Three Highly Productive Active Learning Activities That Can Be Done in Groups!

If your students are anything like most students, you may already know that group assignments are often the last activity any of them want to engage in. 

Many students are apprehensive about:

• meeting and interacting with their peers

• feeling they don’t have enough to contribute

• time constraints (as it relates to meeting up outside of class)

• receiving a grade based on the performance of the whole team

Some of these fears are valid, especially the idea that one member might complete the majority of the assignment but the group will all receive the same score, no matter the contribution of each member. This is especially an issue since the entire purpose of group work is to have students “work together”. Taking these concerns into consideration, below are three uniquely effective group exercises that promote active learning, which might change the way both you and your students approach group work.

Chain notes. For this exercise students are placed into groups of 3 to 4 students. The instructor will compose several questions, placing them on separate sheets of paper. Each group receives one question. The group answers the question to the best of their ability, taking input from all members, then passes their sheet of paper to the next group so they can expand upon what was written by the last group. This project is brilliant in that it moves at a pace that helps students focus on the task at hand and not on themselves and it also implies that there are no wrong answers, just building blocks.

Mystery quotation. For this exercise students get to show their understanding of a particular quote, the theoretical perspective related to the quote, who might have said it and why. The instructor chooses a quote or blurb that students are the least familiar with from the assigned reading material. For example, if the class was studying the works of notable sociologists, the quote might be, “The history of all previous societies has been the history of class struggles”. Drawing on their previous knowledge about these sociologists and their theoretical perspectives, the students will decide who most likely made this statement and what message they might have been trying to convey. Once the group believes they’ve compiled a solid argument, one member is able to present. The unique aspect of the mystery quote is the combination of brainstorming, social interaction and application. This exercise mimics the collective work spaces many students will soon enter after college.

Idea Speed Dating. For this exercise the group would be the entire class (20-30 students). Each student prepares an elevator pitch related to their chosen position on a topic or why they chose a particular topic for a class research paper. As in speed dating, students sit across from each other for one minute or less, share their pitch and then move on to the next. After students complete this exercise a few times, they gain a better understanding of their own positions and they often find clarity as it relates to their paper topics. It’s also just fun to move around and learn something new about others.

Group exercises can be a perfect opportunity to socialize with peers, enjoy the expansiveness that is unique to team work and it can help prepare students for collaborating while not being afraid to share their new ideas.

Share in the comment section below:

Do you have any fun group exercises that promote the beneficial aspects of group work? How was your project received by students?

Jameelah Ra'oof MIS, MS 

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning & Academic Excellence

Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)

Texas Woman's University

940.898.3427

Stoddard Hall - Room 305A

Tips for Approaching Sensitive Topics in the Classroom

Tips for Approaching Sensitive Topics in the Classroom

So you’re enjoying your lecture, the students are responding well and you’re just skipping through a field of daisies, when suddenly you (or one of your adoring students) unknowingly steps on a metaphorical landmine. Landmine might be a bit dramatic, but if you’ve ever mentioned a topic in class that sparked outrage among your students, landmine might not sound so dramatic after all. Below are a few tips describing ways to approach sensitive topics, especially when teaching one of the many areas that fall under the umbrella of social science.

• Know what issues are hot button issues. I am often guilty of not knowing the ins and outs of the most pressing social events. Some of what’s happening in the world may not affect me in the same way it might affect many students. For example, if we are discussing topics related to depression or suicide, I’ve found that it is good practice to be aware of recent court cases, new laws being considered and of course major political shifts that students may want to react to in an open discussion. Often the classroom is their only face-to-face outlet to address many social or personal concerns.      

• Stay away from personal opinions as much as possible. I would say this is arguably one of the most obvious ways to stay out of hot water, but alas, instructors are human and with that responsibility comes many biases that we aren’t always aware of until it’s a problem. The best way to not take sides is to first analyze where you really stand on the issue. By doing this, you know how to approach the topic from an honest place. Some good self-reflection before teaching on a sensitive topic can save an instructor from a ton of misunderstandings.  Be mindful that we can be just as biased as our students are.

• Allow students to lead discussions. In an effort to minimize the impact of my own predispositions, I made it a regular practice to allow students to discuss these topics freely (in a respectful manner of course). My only job was to ask questions that might provoke the student to probe through their own deeply held positions or that might lead them to a profounder understanding they might not have previously considered. Sometimes it’s okay to remove yourself from the hot seat. Allow them to engage with each other, since ultimately their peers have the ability to provide a great sounding board for how the workforce, their community and how society in general might receive their ideas and beliefs.

  

• Don’t shame students In front of the class for their beliefs. One of the biggest mistakes an instructor might make while expressing support for a misunderstood or marginalized group, is to verbally ostracize a student who might be expressing themselves in a way that could be perceived as offensive to others. The desire to verbally penalize a student who is being negligent with their words could be tempting. However, being able to show students how to hear ideas and belief systems they don’t agree with and still have the capacity to engage in a mutually beneficial dialogue is priceless. Promoting the importance of an individual to freely share their own perspectives, even if you don’t agree, is an earnest desire for instructors who aspire to be excellent.

• Be prepared to share information for student support services. The same way instructors might direct students to the right department as it pertains to their academic needs, we must do the same when we are attempting to address the whole student. There are several student support services here on campus that may understand a sensitive issue in a unique way. If instructors aren’t comfortable approaching some topics that must be discussed, they can always call on a willing participant from the student services department to assist. Some students might be triggered negatively during a class discussion. Having up-to-date contact information for campus services accessible for students before, during or after the class could be a tremendous help.

Being mindful, respectful and establishing consistent classroom discussion boundaries can truly improve the culture in not only the classroom but ultimately campus-wide.

In what ways have you approached sensitive topics in the classroom? 

Jameelah Ra'oof MIS, MS 

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning & Academic Excellence

Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)

Texas Woman's University 

940.898.3427

Stoddard Hall - Room 305A

Five Tips for Creating Engaging Lesson Plans

Five Tips for Creating Engaging Lesson Plans

Whether you are a k-12 teacher or a college instructor, we all must do some level of legwork to prepare for a class session. The goal is to have a successful class and not one where you and the students are watching the clock waiting for the end, as if the end is a tropical oasis in the middle of the scorching hot Nevada desert. My favorite class sessions were the ones where I would run out of time and students were still engaged and asking questions. Sometimes I would have to usher them out so I could grab a quick break before my next class. I have only experienced boring class sessions a couple of times and for me, that was a couple of times too many.

What I noticed over time, whether I was teaching computer science or sociology courses, was that I couldn’t just wing it and be as effective as I wanted to be. While our experience, and the fact that we’ve taught the class before might lead us to believe we can just walk in the room and all will go well, if you’ve ever fallen short, the lesson plan might have been your problem. I have had successful classes just going off the cuff, but a well-organized lesson plan can save you so much time and you’ll have a proven template for the next time.

I’ve compiled five quick tips for creating a powerful lesson plan, that is both engaging and informational.

1.      Don’t shy away from multi-media breaks. Instructors often spend the vast majority of their time lecturing, having class discussions and/or some sort of assessment. Many keep great videos on standby just in case time allows. They may encourage the student to view the videos later, but I find that if they don’t watch videos in the classroom, rarely do they watch them at home, (unless a grade is attached to it). Leave room in your lesson plan for a video that further explains the topic, that gives real world examples related to the subject matter. Being that students are highly adapted to social media, they actually pay closer attention and sometimes learn more from the videos, rather than from a carefully prepared lecture. Don’t let the inclusion of multi-media be an after-thought.

2.      Chunk your activities. Chunking is a termed often used to describe how students commonly read data, in chunks. Instead of scrolling downward on a computer screen, they are much more likely to swipe right or left to read an article in its entirety. Some text book publishers design their ebooks based on this idea. Interesting right? So, use this "chunking" mindset to your advantage in the classroom. I have a rule that I never talk for more than 15 minutes at a time, mostly because I value my classroom time and I don’t want to waste it if students are no longer retaining the data. For example, if I'm teaching a one hour and twenty minute course; I spend 20 minutes on lecture topics, 20 minutes in a group exercise, 20 minutes on a power point or video and 20 minutes on class discussions. I always end with the discussion. I found that it kept students looking forward to more interaction with me and their classmates in the next session.

3.      Watch what other instructors do. There is no shame in shadowing an instructor who runs a classroom the way you see yourself doing so one day. If you’re not familiar with Youtube, get acquainted with the platform and use that free online resource to search how your subject matter is being taught all over the world. Most instructors are really dynamic people. You wouldn’t believe the plethora of methods instructors use to not only keep students engaged, but have them absorb and retain information long-term. Ask instructors around you for their lesson plans, then tweak it to fit your classroom needs. Most instructors will be flattered and are quite giving, as they give away knowledge every day in the classroom, why would sharing with you be any different?

4.      Don’t wait until the last minute. This tip is self-explanatory with the obvious reason not to procrastinate, being the lack of preparation. But a less obvious reason is not exploring all the avenues through which you could teach the subject matter or convey important perspectives. When you’re short on time you may make an okay lesson plan, but with a little more time, it could be excellent and life-changing for students. There is nothing like teaching a class and then going home that same night, only to find the perfect article or the perfect video or the perfect activity, that would have brought your lesson home. You can share it later, but when the moment has passed, its hard to recapture their attention the same way. Give yourself time, not only for preparation sake but for depth and creativity too.

5.      Practice it the night before. Okay, now to many this may seem a bit crazy, but as person who does public speaking, conducts workshops and teaches courses, I can honestly say, I don’t know where I would be without practicing my routine the night before. I have caught so many flubs and areas of missing information just by reciting what I plan on going over before I actually go over it. I have even recorded many of my presentations, so I could remind myself to do or not do something that stood out in the video; like fidgeting or overusing a particular word. I then practice with the adjustments in an effort to garner the maximum amount of confidence before presenting or teaching. Some subject matters are tough, especially in sociology, and require instructors to be extra mindful about how they cover it. I have been known to put my foot in my mouth on more than one occasion, so if I can tackle the lesson beforehand, I can avoid some of those common pitfalls.

Most students love lesson plans and knowing what comes next. Its like receiving a program at a children’s ballet recital. Even if your kid is in dance number thirteen, you feel better waiting through the other performances if you know exactly when your child is hitting the stage. Plans help us with patience. Engaging and informative lesson plans are a necessity in a world filled with over-stimulation and short attention spans. My biggest overall advice in all of this is to just remain present. If something pops in your head while teaching, you may veer completely away from the plan and inadvertently create magic.

Do you have any tips for designing engaging lesson plans?

Jameelah Ra'oof MIS, MS 

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning & Academic Excellence

Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)

Texas Woman's University 

940.898.3427

Stoddard Hall - Room 305A

It's Official! We're in the thick of it...

It's Official! We're in the thick of it...

Often referred to as "the most wonderful time of the year," the holidays can be both rewarding and exhausting. I guess that quote is true or false depending who's being asked. For kids who get loads of holiday gifts, its most definitely the most wonderful time, for the parents that have to foot the bill for said holiday gifts, maybe not so much.

For academics, this is likely one of the busiest times of the year, mostly filled with endless emails related to the various ways in which a failing grade can be turned into a passing one, in the next 10 days no less. If given the opportunity some students actually pull this off, although still pretty rare. The other part of the day is likely engulfed by office hours, creating finals, giving finals, grading finals, reading papers, grading papers and falling asleep with stacks of papers in your bed. Lets just say that being "in the thick of it" can create some less than flattering behavior if we're not careful. ;-)

This brings me to my list of not so great advice that was given to me at different times in my career during this very hectic time of year. Disclaimer: I never took any of this advice.

• During my second year of teaching, I remember venting to a nearby colleague about having very little time to finish grading the essay portions of my exams and she simply turned to me and said, "just give the grade they usually get..." Of course I did not follow this advice, but in her defense I think her rationale behind it was that most students score the same throughout the semester on most of their assignments. I'm guessing?

• Another semester I was pretty much venting about the same workload I experienced each year around this time, and was once again urged to take some less than savory advice about curving my exam for the sole purpose of "not looking bad" as an instructor. After this, I think I learned my lesson about venting to everyone. 

• "Just copy and paste the same feedback to the whole class." I got this lovely nugget of advice from an online teaching trainer. While I do like the idea of having a feedback shell that addresses each item I will grade, I don't think students would appreciate their very detailed feedback that praised their final paper only to find out their best friend, also in the course,  received an identical message. 

• And lastly, the same colleague that urged me to use identical feedback also suggested that I don't use any info for the final from the text since, "students don't read it anyway."

While its true, we are smack in the middle of the final countdown, its good to stay mindful about the advice we both give and receive. Can you remember receiving some left field advice that was handed to you with the utmost seriousness? Or have you ever given some advice that might have been questionable during crunch time?

Jameelah Ra'oof MIS, MS 

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning & Academic Excellence

Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)

Texas Woman's University       

Five Teaching Tips for New Instructors

Five Teaching Tips for New Instructors (3-4 min. read)

As a new instructor, nearly twelve years ago, I found myself often wondering if I was “doing it right”, as if there was one specific way to instruct, connect and manage a classroom. It was hard to see that at the time I was creating my own road map for excellence simply by showing up, being a life-long learner and giving 110% percent every class. When people who are interested in teaching on the college level ask me for tips and tricks, I tend to speak from the current knowing that I possess, and I forget what it was like to be a beginner. I forget what my first computer science class was like and how I felt like a fish out of water standing in front of twenty-five adults posing as an expert on my subject matter. The biggest challenge I faced was lacking confidence in my own abilities and feeling as though I didn’t belong there. Which I now know was the farthest from the truth. My first course was truly a crash and burn undertaking, I was over-prepared some days and under-prepared others. Sometimes a student would correct me and this would completely throw me off for the rest of the day.

Let’s just say, I have come a long way since those days and now I tend to see the classroom as my own personal playground, filled with innovative ideas, thought provoking topics and an inclusive culture. When I began to focus my attention on how I could make my students’ lives better, I became better. My classroom became less about me and more about whether or not my students were gaining something substantial they could later take into the world and use to do outstanding work.

I’ve compiled a short list of five helpful tips for new instructors that have expanded and improved my teaching, far above and beyond that very first class I taught.

1.      The professor and the student are on the same team. Each semester, I have come in contact with a student, that many instructors might feel are hindering their classroom or challenging them inappropriately. My goal in those situations is to always remain calm and remember that the instructor is in charge of the classroom's culture. If other students see you go tit for tat with a student they lose confidence in your ability to lead them. Never adopt the attitude of seeing a student as an enemy, see them as someone who is there to learn, not only the subject matter but social nuances too. Show them appropriate behavior through being a quality example.

2.      Don’t reinvent the wheel. When I first began, I had all of these big ideas about ways to improve upon the education system and take the industry by storm. There is nothing wrong with this mindset, but trying to do it all the first semester may be more challenging than necessary. Use the first few semesters to take inventory, learn from others who are already doing the job well and only make a few substantial changes at a time. It is always important to see how an institution operates already before addressing issues that may not even exist in that institution. Respect the system that has already been established before you arrived, study it and then make your changes. You might find that your time is better spent becoming more familiar with the text and material instead of requesting a new way of doing things.

3.      Get familiar with templates. I use templates for everything. This piggybacks on the idea of not trying to reinvent the wheel right away. Everyone already knows you’re brilliant and capable, that’s why they hired you. It is a good idea to spend the summer before the semester creating PowerPoint templates that you can just drop data into, and also a template for your syllabus, classroom expectations, projects, lesson plans, etc. There is nothing more time consuming than recreating documents each time a new semester begins. Templates also help you keep updated info since all of the data isn't already there, it would be easy to add new industry standards for your subject matter. 

4.      Go to educational workshops and conferences. The idea of being a life-long learner should not be just in theory but also in practice. I attend at least four educational conferences/workshops per year, a couple I travel to and the others are local. It is always helpful to know what is being adopted in the leading-edge areas of higher learning and classroom technology. Education is always shifting and evolving to meet the needs of industry, and in order to remain a productive member of this world, it is important to become aware of any new and exciting educational standards. It was at an educational conference ten years ago that higher learning advocates from across the country were debating the validity of online education, now it is a staple at most major and ivy league universities and colleges. These conferences are also great places to network if you need a research partner, a new job or just a like-minded crowd.

5.      Keep your workload light. This doesn’t mean that you should barely assign deliverables so you won’t have to grade, but when you’re first beginning, it is important that you don’t feel over-whelmed and that you return graded assignments when you say you will. Your word is everything to the students, once they see you slack, they slack too. Therefor, assigning a 10-15 page paper with a turn around time of one week might be too aggressive for a new instructor with a class of 20 or more students. Another way to assign writing assignments is in chunks. Let them do about 200 words per week, something that can be graded in a day or two and this way they’re still, writing, reading, comprehending and summarizing their ideas; but not all in one very large paper.

If you’re anything like me, you like to hit the ground running and show the employer why they made a good decision in hiring you for the job. But, as I understand now, it takes time to innovate and become fully confident in your abilities in the classroom, to make mistakes without feeling like a bad instructor and to connect with students in a way that makes them not only enjoy but request your classes each semester. 

I hope these tips are helpful, and remember, as instructor, your goal is to be caring while imparting knowledge, and over time, everything else will fall in place. Be patient and persistent.

Jameelah Ra'oof MIS, MS 

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning & Academic Excellence

Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)

Texas Woman's University

Avoiding Derailment

Avoiding Derailment

Like many of you, I usually begin my day with a nice tidy list of to-dos. I grab coffee, share some good mornings’ with my colleagues, get situated and last but not least, open my inbox. Now, I have nothing against the inbox, email is such an important and efficient tool for communication, especially on a college campus but for the purposes of discussing derailment, this has to be the number one contributor to my to-do list collecting dust right around 11am.

It is so easy to see someone in need of our assistance and drop everything to be sure they know we see them and are working diligently on their problem, but what about self-preservation? If I am all over the place and behind in every area that’s important to me, how can I be my very best or give my very best to others? The truth is, we can’t. We rush to answer the emails and rush to respond to the needs of others, while barely noticing we have been derailed and it will likely happen the next day too, as long as we let it.

There are three really good ways to avoid being derailed, that I have put into practice and would love to share with you:

1.       I shorten my “to-do” list to a “must-do” list. This sounds counter-intuitive, of course less work would be smoother. But it’s not really about doing less work, but more about just prioritizing the most important work. Each day there are only so many fires we can put out, and being able to use our best judgement to decide which fires require our immediate attention can really keep us remain focused.

2.       I stay away from that inbox for at least the first hour of the morning. There is something about allowing the inbox to breathe that helps us slow down and sink into the day. Often when we first get in, the momentum of our movement is still pushing us to move forward, when just a few moments of collecting ourselves and staying on task would change the trajectory for our day.

3.       I limit my morning chat time with coworkers until closer to lunch or after lunch. While morning chat time is a great opportunity to discuss the traffic we encountered on our morning drive, grumble about parking far away or recount how the Texas weather is so unpredictable; these short conversations can expand into discussions about every facet of our lives if we aren’t giving it much thought. Before we know it our mind is off-track and getting back to the place of productivity is much more challenging.

Avoiding derailment is such a common issue in most places of employment. Since our goal is to do the best job that we can, while delivering the best quality we have to offer; it’s important to take deliberate action to stay on track. When we are able to check something off our to-do list that has haunted us for weeks on end, the feeling is nothing short of amazing. Not only can you avoid being derailed but you can also avoid derailing others too. Good luck with staying focus and fruitful.

Jameelah Ra'oof MIS, MS 

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning & Academic Excellence

Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)

Texas Woman's University