Thoughts, Theory, and Reflection on Graduate Student Teaching
Hi all a great new book that maybe of interest to you:
Four-Dimensional Education: The Competencies Learners Need to Succeed –
See more at: http://curriculumredesign.org/our-work/four-dimensional-21st-century-education-learning-competencies-future-2030/#sthash.1Xqv8YpK.dpuf
We sent out a google form to participants when we sent out our welcome email. The google form consisted of: a) their names; b) preferred phone number; and c) best availability for phone call.
Now that I am fully aware of this blog, I will share my next-time ideas! There is so much we can learn from our co-facilitators. We should also all together make a commitment to revive and update the lesson plan library.
I found this icebreaker helped to create a supportive atmosphere/safe space for the participants!
Materials needed:
1. ball of (colourful) strings
2. a list of numbered questions (2 per person), cut into slips of paper and randomly taped under chairs
I asked that the participants answer each question in their numbered succession. The first person answers their question then tosses the ball of string to the person with question #2, while holding onto the end of a string. With two questions per person, this activity creates a web of connections.
I use this web that we create as an analogy to the supportive presence that we are to one another in our small group and as a reminder that we are all in this learning process together.
Try it out 🙂 kind of corny, but It was a lot of fun!
Make sure to check that participants have enough memory on their smartphones/tablets if you are using it for recording.
We created a new Dot-Mocracy Theme Session and it was extremely popular with the group: Classroom Climate and Student/Teacher Rapport
Learning Objectives were 1) Define classroom climate and identify 3 factors that influences classroom climate, and 2) Develop several strategies to create and maintain rapport with students.
The online components included basic definition and two scenarios of poorly handled classroom conflicts reported by real instructors. The participants were asked to select a scenario and to reflect on their own learning experience with respect to student-teacher rapport.
The in-class activities were scenario-based discussions for potential prevention and managing strategies. This was followed by gallery walk – the online contents were the prompts for this activity. (How can these strategies be incorporated into your own teaching practice? What are some potential pitfalls with this strategy that should be avoided?/Put checkmarks beside comments you agree with, and add further comments to either build or disagree with what has been said already).
The participants really enjoyed the “silent” gallery walk.