Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Workshop 3 - Explore another teaching tool!


Feb 3 - The Benefits of Problems: How to use Problem-based Learning and Problem Solving to Promote Critical Thinking
242 Asmundson Hall (Big Jack Hanna Room)

Description: 
“This class taught me how to think.” Are you interested in getting feedback like this on your course evaluations? Interested in helping your students move beyond knowing course material to developing deep critical thinking skills? This workshop will introduce you to techniques you can use to help students assimilate information at a deeper level through problem-solving and problem-based learning. We’ll cover what problem-based learning is, how to use it, and provide examples of how problem-solving can be used in all types of classes–from the humanities to social sciences to STEM courses.

Friday, January 27, 2012

How to Make a Syllabus Reflections

Today is the one week anniversary of the beginning of the 2012 edition of the TAC Winter Workshop Series. In celebration, here is a tribute to the first workshop: How to Make a Syllabus. On Friday January 20, Mara Evans, Henry Yeung and Jeff Anderson led a group of 40 dedicated UC Davis graduate students and post-docs through the topic of course syllabuses. The enthusiastic educators who attended this workshop represented 24 different graduate programs at UC Davis. Participants worked collaboratively to develop an outline of the elements of a strong syllabus, to identify of the purpose of a syllabus, and to construct an outline for a personal syllabus to be used in future UC Davis classrooms.

Following the TA Consultant philosophy, participants learned by doing. The workshop began with a think-pair share exercise, discussing in groups of four: What is the purpose of a syllabus? These small group discussions coalesced into a collective brainstorming session. Below are some of the highlights of the discussion:

The Purpose of a Syllabus:
  • Sets the tone for the course
  • Communicates expectations to the students
  • Aids in organization of the course for the Instructor
  • Used as a reference for policies in case of dispute
  • Acts as a contract between the instructor and the students
After this group discussion, the workshop shifted into a quick write, an activity aimed at encouraging individual reflection via silent writing. Participants responded to the prompt: Think of a course you teach or want to teach. What information will be included on your syllabus? Using this writing exercise as a base for a second group discussion, the audience generated the following list of course content to be included in their individual syllabuses:
  • Course title
  • Personal contact information (email, office phone)
  • Due dates for assignments
  • Rules and expectations for classroom behavior
  • Policies on late assignments
  • Email etiquette and communication policies
  • References and additional readings
  • Grading Scheme
  • On campus resources (CAPS, UWP, etc...)
  • Course abstract including a summary and objectives
  • List of required materials
  • Personal statement
  • Positive reinforcement
  • Support for students via a welcoming tone

In the next exercise, participants compared and contrasted two syllabuses that had been used at UC Davis in Fall 2011. In groups of 6, the teams of educators analyzed one syllabus from ENL 3: Introduction to Literature and one syllabus from FST 3: Introduction to Brewing and Beer. Of course, each group had a chance to share their opinions with the entire congregation in the third and final group discussion.

The interactive portion of the workshop ended with a 10 minute individual brainstorming session. Each participant used a worksheet to respond to the following questions:

  • What is one objective you have for your course?
  • How might you asses if you have met this objective?
  • What are your classroom expectations?
  • What are your policies concerning grading, homework, participation, email etiquette, cheating, etc.?
  • How will you grade your students work?
  • What assignments will you have?
  • If you have a discussion section, what is the purpose?

The conclusion of the days activities included the distribution of the Winter Workshop Series Syllabus and evaluations for the days activities. Participants were encouraged to complete a personal syllabus and submit it for credit on the smartsite page associated with this workshop series.

Overall, the level of professionalism and energy demonstrated by the workshop participants bodes well for UC Davis students. If these individuals were representative of the attitudes of Davis Teaching Assistants and Instructors, it is very clear the UC Davis students are in capable hand. These people care about teaching, look for ways to develop themselves professionally and are capable of creating interactive and provocative learning environments. To the future of UC Davis education, Go Aggies!

Monday, January 23, 2012

TAC doings & Workshop 2

It's amazing how fast time passes! We are now in the 3rd week of the quarter. That means here at the TAC we've had two meetings and we're coming up on our third. The winter is especially exciting because we have our Winter Workshop series (as I'm sure you've noticed). We spent much of last quarter planning what we'd do for the series, so our first meeting this quarter started off fast and furious with Mara, Jeff, and Henry giving us a dress rehearsal of their workshop on syllabus making, which they gave last Friday. 


Yes you heard that right! We give each other dress rehearsals before we give you the full workshop. It a great way to practice our lesson plans and that way all the TACs get to "see" all the workshops. For me, seeing all the dress rehearsals over the years as taught me so much and given me so many awesome ideas for what to do in my classrooms.


Last week, workshop 2, Erin, Henry, and Dalia, gave their dress rehearsal to us on assessment for critical thinking. We had a great conversation about Bloom's taxonomy, from which one of the TACs commented that he appreciated revisiting the technique and viewing it as a way to organize your assignments and thoughts. If you want to experience it yourself please check out their workshop this Friday! But please note the room change!



Jan 27 - Going Critical: Creating Activities that Promote Critical Thinking
242 Asmundson Hall (NOTE room change from last week)

Description: Do you want your students to think more critically? Do you want your exams to do measure more than memorization? Join our workshop to learn how to build assignments, quizzes and exams that assess student understanding of course content while improving their critical thinking. Learn to develop assessments that encourage creative, active learning and higher-order thinking--the kinds of skills that will transport student knowledge beyond the classroom. We’ll develop some guidelines for assessing critical thinking and work with examples of some of the best creative assessments.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Winter Workshop Series, Workshop 1


Welcome back to Davis! We at the TAC Program hope you all had lovely holidays. 

The TACs have been busily working on the Winter Workshop Series, from which you can earn a certificate if you attend 5 of 6 workshops. We're really excited about it. It's all about teaching your own course. To start off the series, we're going to cover the first thing most teachers hand out on the first day, a syllabus!

Check back here for more updates and reviews of workshops.




How to Make a Syllabus

Date: Friday, Jan 20
Time: 10:00am - Noon
Place: 2342 Storer Hall

Description:
Are you a first-time instructor or TA? Are you an experienced TA that would like to re-think how you teach a class? Whether you are a TA, an Associate Instructor, or anticipating your first teaching job, a syllabus serves as a framework for your class. In this workshop we will outline the elements of a syllabus and discuss its purpose. You will leave with an outline of a personal syllabus. If you are entering the job market, a fully developed syllabus is an excellent indication of your teaching abilities. Our discussion will provide a foundation for the topics covered later in this six-part series, including how to assess critical thinking, how to link the humanities and STEM, how to grade effectively and efficiently, and classroom management. 

Please see the attachment for descriptions of the full series and for more information please visit http://ucdtaconsultants.blogspot.com/ or email us atTAC@ucdavis.edu.