We The Professors

READING AND MORE READING

Remember when the Harry Potter books came out? Kids young and old and older were lined up to get them and to read them. They were a phenomenon like no other. And it was all about reading. And it was great.

Yep, we all know students don’t read enough books. It's no longer a Harry Potter world. Not in high school, and certainly not in higher education. Sure, your students may read the textbooks, but it’s a relatively unique student who reads regularly for pleasure. And any teacher at any grade level knows that reading has as many benefits as almost any other educational activity. 

So, here are two ideas to help students in higher education not only read more, but to understand the pleasure, enjoyment and life benefits of reading books.

(1) Many colleges and universities have incoming freshmen read a book before arriving. Then the author often speaks during orientation and the book is subsequently discussed during the semester. That’s a great idea and should be an activity done by every higher educational institution. But why not expand the idea and have students read a book during each of their courses that is related to the subject of the course? Not a textbook, but a kind of pleasure book. A book to show students that there are great and popular books written about biology, psychology, mathematics and media. Sure, students will have to read five books if they take five courses, but…well, but why not? It’s a long semester. And what credit is this reading worth? Either extra credit or as a regular assignment with some writing and discussion.

(2) Why are there not campus reading groups? Why not required campus reading groups? Every student must belong to a group that includes 10 other students and a faculty member. A book is selected, read and discussed. Then another, and another throughout the academic year. Groups change every year and can often be organized by majors. How is credit for this activity given? It isn’t. Upon their entry into the university each student signs an honor-code-like agreement that requires their participation in this activity. Then let peer pressure and fascinating books do the rest.

Can books be required reading if they’re not attached to courses? Certainly they can. A process simply needs to be worked out that makes the activity interesting and enjoyable enough to achieve buy-in. Do students have to pay for the books. No, they should not have to pay for these books. They should be provided free either as an e-book or a print book.

What about the argument that there is enough for a prof to do without these extra books and groups to occupy their time? This is simply not a valid objection. The whole higher education enterprise is called education. Helping students find ways to become citizens who read regularly for pleasure is just another part of the educational process. It’s an important activity that simply must be done. If a course has too much to cover for reading to occur, then cover less and make time for the reading. Higher education includes understanding time management, for both faculty and students.

Hate these ideas? Do not want extra reading. Do not want to do this kind of thing. Then shame on you. Yep, shame on you.

 

GIVE A DAMN OR GET OUT

Once upon a time (in 1999) there was a film titled “Galaxy Quest.” And one of the catch phrases in the film was “Never Give Up, Never Surrender.”

Unfortunately, some professors give up and surrender before or shortly after the semester begins. Days just become a series of what seem like the same old chores. The joy expires too quickly or never starts. The thrill of a new semester becomes a monotonous task of staring at a sea of blank faces.

Learning stops for the prof. The assumption also becomes that the students have stopped learning, or never started learning or never want to learn. And the fear becomes that they (students) know you (prof) think they (students) do not want to learn. Thus…learning never occurs.

What to do? What to do?

There’s no magic to a solution here. It’s just simple execution. It’s the pure desire to not be average and to be to your students what you want them to be to you. The effort your students give back to you is the direct result of the effort you the teacher puts into it. Give up on them and they will definitely give up on you.

It’s your career. When you stop giving a damn as a teacher, it’s time to throw in the towel and find another career.

What to do indeed! Never give up. Never surrender. Never stop trying.

  

SETTING THE HIGHEST EXPECTATIONS

The beginning of a semester is a time for every professor to make a statement about the quality and the expectations of his/her academic program and the specific course the students are taking.

Here’s an example of one such statement that, with slight modifications, can be used by any program. When I used it, I did so on the first day of the course. I first read and discussed it and then distributed it as a written document.

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This academic department is committed to teaching you how to be an educated person/professional in the area(s) of (your area here).

• Our mission is to train professionals.
• Our standards are professional.
• Our expectations are professional.

We want you to be good time managers, good team members, good writers, good speakers, and good students. We want to teach you how to be those things and we want to be sure you succeed in this department.

As a member of this course, the department and I will have high expectations for you. We will expect you to treat this class just as you would your first job. We will expect your best effort and we will expect your best work.

We will expect you to attend every class and let us know before the class begins if you cannot attend. We will expect you to participate in each class, to ask questions, to contribute to the discussion, to be present in spirit as well as in body.

We will expect you to read often and to write and to speak well. We will expect you to remember the things you have learned in the classes that came before this class.

We will hold you to high standards of academic practice in terms of integrity and ethical principles. 

This course may be harder than any course you have ever taken.

But at the end you will have the satisfaction of having met professional standards and of being one step closer to achieving what we hope are your goals and dreams.

It is possible that you may not succeed because you do not fully understand our expectations. You should understand that everyone in this program knows we are not one of the best programs in the university. We know we are THE best in the university and we will expect the best from you.

Those of you who do not believe they can succeed, those of you that choose not to succeed, and those of you who will not put forth the effort to succeed should leave the classroom now. Otherwise, take out the pen and notebook and the assignment I asked you to bring to today’s class.

 

CAREFULLY THINKING ABOUT THINKING

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New posts every Monday and Thursday. 
Practical information, opinions and ideas for higher education.
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Ask your students how they think about things, about how they become interested in something.

 

Then think hard about what they said and how they think vs. how you think and how you thought they thought.

Then merge your thinking with their thinking and teach to the way students actually think.

Ask them periodically if things are getting through. Ask if your teaching to their thinking is causing them to think more.

Finally, ask them regularly if learning is occurring.

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Too often we, as profs, hope that our students share the same passion and interest about our discipline as we do.

Too often we hope they will endlessly read about our discipline.

But, usually students in our courses are more like shoppers than customers dedicated to our brand. They want to know what originally fascinated us about the discipline. And they want to be taught to think about the subject we are teaching.

But they have to be taught to think about the subject and the discipline in their way, not our way.

And that’s why we have to learn how they think. 

 

FIND OUT WHO READS THE SYLLABUS? PLUS A BONUS.

Doing your syllabus this week?

Putting a lot of time into writing it?

Afraid not enough students will read it?

Here's a tip.

Misspell three words in the syllabus. Don’t put the misspelled words together, but make them noticeable—such as spelling the word “attendance” as “atendence.” Tell students to read the syllabus carefully, as an editor might read it.

Then, on the class after you asked them to read the syllabus, pass out a note card to students as they enter the classroom.

Tell them there were a couple of obvious misspellings in the syllabus and that they should write their name and one of the words that was misspelled on the card.

Tell them this will count as their first quiz grade, perhaps 10 points.

Doing this gives an excellent way of seeing who read the syllabus as well as getting students to understand the responsibility necessary for them to do well in the course.

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BONUS

At the movies last week I saw a trailer for a film called “Whiplash.”

A character in the film named Terence Fletcher says: There are no two words in the English language more harmful than “good job.”

The character wasn’t talking about higher education, but what he said is applicable to higher education.

Why not teach in a way that students say more than “good job.” Why not demand of students more than just a “good job.”

Why not demand absolute excellence? Everyone comes out ahead.

 

BEGINNINGS AND THE IMPETUS TO COMMENCE

It’s a new semester. “Nuff" said.

Here are links to five older posts that could provide some thoughts, insights and motivation about what you do and how you do it.

• WORDS ON WRITING A SYLLABUS. Read it here.

• FIRST DAY, FIRST WEEK: ONE APPROACH. Read it straightaway.

• DON'T BE AFRAID OF BEING A DIFFERENT TEACHER. BE AFRAID OF BEING THE SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE. Read it pronto.

• WHY EVERY TEACHER SHOULD ASPIRE TO BE THE BEST. Read it today.

• TEACH LIKE YOU’RE IN THE FUTURE. Read it instantly.

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And…10 excerpts from the PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT posts this summer.

1. Write down for yourself the three things that wasted the greatest amount of your time in the previous academic year. Then think about how to change them for the better.

2. Teaching is storytelling. Framing content in the form of stories makes that content more memorable, easier to learn, easier to apply and easier to share. During every semester, tell every course (yes, EVERY course) you teach a story that will make the class laugh out loud, and want to share that story. Also tell them one story that will make them sad enough to cry. Make it a story they will also want to share. Remember, teaching is also an emotional pursuit.

3. Can you speak eloquently, insightfully and inspirationally about your department and your college or university? While this may be called an elevator pitch, in fact it should be a short (10-15 minutes), practiced and polished presentation that can be given to an individual or a group at a moment’s notice.

4. How can you deliver a course that students will truly miss when it’s over? How can you motivate yourself to deliver meaningful words and images that matter during every single class meeting? Actors in theatrical productions can be engaged and enthused performance after performance. So can you.

5. Are you making constant forward progress in your career as a teacher? Are you moving forward, getting better every course, every class, every year?

6. Do you say "thank you" enough? Do you thank anybody and everybody who gives you a big hand or a small hand or any hand at all? Are you a master of acknowledgment? Thank you notes, thank you emails, in-person appreciations—all delivered promptly, often and sincerely--contribute to how others see you and to how you feel about yourself. Start today.

7. Do we just want to graduate students or do we want to educate them? Why not figure out how to determine an education rate instead of a graduation rate.

8. What if your course, your department, your area of expertise, or even your institution was depicted as a movie poster? What if your program marketing video was in the form of a movie trailer?

9. A climate of unrelenting and constant change is toxic to any individual, any program, or any higher education institution. There is often a need for re-invention and renewal, but moving and changing the target and the goals constantly and relentlessly is something no quality person or program can endure.

10. GREAT educational institutions sweat every single tiny detail and make the institution function seamlessly and flawlessly so that every student and employee experiences that thoughtfulness to everything. All of us should pay attention to the advice of the late Conrad Hilton, founder of the hotel chain that bears his name. When asked what was his secret of business success, he replied, “Put the shower curtain inside the tub!”

  

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT…WEEK TEN

This is the final PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT post of the summer. Next week, August 11, begins regular twice-a-week posts to read and to ponder.

 

1. TED talk of the week: In what is probably his most well known TED talk, Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity. If you’ve seen it, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, then you must watch it. See it here.

2. Article of the week: Dr. Tyler J. Griffin says, “Not all classes cover interesting material all the time. While we can't change what needs to be taught, we can change how we deliver it. If we make the right adjustments to our course design and teaching methodologies, we will hear less complaining in our classes.” Read more of what he says here.

3. Wild-ass thought of the week: Fun: it’s not usually a term professors automatically connect to education or to their courses. But why not? Why not put a short section on your syllabus headed: “Why this course will be fun.” And don’t make what is said sound ridiculous. Make it honest and then deliver on what it says.

4. Self-evaluation topic for teachers: Are you getting ready for the new semester? Are you a little nervous about the first days of your courses? (That’s a good thing.) Are you taking active steps to avoid being one of those people who constantly laments the end of the summer vacation? Are you avoiding cynicism? Are you a quietly but strident voice for the beginning of school? Do you contribute to the “welcome back” mentality rather than the “OMG, it’s back to the trenches” mentality? Make sure your glass is half full and not half empty. 

5. Self-evaluation topic for administrators: The week before classes surely involves one or more meetings with school or department faculty. Have you considered a way or ways to make those meetings something different from the same-old, same-old meetings of previous semesters and years? If you want renewed energy and spirit in the attendees, then there has to be a phenomenally imaginative sense of energy and spirit by those in charge.

6. Shower thinking: Good educational institutions pay attention to those things that make the educational experience effective and the institution itself more user-friendly. GREAT educational institutions sweat every single tiny detail and make the institution function seamlessly and flawlessly so that every student and employee experiences the thoughtfulness to everything. All of us should pay attention to the advice of the late Conrad Hilton, founder of the hotel chain that bears his name. When asked what was his secret of business success, he replied, “Put the shower curtain inside the tub!”

 

CURIOSITY CANNOT BE TAUGHT, BUT IT CAN BE ILLUMINATED AND NURTURED

Curiosity is frequently the engine that drives learning and achievement. If a student is curious she will be a better student.

Yet curiosity is not something that can be taught. It’s not something that can be demanded on the syllabus. It can’t be easily tested. But it is a spark that can be lit. It is something that can be nurtured. Yet assuming, for the moment, that curiosity has not been well developed in students during high school, how can a college professor ignite that spark in college?

How indeed?

Each student must be motivated to see that the course subject and material represents a gap in his knowledge that needs to be filled. Psychologist George Loewenstein, in a 1994 article, talks about curiosity as not only a mental state, but also as an emotion, “a powerful feeling that impels us forward until we find the information that will fill in the gap in our knowledge.” Teaching, even in higher education, is a creative activity. It’s dealing with a student’s emotions so that a desire to learn becomes a mutual goal of both teacher and student.

Curiosity is that self-motivated desire that impels a student to search on their own for desired information, not because they have to, and not only because they want to, but because they feel like they need to know that information to become educated and informed.

In a course, talk about curiosity early on. Often a student simply looks at curiosity as a platitude thrown out as part of the academic jargon. Be motivated. Pay attention. Turn things in on time. Don’t plagiarize. Be curious. Blah, blah, blah.

So discuss curiosity…as an emotion, as a goal, as a flame that needs to be kindled and nourished. Give examples. Ask for examples. Examine it all for more than a few minutes.

Curiosity also can be nurtured by asking questions. Interesting questions. Fascinating questions. Questions posed by the professor that are so good that they lead to other questions. Point out that expert learners keep searching until they find answers to the cascading series of questions that emanates from something they want to become knowledgeable about. You want to pose questions to students that will lead them to additional questions of their own that will increase their desire to accumulate knowledge and information about a subject. Again, tell them that.

Curiosity can also be modeled and, in a sense, needs to be modeled if the professor is to be seen as the leader of a group of mutual learners. As the prof, point out how you became fascinated with the course subject, how you went about becoming curious, the initial questions you asked, and the complex questions and answers you developed in order to accumulate the knowledge necessary to teach the course.

In Lewis Carroll’s, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is the following:  “Curiouser and curiouser!” cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English).”

Alice is talking about curiosity as a sense of wonder. She knows not where she is. She does not know the people and things she encounters. But she is in awe. She wants to learn more. She enjoys the sense of adventure involved in her journey.

And any professor wants those same things for his/her students. But they will not get there on their own. The “curiouser and curiouser” has to be explained, nurtured, nourished and modeled.

  

THE BEST TEACHER YOUR STUDENTS EVER HAD

Only a few teachers in a student’s life are the ones she will always remember.

For often inexplicable reasons, a student holds on with amazing admiration and respect to the style, demands, personality, demeanor, attention, assistance or subject knowledge of some teachers and not others. For some students, it’s their second grade teacher. For others, a high school science teacher. For still others, a college public speaking professor. For some, it’s all three.

Do these teachers tell students that they will be the one remembered long after graduation? Of course not. Because, obviously, memorable teachers are different for each student.

Or are they?

What? How could “Or are they?” possibly ever be said?

Okay, okay…perhaps it shouldn’t be said.

Or should it?

The absolute excellence and originality and memorability quotient of every course should always be articulated. Every professor should want every student to remember their course and their teaching and them for…well…for forever.

And every prof should say that.

Even though you know that it will not happen for most students. But if there is no aspiration by the prof, then there can be no dramatic result.

At some point near the beginning (if not in the first minute of the first day) of a course say the following 20 words to your students. And say them humbly, and with absolute respect.

“I am always going to have been your teacher. And I will make this the best course of your life.”

Tell it to them. Then do it.

 

APPROPRIATELY ADDING ADJUNCTS

 

Adjuncts are the good, the bad, and the occasionally excellent people of higher education. The good are very good. The bad can be very bad. And the excellent are hard to find.

Is this point of view derisive? An explanation is required.

Adjunct faculty are on the rise at almost every college and university in the world. The reasons are many: they are relatively cheap labor, they require no medical or retirement benefits, and they are often readily available.

Professionals in many fields consider being adjunct faculty members for different reasons. Some (the younger ones) are exploring the teaching profession and are genuinely dedicated. Some do it as a feather in their cap. Some do it as an easy way to pick up a few extra bucks for telling the stories of their profession.

Obviously no adjunct faculty member teaches solely for the money, but that’s another post.

Adjunct faculty, no matter how good or how dedicated, are simply not full time faculty. They usually do not attend faculty meetings. They are not on college or department committees. They are not evaluated for promotion or tenure. Their hearts and minds are not tied to the day-to-day dedication of being a member of what Seth Godin would call the tribal community of higher education.

Simply stated, they are part-time help.

But they can serve a necessary purpose.

But too often the purpose they are asked to serve is the wrong purpose.

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Adjunct faculty are frequently asked to teach entry-level classes because...

• They seem willing and able and are often hired specifically to teach those classes.
• Those classes are most often the classes that have the highest enrollments and need the greatest number of extra sections.

But there are flaws in this thinking and almost every full time faculty member and front line administrator knows these flaws.

First, students in the beginning level classes need the best teachers to get the knowledge and the motivation that allows for both enthusiasm and excitement about actually being a major or a minor.

Second, for those students in a beginning class who are shopping for a major, these entry level classes need to be primary recruiting classes with faculty who will demonstrate the quality of the professoriate.

Adjuncts, by the very nature of their skills, should be teaching two types of courses. The technology skills courses and the upper level courses that can provide the transitions from higher education to the post graduate world. Numerous adjunct faculty are more experienced at the new technologies of many professions. And qualified professionals are exceptionally able to help the transition out of academia.

But…they do need help.

These adjuncts need an orientation to teaching skills and to the department in which they will teach.  They need vetted to ascertain competence. And they need comprehensive orientation to the specific course(s) they are to teach. This all includes productive gatherings with department full time faculty and with members of any teaching excellence center on campus. And this orientation should be done in the evenings with adjunct faculty being compensated for the orientation time.

But what about the time it takes to accomplish all this? Well, what about the time?

Higher education is about excellence and about quality. Higher education has to be about total competence. And adjunct faculty need to be placed and to be trained for where they belong, not just thrown into courses that have a section open.

 

FIRST DAY/FIRST WEEK: CHOREOGRAPHING YOUR CLASS

 

“Most teachers have little control over curriculum…but all  have a great deal of autonomy inside the classroom.  To a degree shared by only a few other occupations, education rests precariously on the skill and virtue of the teacher.” ~from a talk by Tracy Kidder

So, it’s that first day of the term. You and them. Them looking at you. Maybe they know you. Maybe they don’t. In a good way they are daring you to give them something worthwhile. They and you should not want the syllabus recited. They and you should not want trite platitudes (you know them all).

What they want is choreography and cool.

Here are a few suggestions for doing that introductory dance.

1. Here’s a definition of choreography totally adapted for the classroom. Choreography is defined as the movements, steps, and patterns composed by a teacher for a classroom, along with an array of content; the technique of representing the various movements and speech in a classroom by a system of notation; the arrangement or manipulation of the teacher’s actions known as a class.

Move around in the classroom, even a large class. Don’t sit and talk unless you’re a spellbinding speaker. Know exactly what you will do, write, say. Yes, it’s hard and it takes practice. But you’re a teacher, and that’s what teaching involves. Even if you’re experienced.

Twyla Tharp, in her book The Creative Habit says it very well.

“When I walk into [the studio] I am alone, but I am alone with my body, ambition ideas, passions, needs, memories, goals, prejudices, distractions, fears. These 10 items are at the heart of who I am. Whatever I am going to create will be a reflection of how these have shaped my life, and how I've learned to channel my experiences into them.”

2. Don’t be afraid to let others say things in unexpected ways. I use a TED (www.TED.com) talk by Sarah Kay titled “I have a daughter.” Sarah is a narrative poet. The talk is amazing. It’s about storytelling and much more. You can reference her skill to set the bar of the class, even a science class. Take a look.

3. Say these words. Exactly.

“As a member of this course, the college/department and I will have high expectations for you. We will expect you to treat this class just as you would your first job. We will expect your best effort and we will expect your best work. We will expect you to attend every class and let us know before the class begins if you cannot attend. We will expect you to participate in each class, to ask questions, to contribute to the discussion, to be present in spirit as well as in body. We will expect you to read often and to write and to speak well. We will expect you to remember the things you have learned in the classes that came before this class.

The standards of your education in this college/department will be the highest we believe you can achieve. The expectation will be great. We will turn you into the best and the brightest if you cooperate. If you do not, you will not succeed.”

4. Do an exercise. Here’s the instructions to the student. You will write a story about yourself. It will be printed on one plain white sheet of paper. Only two things will appear on this sheet of paper: your name on one side, and the story on the other side. BUT, THIS STORY CAN ONLY BE ONE SENTENCE OF NO MORE THAN 10 WORDS. That’s right…the story of you in 10 magical, creative, incredible, logical, emotional, informative words. Make the type size of the story at least 30 point bold. This story will be due next class.

When students enter the classroom next class, have them affix their stories on the wall. Their names will obviously not be visible. Go over them, reading each one, discussing each one briefly and non-judgmentally, and finally revealing the writer by having them stand up. It’s a great way to get to know everyone, even in a class as large as 30.

That’s all for now. More first day/first week in a week.