Interactions: informal, intentional and inspired
And whatever’s going down will follow you around
BIG PICTURE: Zoom, interrupted
A recent Zoom-related blog post (Kim, 2021) reminded me of conversations I have been lately about how we are spending our time together–with students and with colleagues. Are we meeting in person? Do we have to? When is it preferable? Where can I sit and work between meetings: at home, in a coffee shop, library study space, my office? Where can I safely (and privately) Zoom? It is definitely taking some adjustment as I go about my travels and inadvertently interrupt a videoconference or lecture recording session, either in a public space or office. Wireless earbuds aren’t helping either. Is someone in a meeting or just muttering to themselves? I was glad to read in Kim’s piece that I am not alone. I relish frequent serendipitous encounters and conversations on campus, but I also welcome news ways to think, both deeply and collectively, about how we make the most of time, space, and intention. As deliberately as we have been planning for in-person and/or online teaching, I encourage us all to give similar attention to the time we spend in meetings (as well as to those meeting agendas!), to the ways we can stay connected virtually, and to making the most of opportunities to meaningfully engage when we come together face-to-face. And did I mention breaks? Years ago, I led a brief campaign in favor of the 20-minute meeting. Clearly that idea didn’t stick. But we are in a new era, living through back-to-back Zoom meetings and the concomitant exhaustion. Please join me in planning and advocating for the 30-, 45-, and if you must, the 50-minute meeting. Remind yourself and those around you to use that newfound time between meetings to actually take a break. Breathe, stretch, dance, sing, hydrate. Whatever is rejuvenating to you. Just not email. It can wait!
APPROACH: #NoGradeNovember
Talk is growing (at GVSU and beyond) about the practice of ungrading, rethinking traditional approaches to grades and leaning into authentic assessments of student learning.
A quick take: I stumbled across the hashtag above in two poetic posts by Monte Syrie: A step is still a step and Lose the goggles.
A blog: Remember when Jesse Stommel spoke with GVSU faculty earlier this year about designing authentic assessments? (Recording and materials posted on the Pew FTLC website.) His blog post How to ungrade is a fabulous introduction to the topic.
A book: A beautiful open-access volume, Crowdsourcing Ungrading, assembled by David Buck of Howard Community College, is filled with ungrading examples, instructor reflections, links to presentations, and more.
A video: I deepened my understanding of ungrading through a Human Restoration Project interview with Susan Blum, editor of Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead). This book, read and recommended by our summer Ungrading FLC participants, is available as an eBook through Universities Libraries, so do check it out.
STRATEGY: The role of informal writing during class
You may or may not remember filling out a teaching methods survey associated with the 2016-2021 Strategic Plan. The survey asked questions about educational technologies, student engagement approaches, community engagement, professional development support, resources, etc. The survey was administered three times over the strategic plan time period, most recently in Winter 2020. I noticed a trend that gave me pause: relatively infrequent use of informal writing in teaching. I subscribe to the notion that writing and thinking are inextricably linked and I have found informal writing to be incredibly important to me and my students. Whether to foster reflection on pre-class readings, to deepen connections of a new course concept to the real world, or to stimulate synthesis of a class discussion, there are numerous applications of planned, intentional writing activities and impromptu stop-and-write moments. I couldn’t help but share here a few concrete examples and guides to help make my case.
Informal, In-Class Writing Activities, a multi-page guide with examples from a number of disciplines
One-Minute Paper: Assess Through Student Expression, another guide with a great overview video and practical suggestions for incorporating this common classroom assessment technique
Writing Activities for Online Learning, synchronous and asynchronous approaches to informal writing
Writing-to-Learn in Undergraduate Science Education: A Community-Based, Conceptually Driven Approach, for those looking for a robust literature review and a range of applications in STEM and beyond
VISUAL: Taking your Think-Pair-Share game up a notch
Whether in person or online, think-pair-share is one of my favorite class activities. And it can certainly include an aspect of informal writing, if so desired. The structure is deceptively simple, but class design and provocative prompts matter. This infographic is a great reminder of how you (and your students) can build on the format to further engage with your course content. Check out the infographic series: The Basics, Level Up, and Power-Up.
