Boston College Apprenticeship in College Teaching Workshops
Below are summaries of the various workshops organized by the Connors Family Learning Center at Boston College that I attended as part of the Apprenticeship in College Teaching.
Thursday October 6, 2011
- Teaching Portfolios and Teaching Philosophy -
This seminar detailed the various steps necessary for putting together a teaching portfolio and writing a teaching philosophy. Through various examples of real portfolios and philosophy statements posted online, our mentor allowed us to get inspired and reflect on our own teaching. In order to facilitate the process, we were asked to think about three adjectives that best describe us as teachers, as well as three aspects of our teaching that we always try to incorporate into lesson plans. We then discussed these features in groups in order to share and compare our findings, and start thinking about our own teaching philosophy.
Thursday November 19, 2011
- Designing a Syllabus -
Through the discussion of which aspects of a class are important to us, we were asked to reflect on successful syllabus design. The group brought up different notions – such as the need for a clear class objective, the importance of reminders regarding academic integrity, and well established goals – which we then discussed in details. We reflected on questions such as “What do we want our students to achieve?”, “What material will we use in our class?”, and of course “How will we evaluate our students?” We also went over technical components of a syllabus such as policies on attendance, late papers, accommodations for disabilities and academic integrity.
Wednesday February 1, 2012
- Using Technology in your Teaching -
Dr. Tim Lindgren of Instructional Design and eTeaching Services visited the ACT seminar in order to discuss and demonstrate ways to use technology in the classroom. Examples included iclickers, Blackboard Vista and PowerPoint presentations. He allowed us to think about new ways to incorporate these materials into our classes, and how to do so effectively and with a clear purpose.
Tuesday February 14, 2012
- Getting the Most out of your Teaching Evaluations -
By bringing our own student evaluations to the seminar, we were able to learn how to better analyze and understand them. Through specific examples of what to look for in such evaluations, the group discovered their importance to improve our own teaching and how to incorporate them in a teaching portfolio.
Thursday March 15, 2012
- Classroom Management -
The seminar aimed to establish clear ways to maintain a “controlled and orderly environment that is conducive to learning.” The group started off by listing factors that are detrimental to learning (laptops, no clear class objective, tardiness, class size, room setup, uninvolved students, ...) and proceeded to discuss ways to solve these problems. Finally, we explored brief situational scenarios pertaining to classroom management, and looked at different ways to react in similar cases.
Tuesday March 20, 2012
- Teaching Students with Disabilities -
Dr. Kathy Duggan gave an informative presentation on the topic of students with disabilities. She aimed to diffuse preconceived notions, and to clearly establish what a learning disability is. By introducing the group to specific concepts, such as the importance of the American with Disabilities Act or the different types of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Duggan was able to give us an overview of the struggles faced by students with disabilities. In order to enrich our experience, the group also took part on simulations aimed at illustrating what it is like to have a disability. For example, we were asked to reproduce a shape without looking directly at our piece of paper and instead relying on a mirror, or to read a paragraph written in what appeared to be gibberish but was in fact a complete story.
Thursday March 29, 2012
- Grading Fairly -
Using case studies, the group discussed strategies necessary to a fair grading process. We discussed the importance of clear expectations that students are familiar with, as well as criteria for different assignments. The seminar also looked at specific questions such as grade curves, extra credit and accommodations for student athletes.
Thursday April 12, 2012
- Teaching and Learning Styles -
Through the use of a questionnaire, participants in this seminar were able to find out their learning style – that is to say whether they are visual, auditory or kinesthetic learners. After a presentation of each style, we were asked to reflect on our own teaching style in order to see if the two matched. We then explored questions such as the importance of varying our own teaching style, and the benefits that come from matching teaching and learning styles.
Thursday October 6, 2011
- Teaching Portfolios and Teaching Philosophy -
This seminar detailed the various steps necessary for putting together a teaching portfolio and writing a teaching philosophy. Through various examples of real portfolios and philosophy statements posted online, our mentor allowed us to get inspired and reflect on our own teaching. In order to facilitate the process, we were asked to think about three adjectives that best describe us as teachers, as well as three aspects of our teaching that we always try to incorporate into lesson plans. We then discussed these features in groups in order to share and compare our findings, and start thinking about our own teaching philosophy.
Thursday November 19, 2011
- Designing a Syllabus -
Through the discussion of which aspects of a class are important to us, we were asked to reflect on successful syllabus design. The group brought up different notions – such as the need for a clear class objective, the importance of reminders regarding academic integrity, and well established goals – which we then discussed in details. We reflected on questions such as “What do we want our students to achieve?”, “What material will we use in our class?”, and of course “How will we evaluate our students?” We also went over technical components of a syllabus such as policies on attendance, late papers, accommodations for disabilities and academic integrity.
Wednesday February 1, 2012
- Using Technology in your Teaching -
Dr. Tim Lindgren of Instructional Design and eTeaching Services visited the ACT seminar in order to discuss and demonstrate ways to use technology in the classroom. Examples included iclickers, Blackboard Vista and PowerPoint presentations. He allowed us to think about new ways to incorporate these materials into our classes, and how to do so effectively and with a clear purpose.
Tuesday February 14, 2012
- Getting the Most out of your Teaching Evaluations -
By bringing our own student evaluations to the seminar, we were able to learn how to better analyze and understand them. Through specific examples of what to look for in such evaluations, the group discovered their importance to improve our own teaching and how to incorporate them in a teaching portfolio.
Thursday March 15, 2012
- Classroom Management -
The seminar aimed to establish clear ways to maintain a “controlled and orderly environment that is conducive to learning.” The group started off by listing factors that are detrimental to learning (laptops, no clear class objective, tardiness, class size, room setup, uninvolved students, ...) and proceeded to discuss ways to solve these problems. Finally, we explored brief situational scenarios pertaining to classroom management, and looked at different ways to react in similar cases.
Tuesday March 20, 2012
- Teaching Students with Disabilities -
Dr. Kathy Duggan gave an informative presentation on the topic of students with disabilities. She aimed to diffuse preconceived notions, and to clearly establish what a learning disability is. By introducing the group to specific concepts, such as the importance of the American with Disabilities Act or the different types of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Duggan was able to give us an overview of the struggles faced by students with disabilities. In order to enrich our experience, the group also took part on simulations aimed at illustrating what it is like to have a disability. For example, we were asked to reproduce a shape without looking directly at our piece of paper and instead relying on a mirror, or to read a paragraph written in what appeared to be gibberish but was in fact a complete story.
Thursday March 29, 2012
- Grading Fairly -
Using case studies, the group discussed strategies necessary to a fair grading process. We discussed the importance of clear expectations that students are familiar with, as well as criteria for different assignments. The seminar also looked at specific questions such as grade curves, extra credit and accommodations for student athletes.
Thursday April 12, 2012
- Teaching and Learning Styles -
Through the use of a questionnaire, participants in this seminar were able to find out their learning style – that is to say whether they are visual, auditory or kinesthetic learners. After a presentation of each style, we were asked to reflect on our own teaching style in order to see if the two matched. We then explored questions such as the importance of varying our own teaching style, and the benefits that come from matching teaching and learning styles.