If … there be kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again. ~ Etienne Grellet
This post is narrowly focused on my Social Problems course, which I revamped substantially last year in the face of COVID to provide students with more examples of social problems being ameliorated, something we did via service learning pre-COVID that wasn’t possible now. During a time of continual crisis, I found that my students benefited... Continue Reading →
Providing information about exams to students helps curb cheating and helps them take responsibility for their performance.
Planning for reality doesn't diminish joy should better times come, but it does make living in this moment easier.
Encourage students to speak to each other, not just to feed you "correct" answers to narrow questions.
Remember that students are often less adept at learning from home than you are at teaching from home.
The US's approach to free speech prioritizes individual expression by the speaker over the safety of the listener. In contrast, in the nations we like to compare ourselves to, free speech is often organized around the harm that speech does to others. This is a major difference, but for those of us who teach in... Continue Reading →
Six weeks ago, my local public school resumed classes. The district decides on a week-by-week basis if students will be fully online, in person 2 days a week and online 3, or fully in person. This also varies by elementary, middle, and high school, so you elementary schools will be hybrid next week while the... Continue Reading →
My least favorite part of online teaching is the possibilities for intellectual freedom and freedom of speech to be curtailed in online classrooms. Online teaching produces a number of records (almost all student interactions, except those conducted by phone or video conference and not recorded) that can be reviewed, and faculty have little control over... Continue Reading →
Regular readers of this blog know that I'm a fan of the possibilities for online teaching and learning--but I also recognize that different disciplines face very different barriers in creating successful online courses. In particular, science labs, theater classes, studio arts, and other classes that require physical engagement with tools can be a challenge.Today I... Continue Reading →
Thirty-seven percent of faculty are over age 55. The fact that so many faculty members can shop at their grocery store during hours restricted to those at high risk of serious illness from COVID means that campuses need to prepare now for faculty who use sick leave. Others will be using the Family First portion... Continue Reading →