We found 109 results that contain "mindfulness"
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Keeping Identity In Mind: A Teaching and Learning Story
This playlist walks educators through a journey in thinking about their identity, student identity, classroom environments, inclusion, oppression, and more and asks them to critically engage and reflect in their practice.
It offers countless recommendations and strategies for being critically -minded in their pedagogy.
It offers countless recommendations and strategies for being critically -minded in their pedagogy.
DISCIPLINARY CONTENT
Posted on: Teaching Toolkit Ta...
Using Mind Maps for Learning
Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash
What Are Mind Maps?
Mind maps are visual representations of concepts. They begin with the main idea or topic in the middle. Then key words or images radiate outward to increasingly specific examples or tangent ideas.
Why Are Mind Maps Useful?
Mind maps aid retention and recall. Multiple works discuss the importance of linking new material to existing information to retain and later recall the new material. Since mind maps are personalized and encourage multiple connections, they assist with this process.
Mind maps also help with higher-order processing. Students can apply key concepts by providing examples, usually at the end of branches. They can analyze and summarize key points. Creating an idea web requires reducing information to a few key words or images. When you trace a branch from the center outward you can reduce a broad topic to a concrete and specific example. Linking branch concepts succinctly ties together elements.
Students can use mind maps to assemble and create essays. The activity of making multiple connections between similarly themed concepts can suggest different orders for papers and help smooth transitions. Mind maps can also demonstrate areas where more detail is needed or where a student may have a particular interest worth exploring. Thus, idea webs can be used in the brainstorming or revision stages of writing.
Potential Mind Map Challenges
Some students may have little experience with idea webs. You must take the time to introduce how to create them. Introducing the context, why mind maps are useful, is also important
Mind maps can be highly personal. Acclimating students to mind maps by describing how they can be created and why they are important is not the only challenge in implementing them in a classroom. Without similar prior knowledge or experiences certain connections may not make sense to other individuals. For this reason I have found it more useful to have students create their own maps rather than lead a discussion around one already created.
Students may feel uncomfortable with the nonlinear nature of how ideas are presented.. Students may prefer static, limited connections when learning new material. While idea webs ultimately help create order between concepts by demonstrating the links, the free-flow nature can sometimes overwhelm. Reminding students how to read mind maps, from the inside outward, can help. Repeated exposure to idea webs also helps build familiarity, leading to more comfort with their use. Of course, not all tools work for all students.
Many students will benefit from the fact that mind maps present material and connections visually. Mind maps foster connections between concepts and new and learned content. These links can assist with retention and in developing high-order learning.
What Are Mind Maps?
Mind maps are visual representations of concepts. They begin with the main idea or topic in the middle. Then key words or images radiate outward to increasingly specific examples or tangent ideas.
Why Are Mind Maps Useful?
Mind maps aid retention and recall. Multiple works discuss the importance of linking new material to existing information to retain and later recall the new material. Since mind maps are personalized and encourage multiple connections, they assist with this process.
Mind maps also help with higher-order processing. Students can apply key concepts by providing examples, usually at the end of branches. They can analyze and summarize key points. Creating an idea web requires reducing information to a few key words or images. When you trace a branch from the center outward you can reduce a broad topic to a concrete and specific example. Linking branch concepts succinctly ties together elements.
Students can use mind maps to assemble and create essays. The activity of making multiple connections between similarly themed concepts can suggest different orders for papers and help smooth transitions. Mind maps can also demonstrate areas where more detail is needed or where a student may have a particular interest worth exploring. Thus, idea webs can be used in the brainstorming or revision stages of writing.
Potential Mind Map Challenges
Some students may have little experience with idea webs. You must take the time to introduce how to create them. Introducing the context, why mind maps are useful, is also important
Mind maps can be highly personal. Acclimating students to mind maps by describing how they can be created and why they are important is not the only challenge in implementing them in a classroom. Without similar prior knowledge or experiences certain connections may not make sense to other individuals. For this reason I have found it more useful to have students create their own maps rather than lead a discussion around one already created.
Students may feel uncomfortable with the nonlinear nature of how ideas are presented.. Students may prefer static, limited connections when learning new material. While idea webs ultimately help create order between concepts by demonstrating the links, the free-flow nature can sometimes overwhelm. Reminding students how to read mind maps, from the inside outward, can help. Repeated exposure to idea webs also helps build familiarity, leading to more comfort with their use. Of course, not all tools work for all students.
Many students will benefit from the fact that mind maps present material and connections visually. Mind maps foster connections between concepts and new and learned content. These links can assist with retention and in developing high-order learning.
Authored by: Danielle Kaminski
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Mind[set] over Matter: Lessons Learned During Uncertain Times
Topic Area: Information Session
Presented by: Mary Beth Heeder, Stefanie Baier, Hima Rawal
Abstract:
Imagine a picture of instructor best practices that could lead us out of a pandemic; it might include stories about time, trust, giving, caring, listening… and mindset. As we look at the picture, we see that mindset stands out. Because student mindset is so powerful, some faculty make it an integral part of their instruction. The importance of educator mindset, however, is often overlooked. Carol Dweck, the author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, has found that teachers’ mindsets about their students’ abilities and themselves affect student achievement. During this workshop, we will share stories that suggest a blueprint to inspire mindsets that allow for teaching with kindness, generosity, care and concern for all students. Central to the blueprint are the interconnected relationships with ourselves and our students. Attendees will 1) learn about current mindset research; 2) explore the impact their mindsets have on their work/life; and 3) share practices that can help faculty and staff reshape their mindsets and consequently their students’ mindsets. Participants will walk away with tools and stories they can use to shape a hopeful, compassionate learning environment that supports student success and offers a second wind. Pema Chödrön, a Buddhist teacher, reminds us that we have some control during this surreal experience. “We can let the circumstances of our own lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us and make us kinder and more open to what scares us. We always have a choice.”
Session Resources:
Mindset over Matter Final 4.28.21_Marybeth Heeder.pdf
Resources from Workshop
Presented by: Mary Beth Heeder, Stefanie Baier, Hima Rawal
Abstract:
Imagine a picture of instructor best practices that could lead us out of a pandemic; it might include stories about time, trust, giving, caring, listening… and mindset. As we look at the picture, we see that mindset stands out. Because student mindset is so powerful, some faculty make it an integral part of their instruction. The importance of educator mindset, however, is often overlooked. Carol Dweck, the author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, has found that teachers’ mindsets about their students’ abilities and themselves affect student achievement. During this workshop, we will share stories that suggest a blueprint to inspire mindsets that allow for teaching with kindness, generosity, care and concern for all students. Central to the blueprint are the interconnected relationships with ourselves and our students. Attendees will 1) learn about current mindset research; 2) explore the impact their mindsets have on their work/life; and 3) share practices that can help faculty and staff reshape their mindsets and consequently their students’ mindsets. Participants will walk away with tools and stories they can use to shape a hopeful, compassionate learning environment that supports student success and offers a second wind. Pema Chödrön, a Buddhist teacher, reminds us that we have some control during this surreal experience. “We can let the circumstances of our own lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us and make us kinder and more open to what scares us. We always have a choice.”
Session Resources:
Mindset over Matter Final 4.28.21_Marybeth Heeder.pdf
Resources from Workshop
Authored by: Mary Beth Heeder, Stefanie Baier, Hima Rawal
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Teaching to Who and Where Students Are: Being Mindful of Student Identity
In our Spring 2015 blog post, we discussed anti-oppressive classrooms (learning environments where all forms of oppression are actively and intentionally challenged) and the importance of considering instructor identity (specifically that how you employ your identity can empower and/or oppress students). We use the word anti-oppression because it specifically targets unjust treatment in learning environments. We may often think of an example of oppression in the classroom as a blatant act, such as a student using overtly racist language. However, when you think of oppression in the classroom we want you to include subtle forms of oppression in your definition – such as students interrupting one another. We introduced a 4-step process of self-reflection on your identity, which we put forth as necessary to create and maintain anti-oppressive learning environments. For this blog, we want to continue the journey on inclusive, anti-oppressive learning environments, but with a focus on student identities.
Continuing to Teach Inclusively
Let’s begin with a brief thought experiment. Take a second to view the two photos above. Starting with the photo on the left, ask yourself how you view the students in this class? Do you view them as a homogenous group? A diverse group? As a note, we are intentionally not defining these two terms here to enable you to work through this thought experiment using your own conceptualizations of homogenous and diverse. Next, think about how you would teach this class. Would your approach (curriculum, chosen pedagogy, assessment methods, other) to teaching the class on the left differ from your approach to teaching the class pictured on the right?
In this blog, we will think about the reciprocal nature of student identities and classroom learning environments. ? In doing so, we will promote the idea that we must be mindful of all student identities (both that which is visible and that which is not) in order to create and maintain learning environments that are anti-oppressive. For instance, if you view students as homogenous, you may repeatedly use certain teaching methods or make certain assumptions which reinforce systems of power in your classroom (thus creating an oppressive learning environment). But in seeing students as a diverse group, teachers can begin to diversify their assumptions about learning and develop a repertoire of anti-oppressive teaching methods that can optimize the learning of all students.
Why Student Identity is Important: A Conversation with the Data
Does identity in the classroom matter to students? In our conversation with a second year undergraduate female in the sciences at MSU, the answer was overwhelmingly, “yes.” She was able to provide us with a useful perspective, as identity is very rarely an object of study or discussion in the typical science class. As someone who conceptualizes identity as,“Who you see yourself as[…], how you feel about yourself, and where you think you fit in the world,” she told us that identity was rarely overtly talked about in her classes. When asked whether she thought identity mattered in the typical science classroom at MSU, she said, “…no. You’re much more of a number or a student ID to them than you are a person.” However, when asked whether she wished identity was overtly addressed, she replied, “Yes, definitely…I wish that you were able to build relationships and express who you were[…] I feel like when you’re just being talked at, the professor doesn’t understand who you are as a person and they don’t understand where you’re coming from, like what you’re good at, what you’re not good at.” She also reported that she thought identity “most definitely” matters for a life as a scientist and future scholar. As the conversation came to a close, she added that when identity is directly addressed in the classroom, you get to know fellow classmates and the instructor better, and that with increased awareness and understanding of the identities present in the classroom, different viewpoints and experiences were respected, leading to decreased prejudice.
It became clear as we spoke to the student that intentionally addressing identity in the classroom isn’t just an epistemological position that we hold as instructors – students also really want identity to be explicitly addressed and recognized and not be something that is rendered invisible in the classroom.
We learned that purposefully and directly addressing identity in the classroom can:
increase student engagement and improve student performance
build community
accommodate student learning preferences
actively engage all social identity statuses (such as gender, ethnicity, disability, etc.)
and help members of the learning environment overcome prejudice
We found the insight of the student’s perspective on identity to be a pleasant surprise, but we were also astonished by the depth of her insight into how intentionally addressing identity can impact a learning environment, particularly given that she is not asked to think about identity in the classes she describes as typical of her major.
This student’s viewpoint, though one in a student body of over 50,000, also echoes the literature on student identity in the classroom. It has been reported, for instance, that students who had a firm understanding of their identities had higher self-esteem and lower levels of depression (A. Elion, K. Wang, R. Slaney, and B. French, 2012); stronger academic performances, such as higher GPA’s (T. Chavous, D. Hilkene Bernat, K.Schmeelk-Cone, C. Caldwell, L. Kohn-Wood and M. Zimmerman, 2003); and a reduction in negative social attitudes, such as sexism (K. Case, 2007). While these studies showed the benefits of actively engaging student identity in the classroom, they focused on one aspect of identity, such as race. If we commit to developing an anti-oppressive classroom and address all student identities, then imagine how great the potential outcomes could be.
Let’s return to our thought experiment and to the words homogenousand diverse. When we look at the picture on the left, we may think that group of students is homogenous because we view that group as having one identity, such as race (i.e. “All my students are white, therefore they constitute a homogenous group”). Comparatively, if we look at the picture on the right, we may view that group as diverse because we see that group as having different types of one identity, such as race (i.e. “Not all of my students are white, therefore they constitute a diverse group”). However, if we move beyond thinking of identity as representing one aspect of self, but rather all, we will come to realize that all groups of students in every learning environment are necessarily diverse due to the fact that they are made up of infinitely complex individuals, each of whom will differ on at least one individual difference/aspect. Thus, in order to develop anti-oppressive learning environments, we must define concepts like homogeneityand diversity as related to all identities and not one.
Reflecting on Student Identity
Now that we’ve thought about why students’ identities are important in the classroom, we can begin the process of reflecting on students’ identities. To help you start the journey, we provide four questions to engage you in intentional thought towards becoming mindful of your students’ identities. After each question, take time to think about what strategies you could use in your classroom, lab, etc. We offer a couple of potential strategies that could be utilized in developing an anti-oppressive learning environment.
Four Questions to Begin the Journey
(1) Are you aware of all student identity statuses: sex, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, ability, religion, socioeconomic status, national status, language, etc.?
Answering this question is the first step toward a non-oppressive classroom in that you become aware of the student identity statuses so that you can begin to understand their meaning and how they intersect.
Suggestions:
Administer a survey before the start of the term (where you could, for instance, allow students the opportunity to share about their cultural background, make you aware of preferred nicknames or pronouns, etc.)
Have students record how they pronounce their names for a pre-semester D2L assignment
(2) Have you acknowledged/do you understand what student identities mean to students?
Answering this question allows you to understand who students are, so that you can begin to address the privileges (or lack thereof) associated with student identity statuses.
Suggestions:
Establish discussion guidelines with communication norms and expectations
Facilitate discussions and assignments that allow students to relate course material to their experiences.
(3) Have you accepted the privileges (or lack thereof) that comes with student identities?
Have you internalized why this matters? Answering this question allows you to deal with reactions you may have while accepting student identity statuses (such as defensiveness, guilt, powerlessness, responsibility, ownership), so that students can embody their identities in a true and authentic way.
Suggestions:
Recognize unfair treatment when it surfaces
Have open and honest dialogue with the students regarding privilege and oppression
(4) Do you actively engage student identities within your teaching?
How do you situate or position yourself in the classroom? Now that you have become aware of, acknowledged and accepted all student identity statuses, you must critically consider what actions you can take to address privilege (or lack thereof) in the classroom.
Suggestions:
Provide a variety of course material, references, and examples that reflects all of the student identities.
Use Identity-specific or targeted activities, like the Class Race.
For more strategies, see our workshop slides on the Inside Teaching website (coming soon!).
We are all works in progress
Teaching to who and where your students are is an essential part to anti-oppressive learning environments. Committing to this endeavor, however, takes constant reflection and revision. We hope this blog will help you begin the process.
Additional Resources
Barber, S. A., Ricker-Wilson, C. Kumashiro, K. K., Wong, P. L., and Richardson, E. (2004). Preparing teachers for anti-oppressive education: International movements. Teacher Education 15(3), 257-275.
Case, K. (2007). Raising Male Privilege Awareness and Reducing Sexism: An Evaluation of Diversity Courses. Psychology of Women Quarterly. 31:426
Chavous,T. Hilkene Bernat, D., Schmeelk-Cone, K., Caldwell, C., Kohn-Wood, L., and Zimmerman, M. (2003) Racial Identity and Academic Attainment among African American Adolescents. Child Development. Vol. 74, No. 4 (Jul. – Aug., 2003), pp. 1076-1090
Elion, A., Wang,K., Slaney, R., and French, H. (2012). “Perfectionism in African American Students: Relationship to Racial Identity, GPA, Self-Esteem, and Depression.” Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology18(2):118-127.
Kumashiro, K. K. (2000). Toward a theory of anti-oppressive education. Review of Educational Research, 70(1), 25-53. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/docview/214114515?accountid=12598
Okun, B. F., Fried, J., and Okun, M. L. (1999). Understanding diversity: a learning-as-practice primer. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
Spradlin, L. K., & Parsons, R. D. (2008). Diversity matters: Understanding diversity in schools. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
Teaching Inclusively. (2005). Mathew L. Ouellett (Ed.). New Forums Press: Stillwater, OK.
We’d like to know: Where are you on this identity journey? What have you done to engage student identities in the classroom? Share your experiences (both successes and challenges) with us in the comments section below or engage with the discussion on Twitter by tweeting @InsideTeaching with the hashtag #iteachmsu.
Originally posted at “Inside Teaching MSU” (site no longer live): Mo, S. & Shellgren, M.. Teaching to Who and Where Students Are: Being Mindful of Student Identity. inside teaching.grad.msu.edu
Continuing to Teach Inclusively
Let’s begin with a brief thought experiment. Take a second to view the two photos above. Starting with the photo on the left, ask yourself how you view the students in this class? Do you view them as a homogenous group? A diverse group? As a note, we are intentionally not defining these two terms here to enable you to work through this thought experiment using your own conceptualizations of homogenous and diverse. Next, think about how you would teach this class. Would your approach (curriculum, chosen pedagogy, assessment methods, other) to teaching the class on the left differ from your approach to teaching the class pictured on the right?
In this blog, we will think about the reciprocal nature of student identities and classroom learning environments. ? In doing so, we will promote the idea that we must be mindful of all student identities (both that which is visible and that which is not) in order to create and maintain learning environments that are anti-oppressive. For instance, if you view students as homogenous, you may repeatedly use certain teaching methods or make certain assumptions which reinforce systems of power in your classroom (thus creating an oppressive learning environment). But in seeing students as a diverse group, teachers can begin to diversify their assumptions about learning and develop a repertoire of anti-oppressive teaching methods that can optimize the learning of all students.
Why Student Identity is Important: A Conversation with the Data
Does identity in the classroom matter to students? In our conversation with a second year undergraduate female in the sciences at MSU, the answer was overwhelmingly, “yes.” She was able to provide us with a useful perspective, as identity is very rarely an object of study or discussion in the typical science class. As someone who conceptualizes identity as,“Who you see yourself as[…], how you feel about yourself, and where you think you fit in the world,” she told us that identity was rarely overtly talked about in her classes. When asked whether she thought identity mattered in the typical science classroom at MSU, she said, “…no. You’re much more of a number or a student ID to them than you are a person.” However, when asked whether she wished identity was overtly addressed, she replied, “Yes, definitely…I wish that you were able to build relationships and express who you were[…] I feel like when you’re just being talked at, the professor doesn’t understand who you are as a person and they don’t understand where you’re coming from, like what you’re good at, what you’re not good at.” She also reported that she thought identity “most definitely” matters for a life as a scientist and future scholar. As the conversation came to a close, she added that when identity is directly addressed in the classroom, you get to know fellow classmates and the instructor better, and that with increased awareness and understanding of the identities present in the classroom, different viewpoints and experiences were respected, leading to decreased prejudice.
It became clear as we spoke to the student that intentionally addressing identity in the classroom isn’t just an epistemological position that we hold as instructors – students also really want identity to be explicitly addressed and recognized and not be something that is rendered invisible in the classroom.
We learned that purposefully and directly addressing identity in the classroom can:
increase student engagement and improve student performance
build community
accommodate student learning preferences
actively engage all social identity statuses (such as gender, ethnicity, disability, etc.)
and help members of the learning environment overcome prejudice
We found the insight of the student’s perspective on identity to be a pleasant surprise, but we were also astonished by the depth of her insight into how intentionally addressing identity can impact a learning environment, particularly given that she is not asked to think about identity in the classes she describes as typical of her major.
This student’s viewpoint, though one in a student body of over 50,000, also echoes the literature on student identity in the classroom. It has been reported, for instance, that students who had a firm understanding of their identities had higher self-esteem and lower levels of depression (A. Elion, K. Wang, R. Slaney, and B. French, 2012); stronger academic performances, such as higher GPA’s (T. Chavous, D. Hilkene Bernat, K.Schmeelk-Cone, C. Caldwell, L. Kohn-Wood and M. Zimmerman, 2003); and a reduction in negative social attitudes, such as sexism (K. Case, 2007). While these studies showed the benefits of actively engaging student identity in the classroom, they focused on one aspect of identity, such as race. If we commit to developing an anti-oppressive classroom and address all student identities, then imagine how great the potential outcomes could be.
Let’s return to our thought experiment and to the words homogenousand diverse. When we look at the picture on the left, we may think that group of students is homogenous because we view that group as having one identity, such as race (i.e. “All my students are white, therefore they constitute a homogenous group”). Comparatively, if we look at the picture on the right, we may view that group as diverse because we see that group as having different types of one identity, such as race (i.e. “Not all of my students are white, therefore they constitute a diverse group”). However, if we move beyond thinking of identity as representing one aspect of self, but rather all, we will come to realize that all groups of students in every learning environment are necessarily diverse due to the fact that they are made up of infinitely complex individuals, each of whom will differ on at least one individual difference/aspect. Thus, in order to develop anti-oppressive learning environments, we must define concepts like homogeneityand diversity as related to all identities and not one.
Reflecting on Student Identity
Now that we’ve thought about why students’ identities are important in the classroom, we can begin the process of reflecting on students’ identities. To help you start the journey, we provide four questions to engage you in intentional thought towards becoming mindful of your students’ identities. After each question, take time to think about what strategies you could use in your classroom, lab, etc. We offer a couple of potential strategies that could be utilized in developing an anti-oppressive learning environment.
Four Questions to Begin the Journey
(1) Are you aware of all student identity statuses: sex, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, ability, religion, socioeconomic status, national status, language, etc.?
Answering this question is the first step toward a non-oppressive classroom in that you become aware of the student identity statuses so that you can begin to understand their meaning and how they intersect.
Suggestions:
Administer a survey before the start of the term (where you could, for instance, allow students the opportunity to share about their cultural background, make you aware of preferred nicknames or pronouns, etc.)
Have students record how they pronounce their names for a pre-semester D2L assignment
(2) Have you acknowledged/do you understand what student identities mean to students?
Answering this question allows you to understand who students are, so that you can begin to address the privileges (or lack thereof) associated with student identity statuses.
Suggestions:
Establish discussion guidelines with communication norms and expectations
Facilitate discussions and assignments that allow students to relate course material to their experiences.
(3) Have you accepted the privileges (or lack thereof) that comes with student identities?
Have you internalized why this matters? Answering this question allows you to deal with reactions you may have while accepting student identity statuses (such as defensiveness, guilt, powerlessness, responsibility, ownership), so that students can embody their identities in a true and authentic way.
Suggestions:
Recognize unfair treatment when it surfaces
Have open and honest dialogue with the students regarding privilege and oppression
(4) Do you actively engage student identities within your teaching?
How do you situate or position yourself in the classroom? Now that you have become aware of, acknowledged and accepted all student identity statuses, you must critically consider what actions you can take to address privilege (or lack thereof) in the classroom.
Suggestions:
Provide a variety of course material, references, and examples that reflects all of the student identities.
Use Identity-specific or targeted activities, like the Class Race.
For more strategies, see our workshop slides on the Inside Teaching website (coming soon!).
We are all works in progress
Teaching to who and where your students are is an essential part to anti-oppressive learning environments. Committing to this endeavor, however, takes constant reflection and revision. We hope this blog will help you begin the process.
Additional Resources
Barber, S. A., Ricker-Wilson, C. Kumashiro, K. K., Wong, P. L., and Richardson, E. (2004). Preparing teachers for anti-oppressive education: International movements. Teacher Education 15(3), 257-275.
Case, K. (2007). Raising Male Privilege Awareness and Reducing Sexism: An Evaluation of Diversity Courses. Psychology of Women Quarterly. 31:426
Chavous,T. Hilkene Bernat, D., Schmeelk-Cone, K., Caldwell, C., Kohn-Wood, L., and Zimmerman, M. (2003) Racial Identity and Academic Attainment among African American Adolescents. Child Development. Vol. 74, No. 4 (Jul. – Aug., 2003), pp. 1076-1090
Elion, A., Wang,K., Slaney, R., and French, H. (2012). “Perfectionism in African American Students: Relationship to Racial Identity, GPA, Self-Esteem, and Depression.” Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology18(2):118-127.
Kumashiro, K. K. (2000). Toward a theory of anti-oppressive education. Review of Educational Research, 70(1), 25-53. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/docview/214114515?accountid=12598
Okun, B. F., Fried, J., and Okun, M. L. (1999). Understanding diversity: a learning-as-practice primer. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
Spradlin, L. K., & Parsons, R. D. (2008). Diversity matters: Understanding diversity in schools. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
Teaching Inclusively. (2005). Mathew L. Ouellett (Ed.). New Forums Press: Stillwater, OK.
We’d like to know: Where are you on this identity journey? What have you done to engage student identities in the classroom? Share your experiences (both successes and challenges) with us in the comments section below or engage with the discussion on Twitter by tweeting @InsideTeaching with the hashtag #iteachmsu.
Originally posted at “Inside Teaching MSU” (site no longer live): Mo, S. & Shellgren, M.. Teaching to Who and Where Students Are: Being Mindful of Student Identity. inside teaching.grad.msu.edu
Posted by: Maddie Shellgren
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Mindfulness for Better Living from MSU Extension
Mindfulness for Better Living from MSU ExtensionStress can take a serious toll on your physical, mental and emotional health. MSU Extension's mindfulness programs can help you manage your stress and live a better, healthier life.View the site full of resources
Posted by: Erica Venton
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Cultivating Inclusive Classrooms: Being Mindful of Your Identity
Returning to Teaching Inclusively
Last week, Dr. Melissa McDaniels introduced inclusivity in the classroom, focusing on course curriculum design. This week we encourage you to extend this focus and think about how your identity influences the classroom environment.
This week, we want you to consider an alternative perspective about how you can make classrooms places where all students feel seen and heard. This perspective – that of “anti-oppression” – rather than inclusivity or diversity – will help you understand the role instructors play in creating classroom environments in which some students are oppressed and others are privileged. We recommend this lens because it focuses on the systems in which oppression operates rather than on differences themselves. Individuals differences can too often be used by educators (consciously or unconsciously) to privilege or oppress those they are teaching. Anti-oppression in the classroom begins with you. A later blog post addresses how student (rather than instructor) identities influence the classroom environment.
What is an Anti-Oppressive Classroom?
Anti-oppressive classrooms are those in which all forms of oppression are actively and intentionally challenged. Anti-oppressive classrooms attempt to directly address issues of power toward the fullest recognition of all individuals. As instructors, we have considerable power/influence over the classroom environment. How we assume that role and use that power will determine the boundaries and expectations for a non-oppressive classroom. As the instructor, you set the parameters. Your students will either be empowered or oppressed as a result of how you employ your identity in the classroom. This is why it’s important to begin the process towards an anti-oppressive classroom by reflecting on elements of your own identity.
Reflecting on Your Identity
Authentic self-reflection may not be easy, but is required if you commit to a non-oppressive classroom. This is a process…it involves steps. We can only start from who and where we are. To help you start your journey, we provide four questions to engage you in intentional thought towards becoming mindful of your identity.
Four Questions to Begin your Journey
(1) Are you aware of your identity statuses: sex, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, ability, religion, socioeconomic status, national status, language, etc.?
Answering this question is the first step toward a non-oppressive classroom in that you become aware of your identity statuses so that you can understand their meaning and how they intersect. (For instance, you’re not only Latino or White …you’re a [Latino or White], heterosexual, cisgender (insert other identity statuses here) male.)
(2) Have you acknowledged/do you understand what those identities mean to you?
For instance, do you know what it means to be white racially if you identify as racially white? Answering this question allows you to understand who you are, so that you can begin to address the privileges (or lack thereof) associated with your identity statuses.
(3) Have you accepted the privileges (or lack thereof) that comes with your identity?
Have you internalized why this matters? Answering this question allows you to deal with reactions you may have while accepting your identity statuses (such as defensiveness, guilt, powerlessness, responsibility, ownership), so that you can embody your identity in a true and authentic way.
(4) Do you actively engage your identity within your teaching?
How do you situate or position yourself in the classroom? Now that you have become aware of, acknowledged and accepted your identity statuses, you must critically consider what actions you can take to address your privilege (or lack thereof) in the classroom.
We Are All Works in Progress
These issues are complex. Remember, you can only start from who and where you are. To create a non-oppressive classroom environment, it’s imperative that instructors commit to becoming conscious of their own identity and the impact identity has on teaching and learning.
Additional Resources
Case, K.A. (Ed.). (2013). Deconstructing privilege: Teaching and learning as allies in the classroom. New York, N.Y.: Routledge.
Johnson, A. G. (2006). Privilege, power, and difference. Boston, Mass: McGraw-Hill.
We’d like to know: Who and where are you on your identity journey? What have you done to engage your identities in the classroom? Share your experiences (both successes and challenges) with us in the comments section below or via social media using the hashtag “#iteachmsu.”
Originally posted at “Inside Teaching MSU” (site no longer live): Shellgren, M. & Mo, S. Cultivating Inclusive Classrooms: Being Mindful of Your Identity. inside teaching.grad.msu.edu
Last week, Dr. Melissa McDaniels introduced inclusivity in the classroom, focusing on course curriculum design. This week we encourage you to extend this focus and think about how your identity influences the classroom environment.
This week, we want you to consider an alternative perspective about how you can make classrooms places where all students feel seen and heard. This perspective – that of “anti-oppression” – rather than inclusivity or diversity – will help you understand the role instructors play in creating classroom environments in which some students are oppressed and others are privileged. We recommend this lens because it focuses on the systems in which oppression operates rather than on differences themselves. Individuals differences can too often be used by educators (consciously or unconsciously) to privilege or oppress those they are teaching. Anti-oppression in the classroom begins with you. A later blog post addresses how student (rather than instructor) identities influence the classroom environment.
What is an Anti-Oppressive Classroom?
Anti-oppressive classrooms are those in which all forms of oppression are actively and intentionally challenged. Anti-oppressive classrooms attempt to directly address issues of power toward the fullest recognition of all individuals. As instructors, we have considerable power/influence over the classroom environment. How we assume that role and use that power will determine the boundaries and expectations for a non-oppressive classroom. As the instructor, you set the parameters. Your students will either be empowered or oppressed as a result of how you employ your identity in the classroom. This is why it’s important to begin the process towards an anti-oppressive classroom by reflecting on elements of your own identity.
Reflecting on Your Identity
Authentic self-reflection may not be easy, but is required if you commit to a non-oppressive classroom. This is a process…it involves steps. We can only start from who and where we are. To help you start your journey, we provide four questions to engage you in intentional thought towards becoming mindful of your identity.
Four Questions to Begin your Journey
(1) Are you aware of your identity statuses: sex, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, ability, religion, socioeconomic status, national status, language, etc.?
Answering this question is the first step toward a non-oppressive classroom in that you become aware of your identity statuses so that you can understand their meaning and how they intersect. (For instance, you’re not only Latino or White …you’re a [Latino or White], heterosexual, cisgender (insert other identity statuses here) male.)
(2) Have you acknowledged/do you understand what those identities mean to you?
For instance, do you know what it means to be white racially if you identify as racially white? Answering this question allows you to understand who you are, so that you can begin to address the privileges (or lack thereof) associated with your identity statuses.
(3) Have you accepted the privileges (or lack thereof) that comes with your identity?
Have you internalized why this matters? Answering this question allows you to deal with reactions you may have while accepting your identity statuses (such as defensiveness, guilt, powerlessness, responsibility, ownership), so that you can embody your identity in a true and authentic way.
(4) Do you actively engage your identity within your teaching?
How do you situate or position yourself in the classroom? Now that you have become aware of, acknowledged and accepted your identity statuses, you must critically consider what actions you can take to address your privilege (or lack thereof) in the classroom.
We Are All Works in Progress
These issues are complex. Remember, you can only start from who and where you are. To create a non-oppressive classroom environment, it’s imperative that instructors commit to becoming conscious of their own identity and the impact identity has on teaching and learning.
Additional Resources
Case, K.A. (Ed.). (2013). Deconstructing privilege: Teaching and learning as allies in the classroom. New York, N.Y.: Routledge.
Johnson, A. G. (2006). Privilege, power, and difference. Boston, Mass: McGraw-Hill.
We’d like to know: Who and where are you on your identity journey? What have you done to engage your identities in the classroom? Share your experiences (both successes and challenges) with us in the comments section below or via social media using the hashtag “#iteachmsu.”
Originally posted at “Inside Teaching MSU” (site no longer live): Shellgren, M. & Mo, S. Cultivating Inclusive Classrooms: Being Mindful of Your Identity. inside teaching.grad.msu.edu
Posted by: Maddie Shellgren
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: Teaching Toolkit Ta...
Cultivating Inclusive Classrooms: Being Mindful of Your Identity
At this point, most educators have likely heard about “inclusive classrooms.” We want you to consider an alternative perspective about how you can make classrooms places where all students feel seen and heard. This perspective – that of “anti-oppression” – rather than inclusivity or diversity – will help you understand the role instructors play in creating classroom environments in which some students are oppressed and others are privileged. We recommend this lens because it focuses on the systems in which oppression operates rather than on differences themselves. Individuals differences can too often be used by educators (consciously or unconsciously) to privilege or oppress those they are teaching. Anti-oppression in the classroom begins with you.
What is an Anti-Oppressive Classroom?
Anti-oppressive classrooms are those in which all forms of oppression are actively and intentionally challenged. Anti-oppressive classrooms attempt to directly address issues of power toward the fullest recognition of all individuals. As instructors, we have considerable power/influence over the classroom environment. How we assume that role and use that power will determine the boundaries and expectations for a non-oppressive classroom. As the instructor, you set the parameters. Your students will either be empowered or oppressed as a result of how you employ your identity in the classroom. This is why it’s important to begin the process towards an anti-oppressive classroom by reflecting on elements of your own identity.
Authentic self-reflection may not be easy, but is required if you commit to a non-oppressive classroom. This is a process…it involves steps. We can only start from who and where we are. To help you start your journey, we provide four questions to engage you in intentional thought towards becoming mindful of your identity.
Four Questions to Begin the Journey
Are you aware of your identity statuses: sex, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, ability, religion, socioeconomic status, national status, language, etc.?
Answering this question is the first step toward a non-oppressive classroom in that you become aware of your identity statuses so that you can understand their meaning and how they intersect. (For instance, you’re not only Latino or White …you’re a [Latino or White], heterosexual, cisgender (insert other identity statuses here) male.)
Have you acknowledged/do you understand what those identities mean to you? For instance, do you know what it means to be white racially if you identify as racially white? Answering this question allows you to understand who you are, so that you can begin to address the privileges (or lack thereof) associated with your identity statuses.
Have you accepted the privileges (or lack thereof) that comes with your identity? Have you internalized why this matters? Answering this question allows you to deal with reactions you may have while accepting your identity statuses (such as defensiveness, guilt, powerlessness, responsibility, ownership), so that you can embody your identity in a true and authentic way.
Do you actively engage your identity within your teaching? How do you situate or position yourself in the classroom? Now that you have become aware of, acknowledged and accepted your identity statuses, you must critically consider what actions you can take to address your privilege (or lack thereof) in the classroom.
What is an Anti-Oppressive Classroom?
Anti-oppressive classrooms are those in which all forms of oppression are actively and intentionally challenged. Anti-oppressive classrooms attempt to directly address issues of power toward the fullest recognition of all individuals. As instructors, we have considerable power/influence over the classroom environment. How we assume that role and use that power will determine the boundaries and expectations for a non-oppressive classroom. As the instructor, you set the parameters. Your students will either be empowered or oppressed as a result of how you employ your identity in the classroom. This is why it’s important to begin the process towards an anti-oppressive classroom by reflecting on elements of your own identity.
Authentic self-reflection may not be easy, but is required if you commit to a non-oppressive classroom. This is a process…it involves steps. We can only start from who and where we are. To help you start your journey, we provide four questions to engage you in intentional thought towards becoming mindful of your identity.
Four Questions to Begin the Journey
Are you aware of your identity statuses: sex, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, ability, religion, socioeconomic status, national status, language, etc.?
Answering this question is the first step toward a non-oppressive classroom in that you become aware of your identity statuses so that you can understand their meaning and how they intersect. (For instance, you’re not only Latino or White …you’re a [Latino or White], heterosexual, cisgender (insert other identity statuses here) male.)
Have you acknowledged/do you understand what those identities mean to you? For instance, do you know what it means to be white racially if you identify as racially white? Answering this question allows you to understand who you are, so that you can begin to address the privileges (or lack thereof) associated with your identity statuses.
Have you accepted the privileges (or lack thereof) that comes with your identity? Have you internalized why this matters? Answering this question allows you to deal with reactions you may have while accepting your identity statuses (such as defensiveness, guilt, powerlessness, responsibility, ownership), so that you can embody your identity in a true and authentic way.
Do you actively engage your identity within your teaching? How do you situate or position yourself in the classroom? Now that you have become aware of, acknowledged and accepted your identity statuses, you must critically consider what actions you can take to address your privilege (or lack thereof) in the classroom.
Authored by: Madeline Shellgren & S. Mo
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: Teaching Toolkit Ta...
Teaching to Who and Where Students Are: Being Mindful of Student Identity
When considering anti-oppressive classrooms (learning environments where all forms of oppression are actively and intentionally challenged) it is important to consider instructor identity (specifically that how you employ your identity can empower and/or oppress students). We use the word anti-oppression because it specifically targets unjust treatment in learning environments. We may often think of an example of oppression in the classroom as a blatant act, such as a student using overtly racist language. However, when you think of oppression in the classroom we want you to include subtle forms of oppression in your definition – such as students interrupting one another. We introduced a 4-step process of self-reflection on your identity, which we put forth as necessary to create and maintain anti-oppressive learning environments. In this card, we want to continue the journey on inclusive, anti-oppressive learning environments, but with a focus on student identities.
Four Questions to Begin the Journey
Are you aware of all student identity statuses: sex, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, ability, religion, socioeconomic status, national status, language, etc.?
Answering this question is the first step toward a non-oppressive classroom in that you become aware of the student identity statuses so that you can begin to understand their meaning and how they intersect.
Suggestions:
Administer a survey before the start of the term (where you could, for instance, allow students the opportunity to share about their cultural background, make you aware of preferred nicknames or pronouns, etc.). Have students record how they pronounce their names for a pre-semester D2L assignment
Have you acknowledged/do you understand what student identities mean to students?
Answering this question allows you to understand who students are, so that you can begin to address the privileges (or lack thereof) associated with student identity statuses.
Suggestions:
Establish discussion guidelines with communication norms and expectations. Facilitate discussions and assignments that allow students to relate course material to their experiences.
Have you accepted the privileges (or lack thereof) that comes with student identities?
Have you internalized why this matters? Answering this question allows you to deal with reactions you may have while accepting student identity statuses (such as defensiveness, guilt, powerlessness, responsibility, ownership), so that students can embody their identities in a true and authentic way.
Suggestions:
Recognize unfair treatment when it surfaces. Have open and honest dialogue with the students regarding privilege and oppression
Do you actively engage student identities within your teaching?
How do you situate or position yourself in the classroom? Now that you have become aware of, acknowledged and accepted all student identity statuses, you must critically consider what actions you can take to address privilege (or lack thereof) in the classroom.
Suggestions:
Provide a variety of course material, references, and examples that reflects all of the student identities. Use Identity-specific or targeted activities, like the “Class Race.”
Four Questions to Begin the Journey
Are you aware of all student identity statuses: sex, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, ability, religion, socioeconomic status, national status, language, etc.?
Answering this question is the first step toward a non-oppressive classroom in that you become aware of the student identity statuses so that you can begin to understand their meaning and how they intersect.
Suggestions:
Administer a survey before the start of the term (where you could, for instance, allow students the opportunity to share about their cultural background, make you aware of preferred nicknames or pronouns, etc.). Have students record how they pronounce their names for a pre-semester D2L assignment
Have you acknowledged/do you understand what student identities mean to students?
Answering this question allows you to understand who students are, so that you can begin to address the privileges (or lack thereof) associated with student identity statuses.
Suggestions:
Establish discussion guidelines with communication norms and expectations. Facilitate discussions and assignments that allow students to relate course material to their experiences.
Have you accepted the privileges (or lack thereof) that comes with student identities?
Have you internalized why this matters? Answering this question allows you to deal with reactions you may have while accepting student identity statuses (such as defensiveness, guilt, powerlessness, responsibility, ownership), so that students can embody their identities in a true and authentic way.
Suggestions:
Recognize unfair treatment when it surfaces. Have open and honest dialogue with the students regarding privilege and oppression
Do you actively engage student identities within your teaching?
How do you situate or position yourself in the classroom? Now that you have become aware of, acknowledged and accepted all student identity statuses, you must critically consider what actions you can take to address privilege (or lack thereof) in the classroom.
Suggestions:
Provide a variety of course material, references, and examples that reflects all of the student identities. Use Identity-specific or targeted activities, like the “Class Race.”
Authored by: Madeline Shellgren & S. Mo
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: Teaching Toolkit Ta...
First Aid for College Students When Feeling Overwhelmed
The Fact:
38% of incoming students frequently feel overwhelmed, women more so than men.
[From: Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP)]
First Aid For When You Feel Overwhelmed:
Step 1:
Find a comfortable position sitting in a chair, on floor or on lawn.
Step 2:
Listen to all the sounds around you for a minute.
Step 3:
Focus on your breath as it moves in and out of your nostrils with your mouth and eyes closed (2-3 minutes or longer)
Step 4:
If you have thoughts arising acknowledge these and let them go and bring our attention back to your breath.
Step 5:
Slowly open your eyes and deeply breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth. Repeat three times.
Practical Tips:
If you don’t see changes right away, remember it takes consistent practice to change a habit.
Use Mindful Breath Meditation Practice every day and also be aware of your breath throughout the day to combat stress and feeling overwhelmed.
Do not judge yourself for not being able to focus on your breath for a long time, after all this is a practice to of mindful awareness.
38% of incoming students frequently feel overwhelmed, women more so than men.
[From: Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP)]
First Aid For When You Feel Overwhelmed:
Step 1:
Find a comfortable position sitting in a chair, on floor or on lawn.
Step 2:
Listen to all the sounds around you for a minute.
Step 3:
Focus on your breath as it moves in and out of your nostrils with your mouth and eyes closed (2-3 minutes or longer)
Step 4:
If you have thoughts arising acknowledge these and let them go and bring our attention back to your breath.
Step 5:
Slowly open your eyes and deeply breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth. Repeat three times.
Practical Tips:
If you don’t see changes right away, remember it takes consistent practice to change a habit.
Use Mindful Breath Meditation Practice every day and also be aware of your breath throughout the day to combat stress and feeling overwhelmed.
Do not judge yourself for not being able to focus on your breath for a long time, after all this is a practice to of mindful awareness.
Authored by: Dr. Stefanie Baier
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
In what ways can mindfulness practices (reflective writing, noting) be integrated in student and instructor experiences across campus?
Posted by: Meghan Alanna Zanskas
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
If ever you have utilized a collaborative approach in your courses, you might be familiar with the following. Sometime just after the middle of the semester, a student contacts you complaining about various problems and/or people within their team during the first nine or ten weeks of the term. Typically, it is clear from the language of such emails that these young adults want someone else to step in and address the litany of issues described. Yet a large part of student-centered learning is providing young minds with the tools necessary to help them navigate our courses with a reasonable amount of success as well as the skills necessary for our students to address any related interpersonal challenges. For many undergraduates in 2022, learning to manage the latter, in particular, is one area where guidance is often necessary. Here is the language I now use to provide helpful suggestions that keep students in the driver's seat without helicoptering in to the rescue myself:
Thank you for your email X. Your frustration is certainly understandable. The issue(s) you describe are something that the entire team should address together in order to determine a concrete and efficient way forward. Communication, problem solving, conflict resolution, and revision of team work habits or processes are all part of effective collaboration.
With that in mind, take a proactive approach to the points outlined in your email. That means ALL of you should collaborate to identify the exact problems hindering the team. A passive ‘wait and see’ approach will not change the situation. Neither will a round of strident text messages or email back and forth between team members. What will help is for all team members to prioritize a meeting in real time plus their direct involvement in making concrete decisions to improve the dynamic and move ahead in the most efficient way possible.
Whether your team meets online or face to face, have an honest yet civil discussion to determine and implement the changes team members deem necessary. This is not easy, but it is vital for improving the situation. Positive change in a team setting comes through strategic, organized, and well-executed plans with specific goals identified and carried out in an orderly manner.
Beginning this sort of conversation might feel uncomfortable, but it is necessary. Contact your other team members right away. Arrange a meeting in real time to pinpoint and address the ongoing issues within the team. Brief explainer videos, part of each course module, provide tips for effective collaboration, but here are three for review that are most relevant:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDX61xCHN74&t=58s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BghSivQlhVY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIuTi83L0vE
It is also beneficial for the entire team to revisit its list of values developed early in the semester plus the specific member roles determined at that point. These tasks were part of Week Three team activities when weekly collaboration began. Likewise, have a look again at your collective responses to questions on the team assessment worksheets, part of the collaborative work for Week Six and Week 11. On those, your team took stock of its processes and work habits followng completion of Project #1 and Project #2. Your team also identified collective steps it could take to improve collaboration as part of that work.
Keep in mind that active collaboration to address team issues is solid practice for life in the globalized digital economy of the 21st century where 'teams' are the norm. In most fields now, no single person is responsible for project research, development, and completion. Cohesive teamwork is the name of the game.
Careful attention to the guidance above will help your team have a productive discussion, pull together, and move forward more effectively in the time remaining this semester. Your student learning team is in the driver’s seat and has the power to do this.
Kind Regards,
Prof. Y
Keep in mind that the intent is to guide and empower young adults in navigating their own lives. The language offered above might be too forthright for some, but it gets to the heart of the matter and communicates to students that their interpersonal issues are something they must learn to handle now if they have not already done so. After all, the adult world following graduation is not that far off, and we do our students no favors by taking care of their problems for them.
The language presented works for individual queries but can also be sent to the entire student learning team as a reminder with appropriate changes made. If this idea sounds like something you might like to try yourself, feel free to tailor the reply above to your own needs.
Thank you for your email X. Your frustration is certainly understandable. The issue(s) you describe are something that the entire team should address together in order to determine a concrete and efficient way forward. Communication, problem solving, conflict resolution, and revision of team work habits or processes are all part of effective collaboration.
With that in mind, take a proactive approach to the points outlined in your email. That means ALL of you should collaborate to identify the exact problems hindering the team. A passive ‘wait and see’ approach will not change the situation. Neither will a round of strident text messages or email back and forth between team members. What will help is for all team members to prioritize a meeting in real time plus their direct involvement in making concrete decisions to improve the dynamic and move ahead in the most efficient way possible.
Whether your team meets online or face to face, have an honest yet civil discussion to determine and implement the changes team members deem necessary. This is not easy, but it is vital for improving the situation. Positive change in a team setting comes through strategic, organized, and well-executed plans with specific goals identified and carried out in an orderly manner.
Beginning this sort of conversation might feel uncomfortable, but it is necessary. Contact your other team members right away. Arrange a meeting in real time to pinpoint and address the ongoing issues within the team. Brief explainer videos, part of each course module, provide tips for effective collaboration, but here are three for review that are most relevant:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDX61xCHN74&t=58s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BghSivQlhVY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIuTi83L0vE
It is also beneficial for the entire team to revisit its list of values developed early in the semester plus the specific member roles determined at that point. These tasks were part of Week Three team activities when weekly collaboration began. Likewise, have a look again at your collective responses to questions on the team assessment worksheets, part of the collaborative work for Week Six and Week 11. On those, your team took stock of its processes and work habits followng completion of Project #1 and Project #2. Your team also identified collective steps it could take to improve collaboration as part of that work.
Keep in mind that active collaboration to address team issues is solid practice for life in the globalized digital economy of the 21st century where 'teams' are the norm. In most fields now, no single person is responsible for project research, development, and completion. Cohesive teamwork is the name of the game.
Careful attention to the guidance above will help your team have a productive discussion, pull together, and move forward more effectively in the time remaining this semester. Your student learning team is in the driver’s seat and has the power to do this.
Kind Regards,
Prof. Y
Keep in mind that the intent is to guide and empower young adults in navigating their own lives. The language offered above might be too forthright for some, but it gets to the heart of the matter and communicates to students that their interpersonal issues are something they must learn to handle now if they have not already done so. After all, the adult world following graduation is not that far off, and we do our students no favors by taking care of their problems for them.
The language presented works for individual queries but can also be sent to the entire student learning team as a reminder with appropriate changes made. If this idea sounds like something you might like to try yourself, feel free to tailor the reply above to your own needs.
Posted by: Stokes Schwartz
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
An online education shouldn't feel like a 2nd rate experience. In this video, you will discover ways that telepresence robots can be used to help remote learners have a physical presence in their hybrid classes.
Posted by: Admin
Posted on: #iteachmsu
With summer (beach) reading in mind, I've complied a working bibliography, of sorts, containing (mostly) recent titles that provide practical information on motivating and engaging students, critical thinking, universal design for learning, collaborative learning, reflective learning, culturally responsive and inclusive teaching practices, Ed Tech and digital learning among other approaches. All are readily available through Amazon. I hope you might find a few of the titles useful as we steam through the coming summer months and toward Fall 2022.
Posted by: Stokes Schwartz
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: Reading Group for S...
Thank you everyone for an interesting year of discussion in and around the ongoing challenge of how we might better motivate and engage our students in the physical and digital classroom here at MSU. With that in mind, I've complied a working bibliography, of sorts, containing (mostly) recent titles that provide practical information on motivating and engaging students, teaching critical/deeper thinking, the application universal design for learning, collaborative learning, reflective learning, culturally responsive and inclusive teaching practices, Ed Tech and digital learning among other approaches. All titles are readily available through Amazon. I hope you might find a few of the titles useful as we steam through the coming summer months and toward Fall 2022. Maybe there are a couple of titles here that might provide some lighter "beach reading" as we look forward to some downtime after a couple of difficult years.
Thank you again everyone!
Kind Regards,
Stokes and Garth
Thank you again everyone!
Kind Regards,
Stokes and Garth
Posted by: Stokes Schwartz
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: Equitable Pedagogy ...
Hi all! This month we are planning to have a little brunch party at our in person meeting. Please RSVP in the poll in our Microsoft Teams if you will attend, so we can make sure we bring enough food and coffee!
We were also hoping to have a discussion about the Mindful twenty-something (link to ebook from Library in Teams) book that Jonathan Ritz suggested for our group. It's short, and we thought a jigsaw-style reading could be fun. The table of contents is on Teams. Pick a part that sounds interesting to you, and then choose it in the poll. It would be best if we could try to get all the parts spoken for, so we can have a full discussion.
Look forward to seeing everyone!!
We were also hoping to have a discussion about the Mindful twenty-something (link to ebook from Library in Teams) book that Jonathan Ritz suggested for our group. It's short, and we thought a jigsaw-style reading could be fun. The table of contents is on Teams. Pick a part that sounds interesting to you, and then choose it in the poll. It would be best if we could try to get all the parts spoken for, so we can have a full discussion.
Look forward to seeing everyone!!
Posted by: Casey Henley
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
In a project that has been in the works for a long time, with an aim to be a platform for positive change at such a large institution, there is a lot of pressure to get it just right. That being said, we hope that in the true nature of prototyping and design iterations, users to the new space approach it with an open mind and a recognition that it's not perfect (but we're committed to making it the best it can be in our current phase).
Has anyone else experienced this tension between a "perfect" end product and launching a new project?
Has anyone else experienced this tension between a "perfect" end product and launching a new project?
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Host: CTLI
No Surprises: Designing Assignments Students Understand
This workshop introduces the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework as a tool for designing clear, equity-minded assignments. Participants will explore how transparency supports student success, reduce confusion and grading time, and learn how to structure assignments using the Transparent Assignment Design (TAD) model. The session includes strategies to improve student motivation, performance, and clarity around expectations.
Upon completion of this learning experience, participants will be able to:
understand the history of the TILT and it’s related research findings
describe how the TAD framework relates to equitable learning
define transparent assignment design and its key elements (purpose, task, criteria)
apply TAD best practices
identify resources for implementing the TAD framework.
Navigating Context
EXPIRED
Host: CTLI
Start with the End in Mind: Backward Design for Better Assessment
This workshop introduces the concept of alignment as a foundation for effective course and assessment design. Participants will learn how to write clear, measurable learning objectives, identify course materials and assessments that align with those objectives, and evaluate the overall coherence of course elements. The session emphasizes backward design as a practical approach to creating intentional, goal-driven learning experiences.
Upon completion of this learning experience, participants will be able to:
define the concept of alignment as it pertains to curriculum design and development
write appropriately stated learning objectives using best practices (e.g., learning taxonomy)
suggest course materials and assessments that are aligned with learning objectives
evaluate various parts of a course for alignment.
Navigating Context
EXPIRED