Ask-Dr-Kirk

TAKING BACK THE CLASSROOM

For even more tips on teaching and classroom management, check out my book, Taking Back the Classroom: Tips for the College Professor on how to be a More Effective Teacher.  You can order now through Amazon, or Barnes & Noble College Bookstores.

Quote Of The Day

Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants...John W. Gardner

Use Peer Instruction Rather Than Lectures

Here's an interesting article that supports moving away from the lecture method in teaching. Dr. Eric Mazur (Harvard University) advocates using "peer instruction" to get the students thinking and talking about a concept. The key, according to Mazur, is to get the students to read the book chapters or articles before coming to class. The point then of the class time is to make sense of the information they've read by encouraging questions and discussion. He now successfully uses this technique in all his physics classes.

 

Rubrics For Grading Student Presentations

Here are two rubrics you can tweak and use to grade student presentations.  These are in word format instead of PDF so you can change as needed.

Download presentation_rubric_1.doc (Developed by Information Technology Evaluation Services, NC Department of Public Instruction)

Download presentation_rubric_2.doc (Source: Center for 21st Century Teaching Excellence, University of South Florida)  This one grades both presentation delivery and powerpoint visuals.

What Is SOPA? And Why Should I Care?

Anyone who doubts the power of social media hasn't been following the SOPA controversy this week. SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act and it, along with related legislation, PIPA, has been a hot topic of discussion on the internet. I was trying to explain the issue to one of my students and found these resources.

Clay Shirky, author of Here Come Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, does an excellent job of explaining the history behind this move to pass the SOPA legislation and how it affects the public in this Ted Talk video.

 Wikipedia, Google, Wordpress, Craigslist, and many other sites made a statement on Wednesday, January 18, by blacking out their homepages or even their entire website, making these unavailable to the public.

The National Post did a Q&A on why this is an issue and why Facebook and Twitter decided not to participate in the blackout.

Jeff Ogden (@fearlesscomp) tweeted me this analogy: "The patient is very sick. But Congress wants medicine that will not only kill the patient, but lots of others too.

Ike Pigott (@ikepigott) explained it this way: "Those against SOPA are not "pro-piracy." They just believe there are better ways to kill crabgrass than Agent Orange."

Kirk Tuck (photographer) presents the opposite point of view as an artist.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on the issue.

Amazing Use Of Dancers As Visual Aid Rather Than Powerpoint

John Bohannon uses dancers instead of powerpoint to discuss scientific topics and advocates that we all be more creative in our visual aids. Great thing to think about as we begin a new semester of teaching.

 

Classroom Management Issue: Cell Phones

 Dear Dr. Kirk,

My students think that I am just in another generation because I don't think they should be checking messages on their cellphones during class. Do you have any advice on this matter?

Dear Past Generation,

I tell my students that I am teaching them how to be successful in the work world. Their boss is not going to allow them to check for personal phone messages during a business meeting with a client. Thus, I tell them I expect that they come to class on time, turn off their cellphones, etc.  Checking cellphones during class is rude and disrespectful to both me and their fellow classmates.  I put all this on my syllabus and discuss it and why the first day of class. I bring my cellphone to class the first few classes and make an issue of showing them that I turn off my own phone during class.  I also tell them that if they anticipate an emergency call, they should tell me ahead of time (just as they would tell their boss) and put on vibrate.

Here and here are ways other professors have handled this issue.  Also, check out this video on how this teacher handles cellphone ringing during class (I have to think it was staged but I’m sure it got the students’ attention!) 

Just be sure to be consistent in how you handle any student that breaks your policy. I find using humor works for me:

        <Student phone rings>

Me: Stop lecture. Look at student. Say, "That better be for me!" Smile. 

Class: Laughs. Student looks sheepish and turns off phone.

And we then go right back to lecture or whatever doing in class.

If it's just a matter of them texting or checking messages, I'll go by the student's desk and quietly tell them to put the phone away during class. Or you might catch them after class and remind them what the policy is on the syllabus.

Anyone else out there have suggestions on cell phone usage in class?

Coffee And A New Semester

 

 

        

 

 

 

Today is the first day of classes at my university. Seemed like a good time to share tips here and here on making a perfect cup of coffee. Have a great semester everyone!

 

Quote Of The Day

 

A professor is someone who talks

in someone else's sleep.

Ten Tips For New College Teachers On That Crucial First Day Of Class

Each new semester as I walk down the hallway to my classroom, I am a little nervous, even after 30 years of teaching experience…and I’m okay with this. I think when I get to the point where I don’t feel this anxiety, I won’t be as effective a teacher. After all, I will be walking into that classroom for the next four months and it’s important to make a good first impression. Below are 10 tips to help you get off to a great start.

1. Develop your own routine before going to class. Take a short brisk walk beforehand. Twirl your wrists to gently shake the stress out of your arms. Relax your shoulders; people tend to “hunch up” their shoulders when tense. Do some deep breathing.

2. Check out your classroom before the students get there. Walk around and get familiar with the room, podium, how the seats are arranged, etc. Make sure you know how to work any technology you’ll be using.

3. The first few minutes are crucial. Your students are curious about you and the course. Everything (how you dress, walk, present yourself) are clues as to your personality and credibility. Walk briskly and with purpose into the classroom.

4. Chat briefly with the students as they come into the room to make yourself (and the students) feel more comfortable.

5. Act confident and enthusiastic about what you will be doing that first day. Don’t say that you are nervous as this makes the students uncomfortable and you will lose credibility with them.

6. Also, it’s best not to tell your students that this is the first time (if it is) that you have taught this particular course. You should know more about the topic than they do so they’ll assume you’re an expert.

7. Use notecards or form to gather information about your students (name, email address, past class experience with the topic, work experience, etc). This takes the focus off you and onto the task which gives you time to get comfortable.

8. As you begin, make eye contact with two or three people in various parts of the room. Learn their names and use them several times. You are essentially beginning to build a relationship with your students.

9. Be enthusiastic about being in the classroom so that they will be also. Don’t just stand behind the podium but move around and move toward them. Look happy to be sharing your knowledge with them.

10. Start with something that is easy for you to talk about. Tell a story you’ve told often before, read something that is relevant to the class from the newspaper, share something from your days as a student or talk to them about why you went into teaching. Above all, picture yourself doing an excellent job. It’s going to be a great first day of class!

Source:  Kirk, Delaney J. (2009). 10 Tips for Dealing with Nervousness the First Day of Class. Faculty Focus, Magna Publications.

 

Quote Of The Day

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right...Oprah Winfrey

Amazing Use Of iPads To Teach Music In The Classroom

Check out this video on how this company is helping schools teach music with iPads. I'm wanting an iPad myself now!

Emotionally Intelligent Signage For The Classroom?

 

Got this from Jeff Russell on Twitter (not sure of the origin but I had to laugh!)

Merry Christmas From The Cat!

 

"I better be getting lots of Christmas presents!"

 Photo of Ti taken by James M. Maher.

Should Teachers Use Humor In The Classroom?

I'm reading this post, Should Textbooks and Teachers Be Funnier? I would agree that humor is useful in the classroom as long as it is relevant to the topic being taught and the teacher is comfortable with using humor. Humor does seem to make the classroom environment more relaxed.

 

Related posts and articles:

Using Humor in the Classroom

Using Humor in The College Classroom to Enhance Teaching Effectiveness  in "Dread Courses"

Bringing Life to Online Instruction With Humor

A Humorous Look At The Challenge Of Being Inclusive

 

 

Thought I would share this just for fun...Just goes to show how difficult a manager's job can be...Download Hr-plans-a-holiday-party-1

How To Read A Student Evaluation Of Your Teaching

I'm reading this article by Professor David D. Perlmutter (University of Iowa) on How To Read A Student Evaluation. He has lots of useful advice on how to use the feedback you get.

 

Related posts:

Evaluating your teaching

Does moving to an online evaluation system affect your teaching evals?

And...Interpreting those teaching evaluations (A little humor to make reading these more fun...)

 

Don't Try These At Home: The Worst Internet Passwords In 2011

We all struggle with what to use as a password and if you're like me, you have three or four as your "go to" passwords for many internet sites. Here's an article that lists common passwords used that thus are easy for hackers to access. The list includes: password, 123456, letmein, and trustno1. If you're using any of these, you might want to change these today.

 

Free Online Language Classes

Check out these free online classes to learn a new language (Spanish, Chinese, Italian, French...and more)

 

Tips For Students On Using Google Search More Effectively

According to a recent study on student research skills, 75 percent of students do not know how to do a well-defined online search of a given research topic. You might want to share this site with lots of tips on using Google search more effectively. 

18 Educational Apps For Your Smart Phone

Check out these apps for your smart phone including a free app to Ted Talks, Evernote's notetaking app, and an interactive grammar app with over 1800 questions to test your skills.