I observed an upper level biology class, in which the teacher is applying a combination of collaborative (team-based) learning, problem-solving approaches, discussions on "what-if" scenarios and student-teaching.
Below you will find a general overview of the class, a crude analysis of reasons for various successes and problems, and finally a more detailed analysis of things to address in this particular class.
Overview
The class atmosphere was congenial and the students were actively engaged in discussion. You have clearly developed a format where students participate in"authentic" discussion and understand theiraccountability to that discussion and to their peers. The learning environment is impressive for an upper level course of this size (~30).
Students themselves give the class overwhelmingly high marks. Nearly all the students are working harder in this course than in any other. Nearly all find the approachinterests them more in the material, and roughly two-thirds feel they are learning more material, learning it more deeply, and learning better communication skills in the process.
What's Working, What's Not--and Why
Students very much appreciate the chance to be engaged in "real" problems and analysis of complex situations and "what-if" scenarios that challenge them to think. Some of this seems to be enthusiasm for an upper level course, but much of it also seems to draw on your free-wheeling style (versus pre-planned lecture) that explores each situation opportunistically. Roughly half the students feel the course can succeed mostly because of what they have learned earlier in other classes: in this class they develop a deeper appreciation of the context and connections of concepts they've already lear...
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...ld not hear many students--and noticed that many other students "tuned out" on occasions where they could not hear: they did not ask their peers to speak more loudly. You might consider how you set an example, by asking each person to speak loudly and clearly (in a sense, honoring their contribution for all), and inviting others to feel free to request the same on their own.
Some students apparently want more visuals -- animation or handouts. Some of this may be insecurity, but it is also easily remedied. Some of it may be related to the advanced level you expect, which could be clarified by additional visual information.
Articulate more clearly the relationship between lab and "lecture," and perhaps give stronger or clearer justification for lab grade being 50%.
Your openness to questions in "lecture" seems not to be paralleled by an equal openness in lab?
Therefore, I hope that I can achieve many new valuable experiences as well as friendships through this class. As a student, I believe I have the responsibilities to pay attention in class, and contribute to the class as much as I can. Besides, I need to ensure that I finish homework before coming to class and seek for help when needed. My goal is to become a successful business woman, who has the opportunities to work with different countries and cultures around the world. I am confident that this class will help improving my analytical and organizing skills, which are helpful and beneficial for my career in the
The class was filled with loud, inattentive children. When the school-children became disruptive, the teacher would just continue to teach like nothing happened; she mentioned to me on the side that, “It is their loss if they are not paying attention to the lesson…I am not going to stop the lesson just because of two or three of the children.” Those scholars are an interruption to the other students who are actually paying attention and trying to learn; Ms. Stone could have sent them to the hall for distractions. If the school-children were verbally being preoccupied, they were technologically sidetracked. Some pupils were playing games on their iPads, and diverting the attention from some of the other students. The grades were so bad that Ms. Stone had to throw away the quizzes and prompt the class for “pop quiz” with the same material on it for the next day. My anticipation for the class lessons were also incorrect; homework was submitted online, course notes were given and completed to the pupils via the teacher, and the assignment was online to complete and submit online. The learners accessed the homework AND the required textbook online with the iPad the school provided. Only a handful of the scholars were accepting the mathematical challenge in that classroom, and those scholars were the sophomores of the
Picture this: you are trying to hold a class discussion, You're writing like mad on the chalkboard; you have some great questions, ones you've picked especially for discussion purposes; and you've even brought in the overhead projector. And yet they are sitting there like stones. One in the back row is snoring and two in the front are doodling on your handout. This is not how you pictured it when you were planning it. You pictured everyone eager to say something. They disagree with one another, but politely and elegantly. Everyone has something to say and everyone lets them.
...d uses its appeal to make the student engaged. Students respond well when class discussion is open and formal. All too often, teachers design their lectures to. Students respond well when class discussion is open and formal. All too often, teachers design their lectures with the mindset that they need to facilitate their job through PowerPoint presentations and long lectures with little student interaction. There is something to be said about the accessibility of professors being approachable; however, having a class discussion that operates well creates the small interactive community both inside and out of the classroom. Ultimately, universities have the opportunity to mold the rather plastic minds of young adults; they need to be willing to take a hard look at how they instruct their students and offer new and invigorating teaching techniques in their classes.
In conclusion, this class has helped me be able to express my ideas in a clear, concise manner. I am now feel confident conveying my thoughts in ways that people will be able to clearly understand. This class has helped me gain a better understanding of how people communicate and how I can most effectively communicate with others. Furthermore, it has helped me overcome my
As I planed to take this class, I thought this course would be like all other general education courses. I believed that it would be of little use to me. However, after attending the first class, my view has changed completely. I applied each and every theory to my life.
Furthermore, because I have been asked before, did you speak up? Yes, I did ask questions, I’m probably one of the more vocal people in the class, even though I am usually the quite one any other time. I have taken into consideration that some people are quite, shy, or scared. I know some students have past or present hospital experience and some things are more understandable, but there are others that have no experience and they feeling lost. I can’t ask the questions they may have, but I try to ask questions or make comments on thing as much as possible, because I don’t understand.
I thought that this class would be interesting and exciting, but unfortunately, it was one of those classes that I just couldn't seem to care about or just want to put effort in. It definitely exceeded my expectations, but not the way I wanted it too. For that, it was pretty much a nightmare taking this
Although I did not necessarily enjoy the presentation aspects of this class, I definitely feel like I have improved as a presenter throughout the course of this class. The first presentation was pretty nerve-wrecking, which is my normal response whenever I have to present in front of people. With each presentation I have felt myself become more comfortable in front of people, less dependent on my notes, and just more confident in general. Even though I doubt public speaking will ever be one of my strong suits, I have become much more at ease with presenting and speaking in front of other people. Especially for the presentations in this class, it was reassuring to know that I was the person who was—in theory—an expert in my topic and most people were hearing this information for the first time, which eased a lot of the pressure when it came to
At the beginning of the semester my outlook on this course was not so good. I was not looking forward to giving speeches or learning things that seemed like common sense, but as time went on I could tell that I was actually taking things away from it. I have learned that I am not so good at coming up with things to say under pressure and I get extremely nervous when I have to talk in front of people that I don’t know well. Oh wait, I already knew those things. This class has motivated me to strengthen my social skills and has also taught me how to effectively work in a team environment through the team communication consultant project. I will show this by analyzing my teams strategic plan, the cohesiveness of the team, and the productivity of the team.
In my teaching, I use the principles of active and cooperative learning. As a teacher I encourage students to understand concepts and apply them to problems, rather than simply memorize information. I have observed that the students’ motivation is the highest when I incorporate real-world examples in lectures and laboratory instructions. Most impor...
Thankfully, after this discussion, I was able to relax and realize that in fact, this is one of the safest spaces for me to share my opinions. Honestly. I do not feel threatened or afraid anymore. In fact, with this activity, I realized my own bias and prejudice thoughts. This activity empowered me to use my voice when needed. I am glad that I took the initiative to discuss this matter with you in person after class. As a result, I was able to learn about why my peers stayed silent and what we can do to break the silence when necessary. It is through this class session that I learned silence can be a blessing or a curse. Sometimes it is better to stay silent and absorb the information before saying your input. This way, one can internalize the message of the texts, ponder, and reflect on the text. However, if I stay silent when voices are going off my head, then it can cause division amongst us because I will neither benefit my peers, nor learn from their lived experiences. Sometimes prolonged silence can cause discomfort and a divide between peers. My role of silence has drastically shifted. I am more than happy to engage in intense topics even though I am aware most of my classmates have not lived or walked in my shoes. I am not afraid to say what is on my mind. I personally want to thank you for allowing me to rethink and recognize my own bias and prejudice against the meaning of silence on our classroom
By nature, most students are brought up in an academic environment motivated to get A’s and B’s on their report cards. Those grades sometimes don’t thoroughly report how much a student has learned or gained knowledge in each topic. Some instructors throw in factors totally unrelated to learning, when the main objective of academic institutions is to learn. In order to clearly demonstrate how much a student has learned in the classroom, schools should change their current grading system and teach students how to learn.
As I try to recall all that I learned from this course and convey that information to you I will no doubt leave something out. I would like to start by saying that any omission isn’t from lack of importance, but more so a tough decision on what to put into this paper from the massive amount of information l...
Class participation was great everyone joined in on the discussion. People in the class felt comfortable talking out loud and putting there two sense in.