October 14, 2014: Flipped Classrooms
Have you flipped your classes? Have you been tempted by the optimistic assertions of flipped class advocates? Are you skeptical about claims of greater student learning in flipped classrooms? This Teaching and Learning Seminar will discuss flipped classes, including the benefits and caveats of this teaching strategy. Resources explaining flipped classrooms and discussing some of the benefits of this teaching strategy can be found at the links below:
- Flipping Classes.pptx
- What you need to know about the Flipped Classroom
- The Flipped Class: What it is and What it is Not
- How to Flip and Land on Your Feet
February 27, 2014: How socioeconomic status affects students inside and outside the classroom
Students’ socioeconomic status (SES, often referred to simply as “class”) shapes their experiences both inside and outside the classroom. As the attached article emphasizes, students of different SES face different sorts of issues in their educational experiences. Sensitivity about SES, and often incidents of insensitivity from fellow students, staff members, and faculty, can affect how they perform in their schoolwork.
The discussion on how SES affects our students inside and outside the classroom will begin with a short presentation by Dean Anita Davis and Professor Chris Wetzel about what students have to say about SES in the Campus Climate Survey, followed by an open discussion on the various issues surrounding students’ SES.
December 10, 2013: Facilitating Student Learning: Efficient, Effective, and Empirically-Supported Strategies for Improving Classroom Performance (co-sponsored by Office of Student Academic Support)
Although students bear a huge responsibility for learning course materials, instructors can facilitate student learning by incorporating several empirically-supported methods of improving memory and metamemory. In this Teaching and Learning Seminar “Facilitating Student Learning: Efficient, Effective, and Empirically-Supported Strategies for Improving Classroom Performance,” led by Dr. Katherine White and Dr. Geoff Maddox of the Psychology Department, we will explore common misconceptions about learning and memory, ways of improving learning, and how to enhance retention in efficient and effective ways. We will also discuss ways in which these empirical findings can be used to enhance learning within Rhodes’ classrooms as we assess student learning this semester and begin to plan for our spring courses. The attached article discusses the connection between learning and memory.
April 18, 2013: Balancing Teaching and Scholarship
This Teaching and Learning Seminar will focus on how to balance teaching and scholarship. Attached is a short article with some basic suggestions about combining teaching and one’s research or creative activities. We will discuss some of these as well as talk about how to deal with various demands on one’s time, including how to avoid or minimize interruptions, and setting goals and establishing priorities.
April 5, 2013: Team Teaching (organized by Jonathan Judaken)
This meeting on team teaching has three main purposes: (1) to discuss the variety of ways already possible at Rhodes in which we can collaborate together across disciplinary lines in innovative ways and (2) to address more specifically the experiences of those who have team taught or the road blocks encountered in the desire to team teach across disciplinary lines at Rhodes and (3) I will discuss a proposal I have made to Dean Drompp about support for team teaching in small seminars that cross disciplinary lines.
To spur the conversation, there will be 3 presenters discussing their experiences: Gail Murray (linked courses), Steve Haynes (Learning Communities) and Eric Henager (team teaching). Also attached is a short article on team teaching.