Tag: active learning

Designing the Core Activities in Your Lesson Aligning with the Outcomes and Assessments

Reading Time: 3 minutesBy Dr. Nasreen Sultana, Teaching and Learning Before you start reading, ask yourself the following questions: Ideally, when a professor receives a course, in most cases, the course outline, learning materials, and assessments are already designed. You will probably receive a course shell with all the materials. Please note that Conestoga’s course design follows a backward design, that is, the end goals...

Practicing Student-Centered Assessments in Contemporary Classrooms 

Reading Time: 4 minutesContemporary classroom assessment emphasizes ongoing feedback, student involvement, and diverse assessment methods to enhance learning outcomes. It reflects a shift from traditional testing and grading to more holistic, student-centered approaches catering to diverse student demographics.  Research suggests a connection between faculty’s past assessment experiences and how they implement assessments and evaluate students in contemporary classrooms (Brown et al., 2019). For...

Active Learning Ideas 

Reading Time: 13 minutesThe ideas here are in alphabetical order. This is not an exhaustive list of active learning ideas and many of these ideas may be adapted to different modes of delivery. For help in adapting any of these ideas, reach out to Teaching and Learning. Activity Profile Ask different people about their daily activities/work experiences related to the topic. Where, when...

Active Learning on Zoom: Annotate

Reading Time: 3 minutesOpportunities to share reactions, expressions, and ideas are vital to the creation of a rich learning environment and classroom community. Even when classes are conducted virtually, the online classroom environment should be one where students feel safe to share their ideas and opinions and otherwise contribute to discussions. The annotate feature on Zoom can help students develop social skills, collaborate,...

Strengthen Your Teaching Through Instructional Skills Workshops (ISWs)

Reading Time: 2 minutesConestoga faculty can register for an Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) to enhance their lesson planning techniques and teaching practices. As of January 2023, the ISW is offered as a free, credited, course, one of two courses in the Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) & Critically-Reflective Teaching micro-credential. Please see below for more details on the ISW, including what to expect, the...

Trauma-Informed Teaching

Reading Time: 6 minutesAs we begin our teaching each semester, we welcome strangers into our class whose past experiences are unknown to us.  Over time, it sometimes becomes clear that a student is struggling with the impact of life experiences on the student’s ability to learn. This teaching tip will provide a research perspective and practical suggestions to help make your class a welcoming environment for students with trauma in their past (or present).