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Category: Effective Teaching

August 14, 2024

Heterogeneity – The Reality of Diversity in Our Classrooms

Reading Time: 3 minutesBy Dr. Nasreen Sultana, Teaching and Learning Consultant Classroom heterogeneity refers to how students differ in age, gender, cultural and social backgrounds, and learning environments and have unique cognitive, motivational, and emotional needs (Hirschauer & Kullmann, 2009). In today’s world, Canadian post-secondary classrooms are diverse and multi-dimensional. The phrase around international students is widely used as a catch-all phrase without...
Categories Effective Teaching/Inclusive Teaching Comments: 0
July 21, 2024

Motivating Your Students to Learn: What Works, What Doesn’t

Reading Time: 6 minutesThink back to a time when you were really motivated to learn something, particularly when you felt the activity was engaging and joyful.  It could have been a class, an event, a work project or anything that sustained your long-term interest.  What exactly was it that made it a joyful, engaging learning experience? What made you continue with the activity?...
Categories Accessible Teaching/Effective Teaching Comments: 0
July 18, 2024

Getting Started with Copilot in Your Class

Reading Time: 6 minutesWhy get started with Copilot in your class? Exposure helps students get better at using Copilot and other generative AI chatbot tools. It also helps students to be more aware of the limitations and risks of using AI. This exposure prepares them to use AI wisely not only in your course but also in their future careers. Reminders for Getting...
Categories Effective Teaching/Learning with GenAI/Teaching & AI/Teaching for Learning Comments: 0
July 10, 2024

The 10-Minute Countdown: Ensuring Seamless Classroom Wrap-Up

Reading Time: 3 minutesManaging the end of a class efficiently is a crucial skill for any professor, ensuring a smooth transition for the next faculty and maintaining a respectful and organized learning environment. I remember one semester when I was teaching back-to-back classes in different buildings. The rush to wrap up my teaching and make it to the next class on time was...
Categories Effective Teaching/Lesson & Course Planning Comments: 0
July 10, 2024

How to Be Compassionate Without Being a “Yes” Person

Reading Time: 3 minutesBy Dr. Nasreen Sultana, Teaching and Learning Consultant Erica teaches a course where students come from diverse backgrounds. She has both domestic and international students in her classroom. She wants to be compassionate in her teaching. As a novice teacher, she is confused about whether she needs to keep giving extensions to the students to come across as a compassionate...
Categories Effective Teaching/Inclusive Teaching/Reflective Practice/Student Engagement & Communication Comments: 0
July 8, 2024

Explaining Content Effectively

Reading Time: 4 minutesThanks to Nancy Nelson, PhD. Have you ever struggled to explain a complex concept to someone new to your field? You’re not alone. Even experts can find it challenging to convey their knowledge effectively. As Kulgemeyer & Riese (2018) point out, there is a difference between what you know and what you can explain effectively to others. Unintentionally, novice teachers...
Categories Effective Teaching/Teaching for Learning Comments: 0
July 3, 2024

Alternatives to Graded Weekly Pre-Reading Quizzes

Reading Time: 8 minutesMany faculty wish that students would engage more meaningfully with assigned class pre-readings and other materials. When students show up to class not having spent significant time reviewing pre-work (or even opening the materials at all!), it can feel disheartening and you may be unsure how to proceed. Should you adapt your lesson plan in the moment and go over...
Categories Assessment Design & Development/Effective Teaching/Lesson & Course Planning/Quality Assessment
June 24, 2024

Planning for Post-Assessments: So… What Did They Learn?

Reading Time: 4 minutes“It’s Not What We Teach; It’s What They Learn” – Alfie Kohn Wondering what students have learned in the lesson you’ve just delivered? Have students met the outcomes you set at the beginning of the lesson?  How have they represented the knowledge, skills or attitudes that you are measuring through your course and unit learning outcomes? This post will provide...
Categories Effective Teaching/Lesson & Course Planning Comments: 0
June 24, 2024

Ready, Set, Teach! Navigating Pre-Class Jitters and Setup

Reading Time: 3 minutesYou’ve got your lesson planned, your water bottle filled, and your slides ready, but still, you’ve got butterflies in your stomach as you approach the classroom 10 minutes before the class start time. It’s pretty normal to feel a range of emotions in those minutes before starting to teach: nervousness, excitement, uncertainty, anxiety, anticipation . . . Getting your class...
Categories Effective Teaching/In-Person/Lesson & Course Planning/Reflective Practice Comments: 0
June 13, 2024

“So, What Do You Think?” Using Think-Pair-Share to Engage All Students

Reading Time: 4 minutesOne of the simplest ways to engage your students is the tried-and-tested teaching strategy called ‘Think-Pair-Share’.  If you are newer to teaching, then this should be one of the first tools you develop and use as part of your teacher ‘toolbox’. It is easy to use yet very effective in improving collaboration and communication as well as improving learning outcomes. What...
Categories Effective Teaching/Student Engagement & Communication/Teaching for Learning Comments: 0
May 28, 2024

Heart Emoji, Crying Face Emoji: A Reflection on the Emotional Facets of Teaching

Reading Time: 5 minutesIn collaboration with Sara Kafashan  This past winter semester, I experienced a familiar feeling: I found myself getting frustrated with students repeatedly emailing me for assistance, but not following the instructions I had provided in multiple different contexts (in class, in video recordings of assignment instructions, in writing, in individual meetings etc.). Some of the emails bordered on rude. I...
Categories Effective Teaching/Reflective Practice/Student Engagement & Communication Comments: 0
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