Before I Take My Classes Online (3 of 3): “So, I’ll Be Able to See All Their Faces, Right?” Posted on February 5, 2015 by A+ Brooke Lester, CuratorFor the face-to-face teacher and learner, entering the online teaching environment is a cross-cultural experience. It’s natural to try to hold on to the familiar, even when aware that this can interfere with a genuinely immersive, transformative experience of an unfamiliar environment. Find your points of discomfort, and ask questions (like those in this blog series) of instructors who already teach online….
Learning Involves Moving and Being Moved—Part 2: Six Strategies of an Invitational Pedagogy Posted on January 19, 2015 by Mindy McGarrah SharpPhenomenologists and narrative theorists note the importance of a horizon to learning – a not yet that beckons engaged, creative, responsible movement. Self-psychologist Heinz Kohut insists on “postponing closures” when interpreting any life experience, one’s own or on behalf of another person. Learning has more room to move and breathe when a learning process yields to an open future, leaving room to move discourses, interpretations, theological claims, and processes of becoming into a life’s vocation…
Learning Involves Moving and Being Moved—Part 1: Hinge Moments Posted on January 12, 2015 by Mindy McGarrah SharpHinge moments often evoke dislocation, opening certainties and unfolding more multidimensional possibilities to what appeared to be smoothed out maps. For theological educators trained to map a place in a field, carve out a scholarship domain, advance a particular line of thought, maps and map-making are key vocational tools to meet the dislocations that new questions of hinge moments propose….
Late Nights in the Library: Meeting Students on Their Terms Posted on December 29, 2014 by Josh KingcadeNow, we should never encourage procrastination. Nor should we commend the practice of cramming in library late nights right before a paper deadline. But often, faculty expect students to make time only during the day (AKA: during our office hours). Normally, this is reasonable. But when do you think students are doing most of their work on their papers? (When did you do most of your work on your papers?) It’s at night, when they can focus more, and yet faculty are nowhere to be seen. I’ll bet if you surveyed your students, over eighty percent of work on term papers is done during the evenings on the week the paper is due. If your students are doing their work in the evenings leading up to the due date, why not be available to help them then?
Using Wikis Well: Preparation, Implementation, and Engagement (2 of 2) Posted on December 19, 2014 by Brad AndersonIn my previous post I explored how wikis can be a helpful tool in fostering interest in and engagement with the study of the Bible. You might be wondering how much work is involved in the use of wikis, and how such a tool can be integrated into the learning experience. With this in mind I want to highlight a few issues that need to be kept in mind if wikis are to be used well. One of the first things to consider is how a wiki will fit into the larger framework of your class….