Inservice 2/16/07

So the inservice today was about different learning styles, which included an "ice breaker" that included a cute video that was about ten minutes long about a restaurant owners problems with cochroaches. We then took a self examination quiz of how our learning style is an then broke into groups where we had a task in which some groups had to really think outside of there normal learning way to complete the task. People from each group then discussed the task presented to their group and how they completed it and the different problems they had while doing it. Then inservice was wrapped up with announcements from various people, one announcement to look into for, everyone, is the announcement Mary M. made about donations made to Sparrow hospital to help children in need around the community, and the bowling fund raiser.

The Smile Journal

A rumor has reached my ears: there is now a Smile journal in the workroom. the principal is to write down something that makes you smile to share with the office. Or, if you need a smile, stop by and read it.

Since I can't write in the journal at the moment, I thought I'd share my smiles via blog. Feel free to print and (physically) cut and paste into the journal:

Fresh flowers
Dogs playing in the snow (yep. there is snow here now)
Fresh paint in the right color
Still having an opportunity to be a part of the best place I ever worked (yes, that's you)

oh, and I'll be visiting in March, so I'll read yours too...

New Exploration Group -- Becoming a Master Tutor

On February 13th, we had our planning meeting for a new Exploration group with an evolving name -- Becoming a Master Tutor. This is a very enthusiastic and energetic group that is extremely excited about exploring how each of us can develop more effective tutoring skills. (This is right up my alley! Even though I have been tutoring since I was a wee lass, I just love learning about how others tutor and how I might improve my skills.) Some of the things we will be exploring are how to connect with students, how to connect students with what they're learning, recruiting and retaining students (groups and 1:1 tutoring), and how technology can make life easier for our students and for us. We'll also have a free form discussion on immediate concerns. Cool, hunh?

If you would like to join us we meet Tuesdays, 12:10 to 1:00 p.m. in my office. Bring your lunch, bring your ideas, bring yourself, bring a friend -- leave charged up! If you have any questions, please see Matt T. (aka MathMatt), Nick K., or me.

Renée
tutoring@lcc.edu

Links in a Blink Plus

Chelsea (TS Tutor and Library Circluations Supervisor) visited Lunchin' with Laptops for the first time today. After figuring out how to create a new Blogger account, she browsed posts from recent weeks.

We talked about the demo of MP3 players during the Feb. 2 inservice, about which Matt T. and she made comments in the Instructional Lab TLC 218 (see the post Best Kept Library Secrets).

Chelsea asked how to make a link, so blog readers may easily connect to the post. There are two ways:

#1 HTML Code

#2 Blogger Short Cut

CTE Teaching Seminar: Transforming Learning

As some of you know I am currently involved in the Transforming Learning Through Teaching 12-week Seminar through the Center for Teaching Excellence. I thought that I might explore blogging by sharing some of the ideas from the seminar here.

Week 1:
The first week we explored the advantages of icebreaker activities in the classroom. I know that those of us who attend Tutoring Inservices have the advantage of experiencing a wide variety of these in practice, but I was surprised that many of the participants had never tried an icebreaker in their classroom. For those of us who may be running out of icebreaking ideas (hah!!), the CTE has a list of at least 32 ideas and other web resources at: http://www.lcc.edu/cte/resources/teachingettes/icebreakers.html

Also covered was the importance of learning students' names in order to foster a “community of learning.” The CTE has a list of 24 ideas for remembering students names: http://www.lcc.edu/cte/resources/teachingettes/whatsinaname.html
Because I’m a visual/kinesthetic learner, I find it sometimes helps me to write out a name---with my right 1st finger on the palm of my left hand, if no other writing options are handy.


Week 2: Motivating Students
“Whatever a teacher can do to increase the value of the learning to students and to help students hold optimistic and positive expectations about their own ability to succeed will aid motivation.” [Cross, K.P., (2001). Motivation: Er…Will That Be on the Test? The Cross Papers, No. 5, League for Innovation in the Community College, Educational Testing Service.]

…so the best we can do as teachers is to create the conditions for our students to want to learn, & let them take it from there. This session also briefly addressed “Six Principles for Motivating Students to Learn” [Cross, 2001] which may seem familiar to most of us:
1. Expect Success
2. Create Optimal Levels of Challenge
3. Encourage Feelings of Control
4. Capitalize on Intrinsic Motivation (interests, callings, sense of accomplishment)
5. Give Informational Feedback
6. Capitalize on Social Motivation

…but I have to say one of the highlights of the session was an example of using “appropriate” humor (and Dr. Evil) as a motivation device: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnDj4YroP1w