One of our students came to me the other day with a situation regarding his accommodation. Background: the student has a condition that affects his fine motor skills leaving his handwriting illegible. One of the approved accommodations is a scribe during tests and...
Well, learning, from a behaviorists standpoint, is a persistent and measurable alteration in an organism's behavior. We know we can measure the alteration in behavior fairly easily in our own test subjects (i.e. students). Give them some form of assessment and "see"...
One of the assignments for the Teaching Solutions Class was to participate in a “M.O.O.C”, which stands for massive open online course. These college level courses are offered free or for a small fee. The student receives a completion certificate when all of the...
A picture is worth a thousand words. I received a submission for a writing assignment today via email. It was a picture, included as an attachment, showing a handwritten homework assignment, taken with the smartphone, at arm’s-length. I have received three...
Have you ever read the book Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield? It is a children’s book, but is has a lot to say about education and learning. It is about a very timid, unobserving child, Betsy (Elizabeth Ann), who changes into a brave, problem-solving girl due to a...
For a number of years now, I have taught my ENG 107 students about the idea of personal responsibility. We use On Course, a college success book written by Skip Downing, as the primary text in that class. The whole book is based on the choice between being a Victim...
It seems to me that school has become the extracurricular activity as of late. I know that doesn’t make sense, but let me explain myself. In the past, school came first and then other activities were scheduled if they could be fit in around the demands of school....
Last week I addressed want students want out of their coursework. This week I will touch on what employers want. This is important to know if we are going to change the way we teach. Perhaps by incorporating more active learning and group work, and really embrace the...
My husband, Jon, likes Legos. A lot. I admit: building my very own Batmobile was pretty sweet. (You are welcome to come see it in my office any time.) But we diverge in our process for building. While I like to follow the directions, look at the diagrams, and compare...