Today 4:30-5:35 - I got the chance to go through my COL 101 PowerPoint with Turning Point questions. There was also a web evaluation activity which I think they liked but which confused some of them, which means I need to explain it a bit better.
What went well - My energy level as well as the student's interaction, which I encouraged and they seemed willing to jump right into the mix. Overall it went smoothly from PowerPoint to Web Activity to Library Show and Tell to Library Catalog to Database Search demo. I looked the students in the eye and felt a connection. Even the two students in the front and to my left I was able to joke try to corral when the guy was talking and distracting me. It was pretty rude, but I just decided to make light of it and joke that I should have picked him to demo something as he would have listened better. I also was able to ask students if they found looking into the database helpful, as some of my colleagues thought it was a bit too advanced. . . . I liked that they were following along with me if they wanted, but otherwise they seemed to be watching.
To improve - It went a bit longer than I had hoped at 65 minutes. I have already streamlined the first slide to make it more a part of the aiming/bullseye theme, without the full berry-picking schematic on the slide. To cut down I also may not have as many volunteers or pick the volunteers ahead of time to guarantee they do a better job and can get online faster and us make the points better. I even wonder if I should just do the demo to cut down on time, yet I also don't want to go too fast or miss an opportunity to give them an opportunity to learn. Finally I wrote the following on the board - Why would you need to go beyond the Web? - I need to make sure to discuss with students next time as this is one of the accessment questions
Monday, August 29, 2011
POS150 - National Government
Thursday 8/25/11 7:30-9:15. Chris Newman one of our regular teachers and quite the advocate for quality research sources, especially perhaps due to his librarian wife's influence came with his students. I did a PowerPoint which included Newman's requested video clip on Wikiality from Stephen Colbert's show back in I believe 2006. This gets the students to thinking if they can follow the video.
The class went well, though I did feel that at one time Newman was going on too long about the research guide and I wanted to start the Reference "Scavenger Hunt." Hope he didn't see this as rude, but it was getting quite late and I didn't want to be staying over time, nor loosing momentum for the class.
Overall I believe the class went well, though I vowed to make more of a connection with students in my next class by meeting their eyes more and looking around. It did seem that my thoughts and words weren't as coherent as I liked. I mentioned a gal who was researching birth defects and a couple sentences said birth control instead, which didn't go unnoticed by Newman. lol. Anyway, I want to be less anxious and just enjoy the class interactions and energy of the students more which will also hopefully get them more relaxed and able to learn and ask more questions.
The class went well, though I did feel that at one time Newman was going on too long about the research guide and I wanted to start the Reference "Scavenger Hunt." Hope he didn't see this as rude, but it was getting quite late and I didn't want to be staying over time, nor loosing momentum for the class.
Overall I believe the class went well, though I vowed to make more of a connection with students in my next class by meeting their eyes more and looking around. It did seem that my thoughts and words weren't as coherent as I liked. I mentioned a gal who was researching birth defects and a couple sentences said birth control instead, which didn't go unnoticed by Newman. lol. Anyway, I want to be less anxious and just enjoy the class interactions and energy of the students more which will also hopefully get them more relaxed and able to learn and ask more questions.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
ENG101 - Did they get it?
2-3:15, Wednesday, July 27, 2011 - Kathy Wilson
Project was a four page persuasive paper with a requirement of one book and two articles. It went okay, though it is sure hard to tell if they are getting it when the class is relatively quiet and not interacting when I ask questions. HOWEVER, the good news is that they asked questions after the class was over. It was also good that I used four students in the "driver's seat" to demo how to find information and they seemed to get alot out of that. So, the ones who were on the hot seat may have caught the idea more than the ones who didn't. I still think that the computer monitor freeze software could be good so that they are actually listening during the time that I am talking . . . otherwise I can't easily keep them from doing their own thing while I am showing them the databases. . .
Perhaps I need to stop doing the blah, blah, blah lecture through the PowerPoint, as it sure did seem to go on for too long. Especially when I am talking about the ABCs of evaluating information I want to hopefully give more of an example - yes, it would be good to show a website and then go through how to evaluate it . . . with COL101 we are going to be doing that as one of the points required of all the classes. Should there be a bad website that is obvious or just do it on the fly with each class . . . have some topics in mind as it would be better than just any topic, especially one that isn't as academic. . .
The teacher introduced me right after I wrote things on the board, yet I wasn't quite ready - this wasn't a good energized start as I would have liked. I had to pull up the PowerPoint still and get the handouts from my office.
DO differently - smile more, walk around the room, wait for answers and give them hints if they don't answer right away - key is to wait!
Project was a four page persuasive paper with a requirement of one book and two articles. It went okay, though it is sure hard to tell if they are getting it when the class is relatively quiet and not interacting when I ask questions. HOWEVER, the good news is that they asked questions after the class was over. It was also good that I used four students in the "driver's seat" to demo how to find information and they seemed to get alot out of that. So, the ones who were on the hot seat may have caught the idea more than the ones who didn't. I still think that the computer monitor freeze software could be good so that they are actually listening during the time that I am talking . . . otherwise I can't easily keep them from doing their own thing while I am showing them the databases. . .
Perhaps I need to stop doing the blah, blah, blah lecture through the PowerPoint, as it sure did seem to go on for too long. Especially when I am talking about the ABCs of evaluating information I want to hopefully give more of an example - yes, it would be good to show a website and then go through how to evaluate it . . . with COL101 we are going to be doing that as one of the points required of all the classes. Should there be a bad website that is obvious or just do it on the fly with each class . . . have some topics in mind as it would be better than just any topic, especially one that isn't as academic. . .
The teacher introduced me right after I wrote things on the board, yet I wasn't quite ready - this wasn't a good energized start as I would have liked. I had to pull up the PowerPoint still and get the handouts from my office.
DO differently - smile more, walk around the room, wait for answers and give them hints if they don't answer right away - key is to wait!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Neuroscience's influence on Learning & Teaching
I picked up a book off of the new book truck that sits by the reference desk, as the title caught my eye - Sousa, David, ed. Mind, Brain, & Education: Neuroscience Implications for the Classroom. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press, 2010.
I skimmed through chapter 3 by Judy Willis on "The Current Impact of Neuroscience on Teaching and Learning" and found many ideas that we could implement in our teaching - having instruction that provides incremental achievable challenges, using humor instead of sarcasm, lowering the fear students have of making mistakes in front of their peers, giving feedback and assessing progress more often, keeping the students interacting, setting a stage that is more positive, letting students know that they can improve their intelligence by practice with difficult materials and reviewing, etc.
Discoveries:
1) Similar to the challenge and achievement one experiences playing computer games, learning can be designed to include "incremental, achievalbe challenges in the classroom, at the appropriate level for students' abilities." (48)
2) Negative emotions negatively effect learning because less endorphins are produced
I skimmed through chapter 3 by Judy Willis on "The Current Impact of Neuroscience on Teaching and Learning" and found many ideas that we could implement in our teaching - having instruction that provides incremental achievable challenges, using humor instead of sarcasm, lowering the fear students have of making mistakes in front of their peers, giving feedback and assessing progress more often, keeping the students interacting, setting a stage that is more positive, letting students know that they can improve their intelligence by practice with difficult materials and reviewing, etc.
Discoveries:
1) Similar to the challenge and achievement one experiences playing computer games, learning can be designed to include "incremental, achievalbe challenges in the classroom, at the appropriate level for students' abilities." (48)
2) Negative emotions negatively effect learning because less endorphins are produced
Monday, July 11, 2011
"Listening to Student Voices"
Michael Stephens in his Office Hours section wrote the above titled article in Library Journal 6/15/11 about student impressions of research and library services. I believe that I do address some of the issues when I talk in my instruction sessions about librarians being here to help students do research (i.e. students don't understand what librarians do), or students need to understand research process and not just resources, (I discuss Kuhlthau's ISP model and the Berry -Picking model of information search in that research is a journey that leads you to different sources on a questioning path), or the idea students have that "research and finding information on the website "should be obvious," (i.e. I use analogy of how using a database is similar to learning to drive a stick shift and that you can then drive anything from a race car to a dump truck).
Teaching Ideas
1) Do a Q&A library session - consider this in order to "'focus on things we want to talk about,' not just on how to search."
2) Keep introducing student to the process of research via the PowerPoint, as per Stephens who reflects a recent MacArthur Foundation funded report "we need to move from source-focused to research process-based instruction." Per this report/study "Can We Handle the Truth?" “We believe library instruction could benefit from some serious rethinking and re-examination. We recommend modifying sessions (in-class and reference encounters) so they emphasize...framing a successful research process...over research-finding of sources.” (p. 39)
3) I want to also keep explaining to students what it means to be a librarian and how you are a research expert that enjoys helping students, as opposed to a library worker who may have their own knowledge as they love books, but they don't necessarily have the research specialization.
Teaching Ideas
1) Do a Q&A library session - consider this in order to "'focus on things we want to talk about,' not just on how to search."
2) Keep introducing student to the process of research via the PowerPoint, as per Stephens who reflects a recent MacArthur Foundation funded report "we need to move from source-focused to research process-based instruction." Per this report/study "Can We Handle the Truth?" “We believe library instruction could benefit from some serious rethinking and re-examination. We recommend modifying sessions (in-class and reference encounters) so they emphasize...framing a successful research process...over research-finding of sources.” (p. 39)
3) I want to also keep explaining to students what it means to be a librarian and how you are a research expert that enjoys helping students, as opposed to a library worker who may have their own knowledge as they love books, but they don't necessarily have the research specialization.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Learner-Centered Teaching - Ideas for my instruction
7/6/11, I am starting to read - "Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice" by Maryellen Weimer from 2002.
Book Outline
1) How she came to write the book
2) Five key areas in need of instructional change to become learner-centered: a) balance of power, b) function of content, c) role of teacher, d) responsibility for learning, and e) purpose and processes of evaluation.
3) Implementation details
Key points and ideas (I will update this post periodically as I read)
Learner-centered focus rather than a student-centered one (student as customer). Focus is on learning: 1) what student is learning, 2) how student is learning, 3) contditions under which student is learning, and 4) how current learning positions student for future learning. (xvi)
Focus is on what student is doing and not on what teacher is doing (xvi)
Deep learning is defined as when student "focused on what the author meant, related new information to what they already knew and had experience, worked to organize and structure the content, and saw teh reading as an important source of learning." (11) To get to this deeper learning then the focus must be on facilitating a "qualitative change in a person's way of seeing or understanding something in the real world." The teacher must understand the current student knowledge base and existing conceptions to "design instructio nthat changes those conceptions." (11)
Book Outline
1) How she came to write the book
2) Five key areas in need of instructional change to become learner-centered: a) balance of power, b) function of content, c) role of teacher, d) responsibility for learning, and e) purpose and processes of evaluation.
3) Implementation details
Key points and ideas (I will update this post periodically as I read)
Learner-centered focus rather than a student-centered one (student as customer). Focus is on learning: 1) what student is learning, 2) how student is learning, 3) contditions under which student is learning, and 4) how current learning positions student for future learning. (xvi)
Focus is on what student is doing and not on what teacher is doing (xvi)
Deep learning is defined as when student "focused on what the author meant, related new information to what they already knew and had experience, worked to organize and structure the content, and saw teh reading as an important source of learning." (11) To get to this deeper learning then the focus must be on facilitating a "qualitative change in a person's way of seeing or understanding something in the real world." The teacher must understand the current student knowledge base and existing conceptions to "design instructio nthat changes those conceptions." (11)
"Reference Hunt" with Newman
HIS 152, July 5th 7-9:30 with Chris Newman
FORMAT
Ice Breaker Questions
Research & Resources
PowerPoint
Demonstrations - OPAC, Credo Reference, Academic Search Premier, ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Speech Copying
Research Scavenger Hunt
I had taught this class before, so I had already made up a sheet for the scavenger hunt activity. However, up until 2 hours before I wasn't actually sure I would do the scavenger hunt. However, in the end it was really fun (I think) and it did get the students to dive into using library resources and critically evaluating websites that may have just as good of information. The class was quite long since they had to report back on their research experience; however some time was saved with my copying the nine speeches that are a part of his speech analysis assignment. So, the class served to introduce them to research through the "reference hunt" and through my demonstration of the four databases that could be used for their speech topic. It was quite a bit to accomplish, but a novelty to have so much time as well.
To Improve - Potentially think of more examples for the research process slide, i.e. Lynn uses going on a trip to the Caribean. Also, perhaps something besides the stick shift analogy, though this is still workable, though many don't learn how to drive one anymore. . . Also, during the presentations potentially add how you could better evaluate the sources they found online, or if they had troubles finding in reference book show them how, or potentially look at how they searched on Credo reference, as some folks didn't seem to have good results in their searching and it would be could to address this if we only had time.
Grade 9, as good overall excepting that at first the students weren't interacting with me as much as I would have liked. I also was happy with the PowerPoint slide and the way I saved time by copying the speeches for the students. (See if these are on the MasterFILE Premier database the next time around or use the pdf that is saved on the wiki to avoid using that 20 minutes to copy. . . Reuse Newman's explanation of "primary resources" - if you are experiencing something firsthand then it is primary; however if you are hearing about it from someone who was there then it is secondary.
I was thinking I'd get to leave by 8:30, but since I like Newman and want to connect with students as much as possible I decided to stay until the presentations were over, which meant an hour later than I had planned. . .
FORMAT
Ice Breaker Questions
Research & Resources
PowerPoint
Demonstrations - OPAC, Credo Reference, Academic Search Premier, ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Speech Copying
Research Scavenger Hunt
I had taught this class before, so I had already made up a sheet for the scavenger hunt activity. However, up until 2 hours before I wasn't actually sure I would do the scavenger hunt. However, in the end it was really fun (I think) and it did get the students to dive into using library resources and critically evaluating websites that may have just as good of information. The class was quite long since they had to report back on their research experience; however some time was saved with my copying the nine speeches that are a part of his speech analysis assignment. So, the class served to introduce them to research through the "reference hunt" and through my demonstration of the four databases that could be used for their speech topic. It was quite a bit to accomplish, but a novelty to have so much time as well.
To Improve - Potentially think of more examples for the research process slide, i.e. Lynn uses going on a trip to the Caribean. Also, perhaps something besides the stick shift analogy, though this is still workable, though many don't learn how to drive one anymore. . . Also, during the presentations potentially add how you could better evaluate the sources they found online, or if they had troubles finding in reference book show them how, or potentially look at how they searched on Credo reference, as some folks didn't seem to have good results in their searching and it would be could to address this if we only had time.
Grade 9, as good overall excepting that at first the students weren't interacting with me as much as I would have liked. I also was happy with the PowerPoint slide and the way I saved time by copying the speeches for the students. (See if these are on the MasterFILE Premier database the next time around or use the pdf that is saved on the wiki to avoid using that 20 minutes to copy. . . Reuse Newman's explanation of "primary resources" - if you are experiencing something firsthand then it is primary; however if you are hearing about it from someone who was there then it is secondary.
I was thinking I'd get to leave by 8:30, but since I like Newman and want to connect with students as much as possible I decided to stay until the presentations were over, which meant an hour later than I had planned. . .
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