In recent years, teachers at the k-12 level have embraced Carol Dweck’s pathbreaking work on cultivating a growth mindset in students. Put too simply, a growth mindset is contrasted with a fixed mindset, or the idea that some of us are naturally good at certain fields of study–a “math person” or an “art person”–while others […]
I recently received a wonderful question about best practices for classroom visits. This is something I plan to work on in my first year in a comprehensive way. But as I do this more comprehensive work, I want to share some initial thoughts and insights. To begin, departments should create expectations for informal and formal […]
I’ve enjoyed getting the opportunity to work one-on-one with SLU faculty in my new role, and I invite anyone on campus to reach out at any time with questions you might have about your teaching practice. I want to stress that my aim is to facilitate a nonjudgmental and solution-oriented conversation. If you’ve ever wondered […]
After spending a day with new faculty at their orientation, I am even more excited for the start of the semester and the prospects for liberal education. Tomorrow, my presentation to new faculty will focus on St. Lawrence University’s Mission Statement, and I will suggest that it offers a roadmap to an excellent education. At […]
Assessment is easy to misunderstand. There is a sense that assessment is something we must do, even though so much research asserts that assessment is the key to learning. Why the disconnect? To hazard a guess, assessment often isn’t aligned with our goals and objectives. If our assessment isn’t connected to things we care about, then […]
As I was preparing to meet our new faculty at orientation, I found myself thinking about what calls us to this work to begin with. Why teach? Many new teachers are extremely nervous and anxious, and many can succumb to what Dan Lortie called, back in 1975, “the apprenticeship of observation.” Lortie, a sociologist of […]
Tragedy has become the new normal for teachers and professors. Children are murdered in schools, unarmed black Americans are murdered by the state, students die by suicide, extreme weather events kill and displace countless people, Asian Americans and trans people are violently harassed, threatened, and killed. And this list isn’t even close to being exhaustive. […]
When we reflect on our teaching, there can be a tendency to focus on problems. We know that there are always ways to improve our teaching practice. So long as one student remains unmoved, there is work to do. As well, we know that teaching is a serious act. We teach because we care about […]
If your course had a movie trailer, what would it look like? Your students enter class on the first day, nervous and worried about many things, but also hopeful that your class might be the one that helps them find what they never even knew they were looking for. While it may be our fifth, […]
The start of the academic year is a different type of New Year’s because it is a time of resolutions. Students who didn’t live up to their expectations last academic year resolve to do better. Students new to college, resolve to do their best. And us teachers, we often hope that a new assignment, or […]