“What would Bruce grill me on today?” – that’s great. I’m sure it would have been much less effective if Bruce did not give you such a hard time or just told you what to do.
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Author: Alex Noble
Comment on Student as Subject, Student as Object–Take 2* by Alex Noble
Thanks for posting, Mary. I popped over to the Mom Stories blog to read about the kindergarten report card. “… the main requirements are a) show up b) eat snack and c) take a rest — you’ve earned it with all that showing up and eating snack, let’s just say she nailed it.”
I was going to stop reading, but then it got better. “And so, given the stellar nature of this particular report card, we offered to let Kate pick out a small item at the American Girl store as a reward. She was, like totally ecstatic…” http://gph.is/1E2ssrH
The above will make for some interesting dinner conversation tonight :)
My mom always said that if my brothers and I grew up to be self-sufficient adults she would consider herself a success. No education tied to it, she hoped we would all grow up and move somewhere cool so that she could come and visit (older brother lives in England so he’s winning, for now). Of course, my mom and dad wanted us to get good grades, I don’t recall ever being punished for not getting good grades, but I was never rewarded for getting good grades.
Comment on “No, I don’t think that is necessary” by Alex Noble
Thanks so much for sharing Monica. I can relate to your story quite a bit, I left traditional high school in favor of an alternative program (still technically a public school, free from the state) which allowed me to enroll in online courses, community college classes (I wanted to be a doctor at the time), and work during the day. I was able to work all day and take my classes in the evenings and it was great for where I was as a teenager, I even held two jobs at the time, using my work experience as high school credit.
I then enrolled in community college, a bit behind the curve with math, but as you mentioned the remedial courses were there to boost me up to where I needed to be. My family didn’t really plan for me to go to college, but I saved enough from being able to work during high school that I was able to afford tuition for winter session at University of Delaware and summer session at Cecil College and I got my basic calculus taken care of at community college before going away to a four-year university.
I switched to engineering after getting to WVU, but my unique experiences in high school and college put me in a position financially and academically to be able to succeed.
Comment on Inclusive Pedagogy by Alex Noble
You raise an excellent point about the term “diversity”. There’s a great article from the American Bar Association (also youtube video) on the differences between diversity and inclusion. I think you might find it interesting.
Comment on I Have Two Voices: One Is Silent by Alex Noble
Oh, Lindsay… I got halfway through your blog and forgot what I was doing! [get it?]
I found your post to be true to how I feel in the classroom (mostly), but to my life as well. I have found that I have characteristics I would like to have as an instructor, but as far as how I portray myself in terms of WHO I AM, that’s something I’m still trying to iron out.
My Authentic Teaching Self Blog from Fall 2015:
https://blogs.lt.vt.edu/motorcycledoc/gedivtf15/finding-my-teaching-voice-by-watching-doctor-who/
Comment on Teaching Philosophy is Rooted in A Teacher’s Personality by Alex Noble
I also agree with you to an extent. Your teaching philosophy should paint a portrait of who you are in the classroom, what kind of environment you desire to foster, how you want your students to learn, what you want your students to leave your class with, etc. I agree there is no one right way to do these things.
Imitation is great, but you’re right it’s a huge waste of cognitive resources. Can you tell me what a few of the major hallmarks of your personal teaching philosophy would be?
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Comment on That is good enough for me by Alex Noble
Thank you so much for sharing your story! I like the idea of being a part of the lives of young people who may eventually (hopefully) change the world! The excitement that Jane McGonigal exhibited when she was talking about games changing the world in the Ted Talk we watched last week is the same kind of excitement I get whenever I talk about transportation safety (more boring than video games, but you get the point). If my exuberance about this topic can cause my students to be interested then I will be happy.
Your experience and instinct is what makes this material real for students, I feel that many of the young people in STEM learn best when they can apply what they’re doing in the classroom to a real-world environment, which is why I am such a huge fan of senior capstone projects, although I wish we could have done more research design as undergraduates. The skill of managing a multi-stage project is so useful regardless of if you go into industry or to graduate school post bachelor’s and it definitely sets you up for leadership positions in the workplace.
Comment on Are We Creating Roadblocks or Pathways? by Alex Noble
I can appreciate your desire to not be absolute, and I certainly agree when we become inflexible as instructors it is ultimately the students who end up suffering. In what contexts in the classroom would you be more of a Yearner? In what contexts in the classroom would you be more of a Schooler?
Comment on From Cooking to Becoming a Chef by Alex Noble
This is a very interesting analogy. I really like your last paragraph about food being an experience (in other parts of the world, at least). Education should also be an experience. Students should be given time to “chew and digest” — process and internalize the information they have received in class and a way to demonstrate that understanding with those who also shared the experience. Feeding is sort of a secondary goal to cooking, right? I want students to “know” this material, but having the ability to spout off facts that can be easily looked up is essentially pointless. I would much rather them be able to have a discussion and share an experience with their peers about the material than performing well on an exam.
Comment on Self-Assessment by Alex Noble
Maria, I think that last value you listed is the most important for a role of an instructor. To be empathetic does not make you a pushover. You can be understanding of a student’s situation and not overly lenient. I think that you and I share many similar personality traits, except in real life I’m pretty sure I suffer from RBF and my wife tells me I am not at all approachable. Since I have no idea how to change my face (without surgery) I guess I’m screwed. I believe if you truly care about the well-being of your students and their success you will be a great instructor. You do not have to be an entertainer or rule with an iron fist, you have to be Maria. You have to convey what you know they best way you know how and care a whole heck of a lot.
