” during parts of your lecture, if you choose. Laptops are great tools but also can be a great distraction. I believe that, at least in terms of peak performance, multi-tasking is a myth. At best, we can “switch tasks” well, but even then we become less efficient and make more mistakes.
You can find more “Teaching Tips” at your faculty development web resource site: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm. If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, send it to me. I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit (Steve Davis, Ph.D., USAF Major (Ret), director of faculty development).
July 28, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: Educational Variety Hour
Use a variety of activities: demonstrations, experiential activities, drawing, specific critical thinking skills, writing, group think, fill-in-the-blank, games, panel, guests, audience response system, question writing, etc.
You can find more “Teaching Tips” at your faculty development web resource site: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to Davis for inclusion in future Faculty Development Tidbits.
July 21, 2008
Faculty Development Tidbit: Ask for Student Questions
Ask students to create and submit to you their own test questions. Distribute the students’ questions for the class to use as a study tool, and select some student questions for your test. You might also want to discuss some of the “good” questions vs. “poor” questions from those submitted. This can prompt a discussion of higher levels of thinking.
You can find more “Teaching Tips” at your faculty development web resource site: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to Davis for inclusion in future Faculty Development Tidbits.