Month: May 2023

We are briefly pausing our entanglement with learning monsters to address a question that has been popping up–do you have any recommendations for summer reading?

At CfT, we are big fans of the Teaching and Learning in Higher Education series from the West Virginia University Press. Their latest book, Improving Learning and Mental Health in the College Classroom, follows the series’ pattern of current research supporting actionable steps that faculty can use in their classrooms. ‘Theory into Practice’ sections in each chapter offer a variety of strategies that work across teaching and learning contexts. This book is a strong contender for the No Time to Read Book Club–check it out and let us know your thoughts!

Elizabeth F. Barkley and Claire Howell Major have written books about collaborative learning and learning assessment techniques. Their books are noteworthy for offering a variety of strategies with clear discussion about the pros and cons to all approaches. Two personal favorites from these authors are Engaged Teaching: A Handbook for College Faculty and Interactive Lecturing: A Handbook for College Faculty. Engaged Teaching is great if you are doing a complete rethink of your practice, especially in response to new teaching and learning needs for students. Interactive Lecturing proves that the lecture is not dead–and can actually be engaging for students.

Books and pools can sometimes be a tricky combination—cannonball, anyone? If putting on the earphones and listening to a podcast is more your style, we recommend the following series (most with deep back catalogs of episodes):

• Intentional Teaching with Derek Bruff (new episodes every Tuesday and a fabulous newsletter as well)
• Tea for Teaching with John Kane and Rebecca Mushtare (if you are doing the TILT workshop with CfT in June, listen to the May 24th episode with Mary-Ann Winklemes)
• Lecture Breakers with Barbi Honeycutt (so many great active learning strategies and resources)
• Teaching in Higher Ed with Bonni Stachowiak (Be sure to check out episode 465 with Sarah Rose Cavanagh discussing her latest book, Mind Over Monsters, another No Time to Read Book Club finalist)

Share with us your summer reading and podcast favorites–we would love to give them a shout out (and add to the piles on our desks, nightstands, and playlists!)

Teaching during a pandemic challenged all norms of what can be done in classrooms–and, now, we’re not sure if what we’re doing works anymore. Extensions or hard deadlines? Prescribed assignments or choose-your-own options? Attendance policies or Zoom options?

If we want to compassionately challenge students, we have to know and name the ‘learning monsters’ they bring to our classes. Learning monsters are the messages students carry about their ability to learn and respond to challenges. Compassionate challenge starts with recognizing monsters auditing our classes by taking seats in our students’ minds.

This past Tuesday, we asked faculty in a Center for Teaching workshop to identify ‘learning monsters’ who attached to our students this year. Meet the students you never knew you had…

The Stress Monster, who doesn’t know what to study or how to study or why everyone else gets it besides them.

Multifactor Medusa waits to the last minute to complete an assignment AND thinks they cannot do anything AND runs out of time AND thinks they are not good enough–in anything.

Terrible Time Terror (T3 to the rest of us) juggles jobs, family, friends, classes, studying, and social media plus a dose of imposter syndrome and loneliness and remembers high school being so much easier.

Self-Sabotaging Sally has a task list, a tower of worries and questions, and a nagging voice telling her that she could and should be so much more.

The Box is afraid of everything–asking for help, college, failing, your class, and not being perfect. The Box is scared and sad–Box just wants to stay, well, in a box.

Coming late to the party (of course) is Failure. Failure is scary and stinky and chews on the confidence of even the strongest student.

We all carry learning monsters with us. No one relishes the idea of failing or falling short in achieving a goal. These monsters, though, can be super-sized (think Incredible Hulk scary) when…

• we are in high stakes situations
• we are challenged by anxiety
• we are experiencing depressive symptoms or depression

As students look in their backpacks and see these super learning monsters staring back, they can respond in a variety of ways. We may see more absences, frustration with grades and class activities, withdrawal from group work or teams, perhaps some tears during office hour visits.

What can we do? How can we challenge students who need compassion and understanding?

• We can anticipate that ALL students bring learning monsters to the classroom.
• We can purposefully design safe spaces for learning.
• We can create small, scaffolded experiences to expand student knowledge of self and strategies to face their fears.

Challenge: Take some time to identify and name the learning monsters lurking behind and among your students. How do student behaviors relate to avoiding these creatures?

Next week, we’ll get out our flashlights and shine a light on strategies to expand student self awareness because learning monsters love nothing more than ‘not knowing’.