One area of grading that I struggle with is group work. I personally have been assiged to a group and there were several members that left the rest of us do the work and they hung on for the ride. Fortunately, in one particular case, the professor caught this and graded accordingly. In other instances, if the group project did not meet standards, the entire group suffered even though some did their part and others did not.
I understand the importance of group work but believe it poses the most problems for grading. As an instructor you have to be very observant when the group presents or observe when the group has time to work during class.
On the other hand, I have been part of a group that totally jelled and put together a great project. There definitely are two sides of the coin on this topic.
The other point I would like to make is regarding correcting papers. I found it very helpful when one of my instuctors would return the paper for modification electronically and included specific notes regarding what the problem was. This was very beneficial for me to see what I had done incorrectly and learned while making the corrections.
The last topic for my blog is plagarism. I understand this fully, however, I believe that it is the easiest to make a mistake on without being intentional. There are those that just plain and simply copy but I find this is one area I struggle with as a student. I tend to get things put together and inadvertently miss one of my sources. Thankfully, I have had the ability to rectify the situation when I have missed a source but clearly understand that is not always the case.
This would be a challenging area for me as an instructor. I believe I would talk to the student and get an sense if they were intentional about copying work or if they genuinely missed it. The object of teaching is student learning and how are we helping them learn and develop if we do not have conversations with them about topics such as this.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Blog 3
I personally struggle with completing the readings for any class I am enrolled in. My perception is that a majority of students may have some of the same issues with time management. I think the author pointed out some great tips to help get students engaged in the readings, however, it is ultimately up to the student to get this accomplished.
Discussions can be a great way to get students involved. One thing that I have become very aware of is how individuals process things. We have had a number of workshops and seminars on learning styles and how individuals process questions. I tend to reply very quickly to a question and struggle as a facilitator with the time frame some individuals require to process the question and compile their response. I truly believe that this could lead to some individuals not participating in class as the discussion moves to quickly for them. By the time they internalize the question and prepare to answer, the discussion may have already moved on to another topic and they can feel that it is to late to provide their input or answer.
Another concept facilitators or instructors may struggle with is emotional reactions and conflict that may arise from that. An instructor should be equipped with a set of tools to assist with these types of situations. It would be a hard skill to learn but I believe is imperative to the success of a discussion.
I think an instructor can be setting themselves up by leading a discussion with a question. You run the risk that there will not be a response and the discussion will not progress.
Notetaking can be a challenge for students. I am one of those that tries to take down every word and can get frustrated when things move quickly.
A solution may be to offer through one of the tutoring program a course on note taking and time management for those struggling with accomplishing reading or missing information from notes.
Very interesting readings for this week.
Discussions can be a great way to get students involved. One thing that I have become very aware of is how individuals process things. We have had a number of workshops and seminars on learning styles and how individuals process questions. I tend to reply very quickly to a question and struggle as a facilitator with the time frame some individuals require to process the question and compile their response. I truly believe that this could lead to some individuals not participating in class as the discussion moves to quickly for them. By the time they internalize the question and prepare to answer, the discussion may have already moved on to another topic and they can feel that it is to late to provide their input or answer.
Another concept facilitators or instructors may struggle with is emotional reactions and conflict that may arise from that. An instructor should be equipped with a set of tools to assist with these types of situations. It would be a hard skill to learn but I believe is imperative to the success of a discussion.
I think an instructor can be setting themselves up by leading a discussion with a question. You run the risk that there will not be a response and the discussion will not progress.
Notetaking can be a challenge for students. I am one of those that tries to take down every word and can get frustrated when things move quickly.
A solution may be to offer through one of the tutoring program a course on note taking and time management for those struggling with accomplishing reading or missing information from notes.
Very interesting readings for this week.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Blog 2
This chapter helped me to clarify how to put a class or session together. I am applying to using this information as I work with Leadership programs with my job. I currently do not teach a class but am very involved with these programs. The information outlined in this chapter is very beneficial in planning my weekly meetings with each group.
I now understand the importance of developing goals, which drives the lesson plan which in turn drives the format for the class.
I generally do not use a power point for these programs. I find it most beneficial to discuss the progress of the project on each day and outline the expectations and goals for the next week.
Starting a meeting or class on time is very important to me and I will generally set the start time for my portion of the program with an odd time such as 3:28 p.m. Students tend to remember an odd time versus the usual on and off the hour.
Each session we tend to problem solve areas that the students are struggling with. This offers all participants, not just the committee assigned to the specific area, to provide input.
The information in the first chapter helped to clarify the specifics for each program.
Chapter 4
When I facilitate a discussion with students in a program or students I supervise, I place a requirement that each student must share at the meeting. It really helps the introverts to plan ahead and know the expectation is there that they will be required to share at the meeting.
This has been very successful for me. It also helps to engage students that tend to sit back and let those that continually express their opinion to have some quiet time.
Chaper 6
The information in this chapter was new information for me. My position at NDSU involves event planning and affords me the opportunity to work with groups to plan events where they have guest speakers and many other events. The author did a great job in outlining this in the text.
As part of my assessment of the programs and meetings, I provide the students with various types of assessments to provide feedback to me about how I communicate with them, how the program is going and any other comments they may want to make. This has been successful with the programs.
I enjoy the text and how it outlines each specific area. It is easy to take the information and utilize it in facilitating a program versus actual classroom.
I now understand the importance of developing goals, which drives the lesson plan which in turn drives the format for the class.
I generally do not use a power point for these programs. I find it most beneficial to discuss the progress of the project on each day and outline the expectations and goals for the next week.
Starting a meeting or class on time is very important to me and I will generally set the start time for my portion of the program with an odd time such as 3:28 p.m. Students tend to remember an odd time versus the usual on and off the hour.
Each session we tend to problem solve areas that the students are struggling with. This offers all participants, not just the committee assigned to the specific area, to provide input.
The information in the first chapter helped to clarify the specifics for each program.
Chapter 4
When I facilitate a discussion with students in a program or students I supervise, I place a requirement that each student must share at the meeting. It really helps the introverts to plan ahead and know the expectation is there that they will be required to share at the meeting.
This has been very successful for me. It also helps to engage students that tend to sit back and let those that continually express their opinion to have some quiet time.
Chaper 6
The information in this chapter was new information for me. My position at NDSU involves event planning and affords me the opportunity to work with groups to plan events where they have guest speakers and many other events. The author did a great job in outlining this in the text.
As part of my assessment of the programs and meetings, I provide the students with various types of assessments to provide feedback to me about how I communicate with them, how the program is going and any other comments they may want to make. This has been successful with the programs.
I enjoy the text and how it outlines each specific area. It is easy to take the information and utilize it in facilitating a program versus actual classroom.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Blog 1
Chapter 2 - First Day
I found the information to be a great review of expectations and some very helpful tools in preparing for the first day.
The information under "Your Gender" and "Your Race and Culture" provided some great insight about student behavior. It is very helpful to know which students are less likely to speak up in class as well as how some students aim to intimidate teachers. If you take this information and apply it, you are well equipped to head off potential pitfalls as a new teacher.
As a professional in the Student Affairs Division, we are well equipped with ice breakers and grouop activities. We utilize these on a regular basis with student employees and staff.
Teaching Tips
The timeline provided was very beneficial and a great guide to someone who currently is not a teacher.
I like the University of New York at Buffalo acronym for syllabus construction. It is easy to remember and creates a clear guide to use in creating a syllabus.
I found the information to be a great review of expectations and some very helpful tools in preparing for the first day.
The information under "Your Gender" and "Your Race and Culture" provided some great insight about student behavior. It is very helpful to know which students are less likely to speak up in class as well as how some students aim to intimidate teachers. If you take this information and apply it, you are well equipped to head off potential pitfalls as a new teacher.
As a professional in the Student Affairs Division, we are well equipped with ice breakers and grouop activities. We utilize these on a regular basis with student employees and staff.
Teaching Tips
The timeline provided was very beneficial and a great guide to someone who currently is not a teacher.
I like the University of New York at Buffalo acronym for syllabus construction. It is easy to remember and creates a clear guide to use in creating a syllabus.
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