Robert Goulet and Aurora Borealis; Only Connect
Do you believe there is something germinal to our lives? Is there something planted in us, perhaps even before there was an us (imagine that one!), something of eternal weightiness, our uniqueness, the reason for OUR being here, OUR being human, which welcomes our...
My students can’t write! Part 4: Grading and Rubrics
The dreaded pile of papers. We assign writing with high hopes, walk our students through the process, give feedback and direction at every step, and then it all comes down to that: one giant stack for us to wrangle. Instructors sometimes avoid assigning papers just...
Enough, But Not Too Much: Discussing Significant Learning Outcomes
Writing an effective and appropriate Significant Learning Outcome is in some ways similar to creating a work of art. You have to know what to put, where to put it, and when to stop before you put too much on your page. See the video below for one version of what a...
Taking surveys with Moodle’s Feedback module
How well did I design this lesson? I think it's in good shape, for I've polished and PDCA'ed many times over the years. Could I find out how well students have prepared for a lesson? How long did they spend? Where did they struggle? Could I discover external events -...
Accessibility: How the Scribe Accommodation Works
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...
What Should Learning Be?
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"...
Learning to Teach Online by Taking Massive Open Online Courses
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
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...
Understood Betsy
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...
Trying to be a Creator–Even in November
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...