Recently, the BGSU community has been introduced to a conceptual learning model, designed by BGSU’s Connecting the Undergraduate Experience (CUE), Faculty Senate Committee. The learning model combines the major elements of the teaching and learning process, such as the subject matter, the instructional methodology, optimization of learning context, and recognition and measurement of the learning process itself.
Among the many questions raised at the CUE workshops in early November, the issue of how to measure such learning experiences seemed to be among the most common. Educators want to discuss alternative ways to recognize and measure students’ learning. Ultimately, we are all asking: how do we know that students are learning?
The main problem seems to be that many educators think of examinations when they think of measuring or evaluating. They believe the purpose of evaluation is to assign a final grade. In the learner-centered classroom that CUE seeks to promote, both the methods and the purpose of measurement are broader in their scope. Moreover, evaluation must be directly connected to course objectives and learning outcomes.
A primary purpose of evaluation is to help students develop broad knowledge of the subject and, more importantly, the skills to apply this knowledge effectively and efficiently. Evaluation exists to help students construct knowledge and set goals for further achievements.
To develop a broad knowledge of the subject, students need continuous feedback on their work in progress, which might include self-assessment and peer review. Evidence shows that student performance improves with this type of evaluation, which allows students to track their own progress, thus increasing their motivation to learn. Additionally, assessment does not necessarily have to be one way – from teacher to students. It is also important for students to have a chance to give their feedback on their learning experiences to their teachers. This practice allows students to use critical thinking and reflective skills that are necessary to their achievement of the University Learning Outcomes.
There are many ways for educators to measure students’ knowledge and skill development. The Chronicle of Higher Education offers a list of assignments that can be implemented in a learner-centered classroom (http://chronicle.com/article/Chart-More-Faculty-members/48848).
As the CUE committee’s learning model is discussed and debated, we hope to continue the dialogue about measuring student learning that will inform our curricula, instruction, construction of productive learning environments and the learning process itself. In the coming weeks this blog will present a number of new ways to think about measuring learning. We hope that you will join us for a frank and fruitful discussion about how we know when students are learning.
November 16, 2009
As this semester winds down we wanted to consider how our use of This I Believe as the common reading assignment could be brought to a close. One option may lie within the BGSU Honors Program, where there has been a concerted effort to bring together a wealth of student perspectives within a special BGSU Believes Book. Dr. Jodi Devine, Associate Director of Academic Affairs for the Honors Program, said that the idea for the book developed from a program-wide effort to keep pushing students further in their interactions with the common reading. Dr. Devine explained that the program wanted to “encourage a sense of pride and a sense of ownership in the writers. This way we do not just publicly acknowledge student contributions, we publicly display them.”
Student essay submissions have already arrived at the department offices and program directors have begun the review and editorial process. Artwork developed by students has also become an integral part of the book with both the cover art and thematic icons growing out of work created by the students.
While the contributions have been piling up, the ultimate goal of this cumulative work is not merely to show off the work of a few, but to engage with ideas of the many. To this end, the program is also soliciting submissions from professors. Given the desire to collaborate and share ideas across campus, it makes sense to provide a forum for both students and faculty to share their ideas, their beliefs and their writing with one another. “This is an important question to ask,” says Dr. Devine, “regardless of whether it’s graded or not”, and certainly regardless of whether you’re a humble freshman or a venerated Ph.D.
One might be tempted to think that the end of a semester allows teachers and students to end our engagement with the curriculum, but truly effective teaching rests on ongoing interaction with materials, questions and each other. Continuing our examination and exploration of beliefs and values in a free exchange of ideas, as the Honors Program has suggested, allows us to do just that.
If you are faculty member interested in contributing to the Honors Program’s publication project, you can contact Jodi Devine or Paul Moore for more information, or e-mail completed essays to honors@bgsu.edu by January 15th 2010.
November 6, 2009
As we begin to wrap-up our discussion of the Common Reading, the Center for Teaching and Learning is proud to publish the reflections of freshman student Lindsay Watts:
When I begin writing anything I simply do what I love and what I think I do best: I tell a story. I do it less for the reader and more for myself. You see, I like to be able to close my eyes and have a piece of literature read to me. I like to watch what is being said come to life beneath my eyelids and feel whatever is being felt in the piece [as though] it was happening to me personally. I have always thought that reading should be [an] experience that way, very vivid and almost tangible. So, in prewriting, I usually go through a few hand-written drafts of different images or points I try to make. Usually, I will write these down sitting having a coffee, doing homework, [or] in the middle of class when an idea suddenly hits me. Then I will take these hand-written drafts and paste and kind of glue them together into a paper and from there it will only take some tweaks and polishing steps to have a completed final draft.
[W]hen I wrote this particular paper I noticed that I had two stories to tell about two completely different parts of my life but they were drawn together by one simple element. My point in this paper was my passions and how they gave me the peace of mind to do what I needed to in high-pressure situations. My teacher, Amy Rybak, suggested, after looking at my rough draft, [that] I needed a relating topic between my horseback riding and speech and debate experiences–two clearly different things. When she mentioned that I learned something about myself. I learned that my experiences with my horse in childhood prepared me for the “spotlight” of sorts [which] I assumed later in my high school years. My structure was almost completely reworked, as it needed to be, with the helpful suggestion by Mrs. Rybak. She helped me realize something about myself and, in turn, helped better structure the direction of my paper.
[A]fter I…paste together a draft, it usually needs some adjustments and polishing. In this case, even though I loved my vivid introduction paragraph, mostly because I enjoyed writing it, I had to go back and rewrite the entire paragraph to sway the reader into seeing things from the right perspective. That it say, get them to understand my thesis better.
In the end I think it gave me confidence that: a) I can do this college stuff (haha) and b) that there are people who will to help and guide you into doing well. You don’t know how good it feels…to not feel like I’m doing this alone. Plus I’m always excited to go class because Mrs. Rybak is always in a good mood and has a very open mind to anything you want to talk about, discuss, write about, etc.
I’m enjoying this class so far as, honestly, my favorite class at Bowling Green.
***
Given Lindsay’s process, those who teach using the Common Reading might consider the following question: how visible or tangible are our beliefs? What can be done to help students see, touch and clearly identify their beliefs (in a manner similar to what Lindsay did with her pre-writing collage)?
Comments are welcome in the message board below.
October 8, 2009
We continue our exploration of the university’s reflection on the year’s Common Reading with the review of exciting experiences in University 1000 and General Studies Writing classes. UNIV 1000 and General Writing instructors shared their perspectives on how the Common Reading can be implemented in the classroom curricula.
There are several types of assignments organized around This I Believe theme, such as essay writing, discussion facilitation, reviews, group presentations, or semester papers. Instructors might have different ideas on what particular topics they want their students to think about such as family relationship, professional growth, learning philosophies, religion, war, art and many others. However, these instructors believe that these assignments will help students to develop important skills in order to be successful in their pursuit of achievements as they enter academic life and go further in their life discoveries.
The desired development of students’ skills are aligned with classes objectives and learning outcomes. Some of them are concentrated on simply enlarging students’ knowledge on societal issues, encouraging students to go deeper in their understanding of consequences of past actions. Others focus on helping their students master analytical skills, as they reflect on how the class discussions of various This I Believe topics changed their perspectives over the semester. Another group of instructors work on improving students’ creative and critical thinking as they invite them to write diagnostic essays on certain events mentioned in the book. Additionally, there are instructors who attempt to develop better communication skills among their students as students are challenged to state and defend their positions, argue and reflect on others’ assertions and assumptions.
Michael Ginsburg, Associate Dean of Students, told us that he wants his students “to look into themselves and start to define who they are as a person in relation to others and the world around them.” Michael’s short statement helps us grasp the scale of the Common Reading’s impact on student’s general growth and development.
September 29, 2009
Carney’s This I Believe essay can be found here:
http://thisibelieve.org/essay/22302/
I wrote my This I Believe essay in the dead of winter, January 2006, sitting in my office one day prior to the start of the winter term. Over the years I’ve learned that this is a time of year when the warmth of a good heater and some student-free quiet moments often evoke a mood of reflection and meaning-making. My opportunity came in the form of being a parent whose only son, at age 22, had just made a momentous decision on his own to become a U.S. Marine. Part of me wanted to stand up and cheer. At least for now, following a string of dead-end factory jobs, apparently he had found a direction. This was his life and he was going to live it. Another part of me though was gripped by a sense of dread for his choice. Where would this lead him? What other choices would he have to make? Would he regret any of them? Would he come back whole?
This was a helpless feeling for me, a person accustomed to being in control, almost as if something or someone else was in charge of what was happening and I could only watch. That’s how the image of Abraham came to mind. This Patriarch of Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament) was asked by Yaweh (God) to sacrifice his son, Jacob, as a sign of his faith. The scene described in Genesis 22 tells of Abraham, who built an altar on a prescribed mountaintop, and upon arranging wood for a fire, bound and laid his son to be a burnt offering. At the moment he reached for his knife to slay Jacob an angel cried out, “Abraham! Abraham! Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” I can’t fathom the confusion and terror in Abraham at that moment when ultimate trust placed him in these horrendous circumstances. I sometimes wonder whether he would have carried through on his command had the angel not intervened. The story ended well though (at least for Jacob) with the discovery of a ram caught in a bush, which Abraham then sacrificed instead. Regardless, surely Abraham knew that life at such a moment was beyond his control.
In some ways, so it was in the dark hours of morning the day I hugged, back-slapped (as only men do), gripped, and watched my son, Martin, board the bus heading to the Detroit airport in search of his new life as a marine. Someone else was in control and there was little I could do about it. Driving back along Wooster Street to an office full of unanswered emails, classes to be planned, and meetings to be attended, there was no ram to be had. It was time to let him go and trust that things would turn out okay. That day was my lesson. All parents learn, eventually, that they don’t get to choose what their children do in life, but only whether they support them. For me this was a sure moment of values in conflict. Let me explain more.
I spent my years as a college student (1965-1969), like many then, witnessing the horrors of war and violence on nightly news, as well as, in my case, through letters from a brother who served as a marine medic in Vietnam during the TET offensive. While in the classroom I was surveying the great accomplishments of humankind, in the streets I was learning to stand public in my growing opposition to the choices being made by my government and the destruction left in its wake. It was during this time that I made a fundamental choice to resist war and violence in all its forms. Taking up arms against another was something I would not do, but dying for someone was exactly what I understood I must do. Following graduation and a stint at teaching junior high school, I completed two years of volunteer alternative service to our country as a C.O. (conscientious objector), working in community organizing with a low income family and senior housing program, pursuing goals much like those of Habitat for Humanity today. My position since then has remained the same, if not more resolute, to oppose the use of war and violence as a means to solve disputes in this world. My commitment and experience as a professor has been to up-build the human community rather than destroy it. A correlate of this choice has been my lifelong general resistance to the military and its machinery. So you can imagine the heartbeats skipped when my son nervously announced one night that he had “joined the marines.” Imagine too his anxiousness in sharing with me his decision, having grown-up with a father who had been quite vocal in his thoughts about such issues.
My son’s choice had not been one that I had considered up until then. But values and commitments in life, it seems, are like that; they hardly ever come in neat packages; they almost always involve conflicts of some sort. Trade-offs are inevitable. This is where I found myself when faced with a new dilemma – my commitment to non-violence or my commitment to my son. As complicated as it can be, paradoxically, parenthood has a way of simplifying things. To me there was no choice other than to support my son in the decision he had made. Ultimately, in this case, relationships trumped ideals. With all the fatherly love I could muster, “Go be the best marine you can be!” were my parting words that January day. This was not unlike the experience I had, some thirty-five years earlier, with my oldest sister (ten years my senior) who, as a staunch believer in our country’s Vietnam involvement then, nevertheless wrote a moving letter in support of my application for conscientious objector status. I remember the late night hours at times of heated exchanges we shared across the kitchen table, usually on opposing sides of the debate, where it became clear to me that she and I were in different places on the matter. But mostly, in the end, it was her sibling connection to me that motivated her choice of affirming who I had become and attesting to the sincerity I had expressed in doing so. The generous effect of her response was immeasurable. I have tried very hard to pass that same gift on to my son.
Since writing my This I Believe comments, I have had some second thoughts about its intent and effect. Maybe the tone was more about me than about my son. Maybe it was just a little bit too self-serving. Was I looking for empathy or sympathy? I’m not sure. Would I have written it differently today? Perhaps. It was nonetheless genuine as I recall the moment. Ironically, I have never shared this essay with my son and we have never formally debated our respective choices. I’ve learned to listen much more carefully, though, gleaning from his experiences and stories just where he might be with all this. I have also been unwavering in my support of him and the challenges he has surmounted, making certain that I was there to send him off and there to welcome him back from each of his deployments. My exposure to all this, through his eyes, has not changed my commitment to non-violence, but neither has it changed my relationship to him, except to recognize that perhaps it has grown stronger in the realization that we are both living what calls us, albeit in different directions, at least for the moment.
For the past four years, through my parental eyes, I have been most grateful for the experience he has gained as a marine. In spite of my worries accompanying his two trips to Iraq, it has been comforting to watch him mature in powerful ways (including a little gray hair!) and taste the feeling of being successful for the first time in his life. The immediacy, structure, and physicality of the marines have lined-up well with his preferences for learning, a synergy that totally eluded him through his years of secondary schooling. Rising to the rank of corporal, he is now in charge of training and leading other men whom, I suppose, have faced similar choices. What better experience is there for a dad than to see his son find his own path? In the end, it seems, that is what really counts. Be safe, Martin; I’m with you all the way.
September 17, 2009
I guess you would have to call me a “common reading junkie.” Every spring when the BGSU common reading for the next academic year is announced, I make a bee line to the bookstore and purchase a copy. I always put the common reading book at the head of my summer reading list. I have found each of them to be fascinating and challenging in their own ways.
I have to say I was rooting for This I Believe to be chosen as the common reading for this year when I heard it was one of the candidates. As an avid National Public Radio (NPR) listener, I always looked forward to hearing the This I Believe essays read by their authors on one of the NPR shows such as Morning Edition or All Things Considered. As good as the essays were when I listened to them on the radio, I think I enjoy reading and re-reading many of these essays even more. They have been well chosen and edited. I am fascinated to ponder the underlying themes authors have described as their personal values and beliefs.
In fact, I have enjoyed and valued the This I Believe essays so much that in addition to reading and rereading the text myself, I have purchased a number of additional copies throughout the summer. I presented the first three copies as a Father’s Day present to each of my three grown children. I have made presents of several others to colleagues who expressed an interest in them.
This fall I decided to begin each of my class sessions in KNS 3400, motor development across the lifespan, by reading one of the selected essays. The learning outcomes for the motor development course focus on students understanding how human movement changes over the lifespan and how practitioners should intervene differently in clients’ learning than is traditionally done. The This I Believe essays provide a remarkable cross section of values and beliefs that actually have many implications for the students in KNS 3400. For example, Gloria Steinem’s essay, “A balance between nature and nurture,” while focused on her own life experiences, addresses one of the central questions raised in the motor development course – why do we change. In several weeks when we study infancy and early childhood we will be reading the essay, “There is no job more important than parenting.” As I investigated how well the essays might relate to general topics as well as course-specific topics, I was indeed surprised to discover all the many obvious and subtle connections.
I do have to admit that I was originally intimidated at the prospect of composing my own “This I Believe” essay as proposed in the appendix for the book. Every time I heard one read on the radio, while I marveled at the author’s well expressed convictions, I had a sense that I didn’t really feel that strongly about anything enough to write a similar essay. Then, this summer, I tried my hand at composing several essays. I surprised myself. It turns out that I just had to start with something not particularly life shattering, but something to which I related, such as humor, and writing, and morning glory flowers. I encourage readers to consider writing your own essay.
Steve Langendorfer
September 10, 2009
The This I Believe program began on the radio, with authors reading their essays about what they believed. While the common reading highlights this project in book form, using various medias in the classroom can help your students understand the material in a more comprehensive way. To assist you, we have included links to a few different kinds of media to help you integrate audio and video into the classroom. If you have used media in the classroom with This I Believe, please share your story with us in the comments section.
First we have an excerpt from an essay by Michelle Gardner-Quinn, as read by celebrities. Though the author was murdered, her statement continues to impact others. This video could be used to discuss a number of topics from grief to legacy to sustainability.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zctmNe0t-wU
This slideshow with audio features individuals involved with Rhode Island WRNI’s This I Believe program and their associated program “Revealed.” This program highlights the personal backgrounds of those who read This I Believe essays. The producers note that the outcome is community: “Rhode Islanders are meeting Rhode Islanders.” if you want to discuss the broader aspects of the project, this is a great video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAWxz51DPEo
This page, from the This I Believe website, shares the history of the project. Simply click on the play button and allow the audio to load. As an introduction to the project, you could have student s both read and listen to the history.
http://thisibelieve.org/history
While we are including links to podcasts of various essays from the book in each of our postings, because today’s post features multimedia, we will include links to three podcasts of essays from the book. If you click on the link it will take you to the page with the essays in written an audio forms. The audio control is at the top of the page.
Josh Rittenberg, “Tomorrow Will Be a Better Day”
http://thisibelieve.org/essay/4205/
Albert Einstein, “An Ideal of Service to Our Fellow Man”
http://thisibelieve.org/essay/16465/
Norman Corwin, “Good Can Be as Communicable as Evil”
http://thisibelieve.org/essay/12/
September 4, 2009
While it can seem overwhelming to try incorporating a common reading into your already content-heavy course, This I Believe, Inc. has put together a curriculum guide for instructors in higher education. You can find the curriculum guide at http://thisibelieve.org, under the educators tab labeled “resources.”
The guide is divided into four sections, one more general and three showing educators how to help students through the writing process. Focused primarily on writing, the guide leads instructors through teaching initial thought-gathering, good writing techniques, rewriting and peer evaluation. Moreover, sections of the guide encourage diverse methods of teaching This I Believe such as including audio from the show’s run on NPR and creative activities such as “The Credo Exercise” or the “I Believe in Music” discussion.
The curriculum guide is just that – a document that provides educators with ways to lead students through This I Believe in a productive and effective way. It is, however, a guide. Although you might create your own curriculum (and the website encourages you to share these ideas) the guide is written in such a way that educators who are less comfortable with the process can draw both directly and indirectly from the document.
For more specific information, you can find the curriculum guide here.
In this post, we bring you a link to the essay written by Warren Christopher titled “A Shared Moment of Trust.” The audio control is at the top of the page:
http://thisibelieve.org/essay/6894/
September 3, 2009
As mentioned in our previous post, the Interact at the Center blog is having a semester-long series of posts dedicated to this year’s Common Reading Experience. This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women, edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman, is this year’s BGSU common “Read.” One of the main goals of the Common Reading Experience, in which BGSU has been participating since 2001, is to generate healthy discussion amongst students and faculty. This I Believe is going to “inspire readers to think about what it is they believe in,” as the University Library’s web page says, and will be a beneficial experience for everyone in the BGSU community.
Started in the 1950s as part of a radio program by Edward R. Murrow, the This I Believe project was created with the idea of publishing stories about life. The book is a compilation of essays written by people from different walks of life expressing their philosophies and ideas about life. Some of the contributing authors of essays in the book include Bill Gates, Colin Powell and Isabel Allende. A sampling of titles in the book are: “Be Cool to the Pizza Dude,” written by an English professor, and “Finding Prosperity by Feeding Monkeys,” by an attorney. Dr. Carney Strange, a professor here at BGSU, is one of the many authors who has had his This I Believe essay used by NPR.
The first discussion between students and BGeX faculty is Sunday, August 23rd. Please listen to a podcast, by Azar Nafisi, from This I Believe (audio control panel is near top of page). We invite people to post their reactions to the book, podcast and/or discussion.
August 20, 2009
There are several adjustments that first-year BGSU students must make. Many new students will learn how to manage new responsibilities, make new friends, meet new expectations, and negotiate a number of other new experiences. One of the ways that BGSU works with new students and the adjustments to college life is through the Common Reading Experience. Since 2001, BGSU has been one of many universities around the country that use a Common Reading Experience as a way to build community for incoming first-year students.
Essentially, the Common Reading Experience brings together the BGSU community by providing a common discussion source. Prior to the beginning of classes, faculty, staff, and incoming first-year students read the same book. A committee chooses the book each year with input from different groups on campus, including the college deans. When classes begin in the fall, students across different disciplines and backgrounds will share in the “BGSU community” discussion. Some instructors and departments also integrate the Common Reading into their curriculum. While maintaining an academic tone, the Common Reading allows first-year BGSU students to become part of a communal, discussion environment.
During the fall semester the CTL’s Interact at the Center blog will have weekly posts dedicated to this year’s Common Reading, This I Believe. Faculty, administrators and students will be “guest bloggers.” They will present their reactions to the book, along with sharing their own “This I Believe” statements. Our blog will also have postings titled “Classroom Highlights” and “On Campus,” which will offer insight into how different classes and departments incorporate This I Believe. Each week we will provide audio samples of essays from the book, as well as resources to help you integrate the Common Reading into your course discussions.
For more information concerning BGSU’s Common Reading Experience, including books selected in the past and other background questions, please visit: http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/infosrv/cre/. You are also invited to visit NPR’s “This I Believe” website http://www.thisibelieve.org, which includes podcasts and curriculum guides.
August 3, 2009
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