“I know it when I see it”: Pedagogical Scaffolding—2 of 2Posted on July 23, 2013 by Jane S. Webster“I know a good one when I see it.”These words haunted my experience as an undergraduate student. No doubt my professors intended to reassure me that they had some reasonable expectations of my work product, but they failed to enlighten me what those expectations might actually be. I groped around in the dark until I would accidently get it right. I was an anxious mess. I vowed to let my students know the secrets of success right from the start. But what is the best and easiest way to do it?
ACE Series Part I: Your Students Can ACE Critical WritingPosted on July 23, 2013 by Richard NewtonYep, we asked for it. The classroom has never been more diverse. Students are coming from both sides of the poverty line, from all walks of life, and from everywhere on the map. Slowly but surely our ivory tower’s doors are widening to more of the world. And we professors have the opportunity of a lifetime. We get to guide students on the path to informed global citizenship, the dream of a university education.But that also means we can no longer pass the buck. You know what I’m talking about, and you’ve seen what I’ve seen.
Backwards Course Design in Religious Studies—1 of 2Posted on July 22, 2013 by Jane S. WebsterAs a new teacher in a liberal arts undergraduate college, I had no idea how to plan a religious studies course, except to imitate the text-book dependent plans of my own teachers.I quickly felt frustrated; no textbooks quite did the trick and my creative innovations felt more like clumsy interruptions. Understanding by Design, by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, gave me some very useful tips that I now pass onto you, adapted for college-level teaching in religion, biblical studies, and theology.