Category: Written by Faculty
Rules of Engagement: How to Make the Most of the 1 Hour and Twenty Minutes in the Classroom
by: Patricia L. Hatcher One of the biggest challenges in a society growing more dependent on technology to communicate is that the classroom experience must be constantly updated to match the ever changing student attention span. Technology is teaching all of us how to shortcut our lives from texting to twittering. Read More
When is the First Day of Class?
by Tasha F. Davis When is the “First Day” of Class? Simple question? Maybe not. Course start dates are certainly readily available; but for online students the answer is not as easy as it may seem. Read More
Sometimes You Just Need Cake
Spring 2016 is my very first semester teaching Introduction to Sociology and there is much to learn. Fortunately, I have had excellent teachers showing me the ropes. Most of my teachers have been colleagues from the ACC Sociology Department, i.e. the best Sociology department in America!! But other things I am learning about teaching Introduction to Sociology continue to develop as I listen to my students and dive headlong into the literature. Read More
Two Big Ideas
I had my first big teaching realization about five minutes into the opening session of the Lilly Conference and the second about five minutes later. Read More
Freshening Up My Classroom Game Plan
The last 3 days of winter break I wondered “WHAT WAS I THINKING” when I applied to attend the Lilly Conference? What I really wanted was a spa day. Instead I was headed to a hotel with strangers. I was an ingrate - I applied for this scholarship. As soon as the first speaker, Read More
Using Music in the Classroom
I have long used music in the classroom when the subject warrants it. For example, in American Literature we discuss traditional western ballads and spirituals. Both inform the subjects and structure of modern American literature. Read More
Potential
In addition to having the privilege of teaching Psychology at Austin Community College, I am also a licensed therapist. In the context of counseling, I embrace Positive Psychology, which has had an enormous influence on my approach to teaching, and how I view each of my students. Read More
How Do I Get Through To These Kids?
Recently I was struck by how motivation can play out in the classroom. I noticed that several students may come in late, others may crack jokes, and others may turn in their assignments late. Coincidence? Shall we write it off as “bad student behavior” or is there more? Read More
Baby Steps Toward Active Learning
You may have heard that lecture is dead. Scores of articles, both peer-reviewed and otherwise have proclaimed the demise of the lecture, but are the dirges being played prematurely? Read More
Reviewing to Remember
This week’s blog is from Tobin Quereau, who presents some things he teaches students about how to learn. You could share this information with your students regardless of what you teach, and your students will become better learners! Read More
Strategies for Great Discussion
Crickets—that’s what I like to think when I pose a question to my students, and the response back is silence and blank stares. It’s a frustrating place to be – standing in front of the classroom hoping that anyone, just anyone will answer the question. It reminds me of Ben Stein in his role as an economics teacher in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. Read More
Truths of the ECS Classroom
by Jennifer Lazare They are scared to death of college. Some will overcompensate with attitude at first, but they are all concerned with the unknown. Read More
Building Effective Hives: Get Students Using Blackboard Tools the First Week
by Theresa Noyes I teach an online mapping course. Because mapping is rarely done in isolation, I’m committed to helping students learn how to work… Read More
First Day of Class Activity
by Carol Hayman A skill that Anthropologists learn is interviewing. One of our class assignments, in Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, is to interview someone from… Read More
Student Demonstrated Learning
by Prof. Robert Fyrst By the end of each semester, my government students have learned one of my philosophical beliefs: Government works best when we… Read More
Socratic Circles and Cesar Millan: Classroom Management in Dual Credit Courses
by Jill Bosche My first semester of teaching Dual Credit English, I noticed something odd. Though I was teaching two sections of the same course… Read More
The “Collaborative Curve”
by Missi Patterson For many years, I struggled with a problem in my classes. Students did very poorly on my first exam, but then did… Read More
Mentors Make the Difference
by Liz Alexander This week, we hear from Liz Alexander, who shares how mentoring has improved the experience of students in her program. Is there… Read More
Explaining Different Types of Course Formats
by Lisa Perez-Nichols Several Fall Semesters ago, I had a brand new student at ACC register for my Distance Learning course only to reveal to… Read More
My YouTube Channel—Work in Progress
by Helena Kopecky This semester is only my fourth teaching at ACC. I have been learning a lot about my students and I have been… Read More
Ready, set, BLOG! (Our first post: AFTER the Exam)
By Missi Patterson Welcome to the FCTL Faculty Forum! This is the first post in what we hope will be a blog that is… Read More