Several recent posts on the SPCS Pedagogy CoP list have pointed toward recent research findings in cognitive science that tell us more about the way students learn — and therefore have direct impact on the way we teach. Here are three examples. The Spacing Effect Mike Dixon’s daughter challenged him to present evidence that regular reviewing […]
Shared Resources
Inclusive and Open Pedagogies
Educause Review recently published three blog posts on inclusive & open pedagogies written by Amanda McAndrew, Caroline Sinkinson, and Deborah Keyek-Franssen of the University of Colorado. Together, these blogs explore the intersections of inclusive and open practices to inspire conversation about how we might use these pedagogies to enhance learning opportunities and experiences at our institutions. […]
Pedagogy, Andragogy, and Now Heutagogy
Ray Schroeder, founding director of the UPCEA National Council for Online Education, introduced a new term to me in this post: heutagogy. First, he distinguishes andragogy (the teaching of adults) from pedagogy (the teaching of children) using Malcolm Knowles’ four principles of adult learning theory: Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation […]
Experiential Learning – Thinking (and Doing) Outside of the Box
Lectures have long been a staple of the college experience. Chances are, as we think about our own time as a student, we may be reminded of those long, clock-watching classes in which we spent as much time counting the ceiling tiles as we did listening to the professor. Times haven’t changed all that […]
How to Create A Syllabus: A Chronicle of Higher Education Advice Guide
If you subscribe to the Chronicle of Higher Education‘s daily Academe Today daily news summary, you may have seen that the lead article in the September 13 edition was How to Create a Syllabus — A New Chronicle Guide. It’s a lengthy and thorough guide to the art and science of crafting a meaningful syllabus […]
First Impressions: Activities for the First Day of Class
Betty Anne Buirs, who teaches English at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia, offers several activities for the first day of class in this piece from Magna Publications titled First Impressions: Activities for the First Day of Class. Her article gets me thinking about what your favorite first-day-of-class activity might be. My go-to activity is […]
How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Teaching
You may have seen this article, How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Teaching, in the Chronicle of Higher Education. While the article itself offers a controversial conclusion, the influence of AI on teaching at UR is worth considering. We’re not likely to see large-scale AI solutions deployed as described in this article for large lecture sessions — […]
Spontaneous Paraphrase Exercise
Professor Porcher Taylor, chair of the Paralegal Studies program, shared this exercise that he uses with students in his classes to help them improve their paraphrasing and summarizing skills. Summary is an especially challenging concept, since it requires evaluation of what’s most and least important in order to eliminate superfluous detail and identify (and describe) […]
How to Help Adult Students Succeed
A recent opinion penned by Darcy Richardson, Director of Continuing Education at EdPlus at Arizona State University, identifies the primary reason that adult students enroll in higher education coursework — to “help address gaps between their educational attainment and the demands of their jobs in the face of technological advancements and evolving roles and responsibilities.” […]
3 Ways to Instill Lifelong Digital Learning Skills in Students
While focused primarily on building K-12 educational experiences, this brief article from The Tech Edvocate offers three ways “that the education and edtech community can foster this spirit of continued digital learning while children are still in classrooms.” Teach basic tech literacy. Cultivate a “learning for learning’s sake” atmosphere. Offer accelerated learning. These ideas are […]