Teaching in Higher Ed

A student asking for advice about earning a master’s degree provides the perfect excuse to test out Storify

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A student posted the following question on Facebook asking a question about the type of master's degree she should pursue:
questionrema
I decided to inquire with some of my doctoral students over on Twitter. They gave her some good advice, but it was going to be difficult to share the full picture with her, since she isn't on Twitter. Even if she was a regular Twitter user, it can sometimes be cumbersome to follow conversations over there, if you are new to the way that Twitter virtual dialog occurs.
I instantly thought that this was a perfect application of a website I had heard of, but hadn't tried: Storify.

[Read more…] about A student asking for advice about earning a master's degree provides the perfect excuse to test out Storify

A student asking for advice about earning a master's degree provides the perfect excuse to test out Storify

By | | | XFacebookLinkedInEmail

A student posted the following question on Facebook asking a question about the type of master's degree she should pursue:
questionrema
I decided to inquire with some of my doctoral students over on Twitter. They gave her some good advice, but it was going to be difficult to share the full picture with her, since she isn't on Twitter. Even if she was a regular Twitter user, it can sometimes be cumbersome to follow conversations over there, if you are new to the way that Twitter virtual dialog occurs.
I instantly thought that this was a perfect application of a website I had heard of, but hadn't tried: Storify.

[Read more…] about A student asking for advice about earning a master's degree provides the perfect excuse to test out Storify

The danger of making assumptions as educators

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I've fallen victim to it many times. I think I understand a situation completely and discover that I was missing some fundamental pieces of the picture.

male college student sitting in a classroomA couple years ago, I had a student who seemed like a complete jerk. He regularly came in late and seemed so disengaged. He seemed like someone so resistant to learning. Toward the end of the semester, he emailed me and asked to meet with me. I prepared myself for the typical end-of-semester conversation, where all the excuses come out and the dreaded requests for do-overs.

He actually wasn't even doing that poorly in the class, so I'm not sure why I felt so primed for him to ask me for favors. He showed up and started his story out slowly. He hadn't wanted to come see me that day, but his Mom had encouraged him to have a conversation with each of his professors. It turned out that he wasn't there to make excuses, but to share that his Dad was in a hospital bed, dying of cancer. He thought I should know, but didn't want to get pity from me. That had been the biggest thing that had held him back from making the appointment with me previously.

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Teaching joyfully ever after

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There's a stark contrast between relying on happiness to get you through, versus joyfulness. Happiness is comprised of the emotions that are derived from our circumstances, whereas joyfulness is independent of circumstances.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for most of the K-12 teachers here in Orange County, CA. Those of us who teach in higher ed have been done for about a month, if we are on a traditional semester system. Social media has been lit up with celebrations of another school year drawing to a close. [Read more…] about Teaching joyfully ever after

Three lessons my children have taught me about teaching

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I had lunch with a former colleague at Strawberry Farms here in Irvine, CA, recently. What a great opportunity to admire the beautiful flowers that surround the place (see photo), despite the otherwise dreary day. If any of you reading this are locals and want an amazing salad, you can't go wrong with their chicken Waldorf.

flowers

 

My lunch companion has children that are 17 and 19, while our kids are two and just four months old. In the course of our conversation, my friend and I lamented about the physical demands that young children take in stark contrast to the cognitive challenges that older kids bring.

The process of parenting can be the great educator: always challenging and always providing new opportunities for learning. Here are three lessons my children have taught me about teaching:

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