Overview
My curriculum vitae (CV) is a comprehensive, detailed description of my professional, scholarly, and academic credentials and achievements. Click on the button, below, to download and view my CV.
Overview
My curriculum vitae (CV) is a comprehensive, detailed description of my professional, scholarly, and academic credentials and achievements. Click on the button, below, to download and view my CV.
My Feedback to Students
"I really value and enjoy reading all your input on my assignments and recent marks you've uploaded...Thank you!"
~ excerpt from a student's email to me, spring semester 2019
Taking time to self-reflect is an important practice for instructors. As I encourage my students to consistently engage in the reflective process, so, too, do I strive to include regular self-reflection in my own professional practice. The written communications that follow include excerpts from feedback that I have given to students about their assignments, email correspondence from me to students and vice versa, and my contemporaneous notes about student behavior in class.
Project Statement of Intent, 2019
You did a good job of answering almost all of the questions in Steps I and II. What I did not see are the learning goals that your team has created for this lesson, based on the standards. Remember that we discussed in class that the standards inform our learning objectives, which inform the design of the instruction, which informs the technology that is selected to best achieve those learning goals? This is such a critical component of the statement of intent - and, indeed, the final project - that I'd like to offer you the chance to re-submit your statement of intent to include your learning goals without any additional penalty. The choice is up to you.
I appreciate your clear, well-organized description of how you will deliver content. For the purposes of this class, I would suggest that you include some kind of formal assessment, more than just asking students to verbally state what they learned. You might have noticed that in Steps IV and V in the syllabus, "assessing your students' learning" is included as a component of your final presentation and report.
Keep up the good work!
Final report feedback, 2019
As we discussed, I am only deducting 10% due to lateness. Please note that you did not post your team's final report along with your individual reflection, as specified in the syllabus. I will use the version of your group report that was posted by [your project partner] to [their] own assignment dropbox, but please make sure that you pay very close attention to the instructions for your assignments, especially your final report (which is worth 20% of your final grade in the course). One point will be deducted due to this serious oversight.
I appreciate your honesty in taking responsibility for problems with communication in your group toward the end of the process. There was some time when I was truly quite worried about you, since you were not responding to emails from me, or [your project partner], or your team at academic/student services. I hope that you can feel comfortable reaching out to me, or anyone on your support team, when you're struggling and need some extra help. At the least, it is important to regularly communicate with [your project partner]. I'm glad to hear that you and [your project partner] found a way to highlight each other's strengths and produce a good lesson.
Your team's report very clearly states a specific learning goal. You also laid out your report in an organized manner, listing each step that as was specified in the syllabus. I'm glad to hear that you give credit for this clear organization to [your project partner].
I can appreciate your team's argument that showing your students a Crash Course video would engage children better than a teacher presenting the information. My perspective is that it is actually the teacher's job to find different ways to actively engage every student in the lesson. Showing a video is passive engagement with learning content - students are only sitting there and watching. I bet that your team could have come up with an instructional presentation that was as informative and interesting as the Crash Course video - and, even better for your students, you are live, there in the room for them to engage with you in a number of ways (asking questions, interacting with other students, get feedback from you if they guess wrong or right).
My contemporaneous notes from after one class in 2019
- Student L came in complaining about parking, complained that her computer didn’t work, whined throughout class that she “hated” technology and didn’t know how to do anything, said her grandma has to teach her how to use a computer, constantly asked Student C to help her but loudly complained how stressed out the task was making her that Student C would lose patience and raise her voice to try to tell Student L to calm down, eventually Student C would pick up Student L’s laptop and do the task for her without explaining how, Student C left as soon as her assignments were turned in leaving Student L to struggle somewhat on her own (with my help as the class cleared out), Student L then complained to the student sitting next to her on the other side that Student C “yelled at her” and that she wouldn’t ask her for help anymore because “she’s my best friend and everything, but I can’t stand it when she yells at me!”, I later had a conversation with the two students about religious observance and reassured them that I would be happy to schedule make-up classes with them because religious observance is considered excused absence and they both expressed gratitude- this seemed to calm Student L down a bit and she expressed relief that she would get help, they both left smiling and very upbeat.
My subsequent email to Student C
I wanted to thank you for the extra work you put in to help your fellow students during last week’s class. I can imagine it can be difficult to both complete your own work in class as well as help others. This could put you in a difficult situation, so I want to make sure that you know that you are under no obligation to help fellow classmates – that job falls to Lei and me, as the course instructors. If any of your fellow students ask you for help, I hope you will feel comfortable with getting Lei’s or my attention so that we can help your fellow students and you.
Today in class, we will choose our final group project partners, subject content, and grade level. I am sensitive to the dynamics that can sometimes happen when working with friends on final projects. If you would like my help in choosing your final project partner – or if it would make life easier for you if I assigned partners – please let me know.
Thank you again for going above and beyond. I’m here for you if you need me.
Amber