Monday, December 06, 2010
Writing
Monday, April 27, 2009
Lessons Learned
As the end of the semester approaches, contemplating the lessons students have learned is an easy one. Based on student performance throughout the semester, it's relatively easy to determine who is doing well and who thinks they still have all the time in the world and/or already know it all anyway. One student who called themselves stubborn has turned around her attitude; we'll see if performance follows. (Answering the question asked on an essay and/or exam is quite crucial here.)
Several students have worked hard to do well and to learn more. A few have atempted to game the system with varying results.
But what lessons has the professor learned? I've definitely had a truly "light bulb" moment regarding my control - or primarily my lack thereof - over whether or not students want to do well. I can provide them all the tools and assistance in the world short of doing it for them - and that's not doing them any favors in their pursuit of a college degree or in life in general. I've done better this semester at taking a step or two back and letting the chips fall where they may. I've been at this teaching thing since 1985 in some form or fashion (if we don't count playing school until 8th grade if that tells you anything). But, I fear I've discovered students only resent it if you try to help them more than they want it and/or feel they need it.
This is especially important given the sacred trinity of teaching, research, and service. I can better inform my teaching if I take more time to do research, including teaching-related research, and less time overwhelmed by the minutia that can quickly take over my day. Before I know it, all my best productive time is gone. I have done much better this academic year requiring students to use the CMS to correspond about class matters and only checking it once a course day. This is in contrast to feeling compelled to answer it as it comes in - which is obviously very much a misuse of time. It also keeps the email organized so that it's clear what course a student is referring to along with the context (ie related emails) being right there.
I've also balanced some department politics a bit better - primarily by not letting them intrude on my getting my job done. And at least one colleague who lives in a glass house and likes to throw stones had at least one lobbed right back. The biggest joy this year has been a new colleague whom has been everything I had hoped for and more both as a teacher and as a professional colleague. His being involved in tech and blogging (which is how I became aware of him despite our distinctly diverse topical areas of study) is an added plus.
As the semester is winding down, an even busier summer is winding up. As I've discussed before, TAH grants are wonderful things but they also ensure the summer flies by before I know it.
Now to get organized to get done what just has to be done by May 30:
Teaching
Writing
Planning Teaching
Writing
Research
Writing
Finish textbook ancillaries
Writing
Several students have worked hard to do well and to learn more. A few have atempted to game the system with varying results.
But what lessons has the professor learned? I've definitely had a truly "light bulb" moment regarding my control - or primarily my lack thereof - over whether or not students want to do well. I can provide them all the tools and assistance in the world short of doing it for them - and that's not doing them any favors in their pursuit of a college degree or in life in general. I've done better this semester at taking a step or two back and letting the chips fall where they may. I've been at this teaching thing since 1985 in some form or fashion (if we don't count playing school until 8th grade if that tells you anything). But, I fear I've discovered students only resent it if you try to help them more than they want it and/or feel they need it.
This is especially important given the sacred trinity of teaching, research, and service. I can better inform my teaching if I take more time to do research, including teaching-related research, and less time overwhelmed by the minutia that can quickly take over my day. Before I know it, all my best productive time is gone. I have done much better this academic year requiring students to use the CMS to correspond about class matters and only checking it once a course day. This is in contrast to feeling compelled to answer it as it comes in - which is obviously very much a misuse of time. It also keeps the email organized so that it's clear what course a student is referring to along with the context (ie related emails) being right there.
I've also balanced some department politics a bit better - primarily by not letting them intrude on my getting my job done. And at least one colleague who lives in a glass house and likes to throw stones had at least one lobbed right back. The biggest joy this year has been a new colleague whom has been everything I had hoped for and more both as a teacher and as a professional colleague. His being involved in tech and blogging (which is how I became aware of him despite our distinctly diverse topical areas of study) is an added plus.
As the semester is winding down, an even busier summer is winding up. As I've discussed before, TAH grants are wonderful things but they also ensure the summer flies by before I know it.
Now to get organized to get done what just has to be done by May 30:
Teaching
Writing
Planning Teaching
Writing
Research
Writing
Finish textbook ancillaries
Writing
Labels: colleagues, historical research, learning, semester, students, summer, TAH, writing
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Sunday
There is plenty to do but a feeling that it is all possible if I don't let myself get overwhelmed. There's still a week before one of my F2F classes meets to start the semester. I will put up some more material for them to prep for the first part of the semester. Seeing who has taken time to take a look and work on some of it enough to have questions will help me get to know my students a bit better before I see them the first time. I keep thinking of ways to get around the various issues perplexing students when they enroll in a class late. I don't want to hold the rest up but it's hard not to create extra work for yourself when students seem to think it is up to you to catch them up instead of their showing a bit more initiative - esp. with all of it online on the university's CMS site. (If I'm rambling a bit more than usual, it's because I'm thinking aloud.)
The best news right now is that my annual performance report that is due Tuesday is already submitted. I was able to get enough of it done before break despite the numerous distractions from the normal semester. This year I'll aim to get it done before I go on break and maybe just have to wait for the end-of-course evaluations.
One of the small breakthroughs I've had lately is to look at these evaluations as what they are - course evaluations - and not evaluations just of me. Some students love the technology throughout the classes while others are still struggling with it apparently unaware how much of it will govern their future work lives. I have a course release for an outside service responsibility for the next two semesters and am hoping that, unlike my last course release, I don't let the work on fewer classes just expand to still fill the normal time it takes to handle a 12-hour load.
I've been able to get quite a bit of Truman work done even if it's not as much as I'd like. And I can finally give up the hope of finishing all the big household rearrangement tasks (if I haven't used it since I moved in over 15 years ago, I can probably get rid of it or donate it to charity) and resign myself to just keep plugging away on them. At least the outside isn't calling as much given the weather although more leaves need gathered. (That's probably related to the immediate neighbors who haven't picked up any and they keep blowing this way. . .. )
Not meeting my first class until the second week is preferred to meeting it once right away (it's once a week) and then having a week off. There's not as much playing catch up with the students who add in between.
I've posted the graduate syllabus for the course on political cartoons for the semester with all of the detail on the assignments. All that is left is creating the unit folders and links in the CMS. But that's a task for late in the day or evening and not when I'm at my best writing.
I had been feeling guilty that I wasn't working til 11pm like I did back in my 20s and 30s but am discovering that I can actually get more done if I take some time off. And in talking to a colleague that is a prolific scholar, she said she always stops at 6pm (unless there's an immediate deadline for indexing or proofs) and chills out - watching tv reruns is a favorite. She says some of her best ideas come then when she is letting her scholarly brain rest. I remember my major professor saying my best ideas would come when I was walking on the beach (my first TT job was at the University of West Florida) and while I didn't quite believe him and did NOT spend enough time on the beach the year I was there, I did finish the dissertation.
So, this week I need to get in my regular pattern for the semester before the grant teacher institutes and travel starts in late February.
But I am now ensuring that I take Sundays to read the newspapers. I used to not let myself do that until late in the day but have decided that is a good reward for working so hard all week. Besides, I will be working later today anyway.
The best news right now is that my annual performance report that is due Tuesday is already submitted. I was able to get enough of it done before break despite the numerous distractions from the normal semester. This year I'll aim to get it done before I go on break and maybe just have to wait for the end-of-course evaluations.
One of the small breakthroughs I've had lately is to look at these evaluations as what they are - course evaluations - and not evaluations just of me. Some students love the technology throughout the classes while others are still struggling with it apparently unaware how much of it will govern their future work lives. I have a course release for an outside service responsibility for the next two semesters and am hoping that, unlike my last course release, I don't let the work on fewer classes just expand to still fill the normal time it takes to handle a 12-hour load.
I've been able to get quite a bit of Truman work done even if it's not as much as I'd like. And I can finally give up the hope of finishing all the big household rearrangement tasks (if I haven't used it since I moved in over 15 years ago, I can probably get rid of it or donate it to charity) and resign myself to just keep plugging away on them. At least the outside isn't calling as much given the weather although more leaves need gathered. (That's probably related to the immediate neighbors who haven't picked up any and they keep blowing this way. . .. )
Not meeting my first class until the second week is preferred to meeting it once right away (it's once a week) and then having a week off. There's not as much playing catch up with the students who add in between.
I've posted the graduate syllabus for the course on political cartoons for the semester with all of the detail on the assignments. All that is left is creating the unit folders and links in the CMS. But that's a task for late in the day or evening and not when I'm at my best writing.
I had been feeling guilty that I wasn't working til 11pm like I did back in my 20s and 30s but am discovering that I can actually get more done if I take some time off. And in talking to a colleague that is a prolific scholar, she said she always stops at 6pm (unless there's an immediate deadline for indexing or proofs) and chills out - watching tv reruns is a favorite. She says some of her best ideas come then when she is letting her scholarly brain rest. I remember my major professor saying my best ideas would come when I was walking on the beach (my first TT job was at the University of West Florida) and while I didn't quite believe him and did NOT spend enough time on the beach the year I was there, I did finish the dissertation.
So, this week I need to get in my regular pattern for the semester before the grant teacher institutes and travel starts in late February.
But I am now ensuring that I take Sundays to read the newspapers. I used to not let myself do that until late in the day but have decided that is a good reward for working so hard all week. Besides, I will be working later today anyway.
Labels: classes, CMS, colleagues, students, teaching, work, writing
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Thinking Aloud About Writing
I was able to bring a long-term writing project to the 90% completion point yesterday. I still struggle with a writing "process" - mainly when my day seems to fly by with teaching and other professor-type duties. I am a morning writer - primarily because I feel like if I don't have any writing done by about 11am, I won't get any done.
I keep asking people how they find time to write and how they get it done. I know the first important point is to sit down and start doing it. The blank computer screen still intimidates me but this time I was able to approach it more like I tell my students to do with their big assignments - think of it like a jigsaw puzzle with lots of pieces. You can't put the pieces together until you have some on the table.
The topic of my most recent project was a very large and long-range subject with which I have been personally involved since 2001. So, finding the focal point was difficult. And I'm coming to realize you can't always do that until you've explored what seem like a million other avenues first. I worked on finding additional articles and sources on Tuesday - which really energized me to move forward - especially after I figured out I had done everything possible but the final narrative writing.
I also have to teach myself not to be afraid to be repetitive in the draft stage. Much of what I wrote yesterday was rewriting my "jigsaw puzzle pieces" from memory. Now I realize I was only able to do that because I put the jigsaw pieces on the table in the first place.
Then, I have to think about how I would talk aloud to someone - and also not go off on too many tangents - at least not without connecting it back to the original point and/or narrative of the story.
I work best with my dining room table and everything spread out but primarily only books, articles, papers, and notes related directly to the project at hand - otherwise, I get too distracted. I remember having to take solitaire off my computer when I was trying to revise the dissertation for publication. All of the sudden two hours had passed (and I had also won only a few games of solitaire without starting over) and I had no writing done.
I feel more creative on my MacBook Pro and even figured out how to print on my home network. Easier than expected to set up although I did have to restart my Desktop Windows machine to be able to print from it again. But, because I wrote on the Mac, I will have to check the file I transfer over to the PC for those annoying little "dingbats".
Now I'm going to go out an get some exercise and NOT get a flat tire 4 miles east of town 2 miles past the blacktop. And then I have a fun lunch planned.
I keep asking people how they find time to write and how they get it done. I know the first important point is to sit down and start doing it. The blank computer screen still intimidates me but this time I was able to approach it more like I tell my students to do with their big assignments - think of it like a jigsaw puzzle with lots of pieces. You can't put the pieces together until you have some on the table.
The topic of my most recent project was a very large and long-range subject with which I have been personally involved since 2001. So, finding the focal point was difficult. And I'm coming to realize you can't always do that until you've explored what seem like a million other avenues first. I worked on finding additional articles and sources on Tuesday - which really energized me to move forward - especially after I figured out I had done everything possible but the final narrative writing.
I also have to teach myself not to be afraid to be repetitive in the draft stage. Much of what I wrote yesterday was rewriting my "jigsaw puzzle pieces" from memory. Now I realize I was only able to do that because I put the jigsaw pieces on the table in the first place.
Then, I have to think about how I would talk aloud to someone - and also not go off on too many tangents - at least not without connecting it back to the original point and/or narrative of the story.
I work best with my dining room table and everything spread out but primarily only books, articles, papers, and notes related directly to the project at hand - otherwise, I get too distracted. I remember having to take solitaire off my computer when I was trying to revise the dissertation for publication. All of the sudden two hours had passed (and I had also won only a few games of solitaire without starting over) and I had no writing done.
I feel more creative on my MacBook Pro and even figured out how to print on my home network. Easier than expected to set up although I did have to restart my Desktop Windows machine to be able to print from it again. But, because I wrote on the Mac, I will have to check the file I transfer over to the PC for those annoying little "dingbats".
Now I'm going to go out an get some exercise and NOT get a flat tire 4 miles east of town 2 miles past the blacktop. And then I have a fun lunch planned.
Labels: bike, Creative Commons, MacBook Pro, projects, writing, writing process
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Online Peer Review
Does online peer review outrank print review? Here's some food for thought.
One issue not addressed, however, is the audience of each publication. It doesn't matter whether it's print distribution or online hits - although the latter is probably much more likely to mean a piece was actually read by someone - the actual audience does play a role here.
One issue not addressed, however, is the audience of each publication. It doesn't matter whether it's print distribution or online hits - although the latter is probably much more likely to mean a piece was actually read by someone - the actual audience does play a role here.
Labels: AHA, online, peer reviews, writing
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