V o l u m e 1 • I s s u e 5 • October 2 0 0 2
An International Forum for Innovative Teaching
CONTENTS
1 Commentary
Deborah Frazier
Jennifer Methvin
3 Integrating Theory and
Concepts with Application
in a Capstone Business
Administration Course
W. Kevin Baker, Ph.D.
5 Teaching Our Students
the Language of
Scholarship
Robert W. Barnett
Philip T. Greenfield
7 Generating Effective
In-Class Discussions
Calvin S. Kalman, Ph.D.
9 Motivating Students to
Achieve: Six Strategies
for Success
Nichola D. Gutgold, Ph.D.
10 The Story of Your Name
Kim Cuny
12 Meet the Authors
• • • • • • • • • • •
C
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Enthusiasm Conquers the
Killjoys: A Way to Enhance
Student Learning
Deborah Frazier
Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs
dfrazier@uaccb.edu
Jennifer Methvin
Instructor of English
jmethvin@uaccb.edu
University of Arkansas Community College at
Batesville
Batesville, Arkansas
In his 1998 book, The Courage to Teach, Parker
J. Palmer aptly describes successful professors:
“I am a teacher at heart, and there are moments
in the classroom when I can hardly hold the
joy” (p. 1).
Joy. Palmer used the word joy. Because
it is difficult to define, much less objectify and
quantify, joy and its cousins enthusiasm, thrill,
passion, and fervor, have enjoyed little in-depth
treatment in most explorations of teaching effectiveness and subsequent student learning. Ask
any students, however, to talk about a teacher
from whom they have learned much, and they
describe an impassioned instructor with a love
for her content area and for her students. Spend
fifteen minutes observing any instructor who
has been deemed “highly effective” by awards,
student evaluations, course outcomes, and the
like, and you will find a person who loves his
job, is enthralled by his content area, and radiates
enthusiasm in the classroom.
Most know that instructor enthusiasm is
a key element in effective teaching. Yet for
many faculty, the thrill of teaching is gone.
Largely this loss is due to some obstacle or
obstacles that block these faculty from their
joy. In our exploration of the importance of
instructor enthusiasm in student learning, we
have come to call these obstacles “killjoys.”
In order to maintain teaching integrity,
instructors have a responsibility to conquer the
killjoys and reclaim the thrill of teaching. If
those of us who teach want to continue to engage
students in learning, maintaining our enthusiasm
is as much our responsibility as keeping abreast
in our content area and developing effective
approaches for our classroom, things most dissatisfied instructors do not do anyway.
Below are a few of the killjoys we have
discovered in our own teaching careers and a
few strategies for incarcerating those killjoys.
We hope this discussion leads others to reclaim
their thrill for teaching and thereby become more
successful professors.
Memory. In his “Hooked on Music,” Mac
Davis sings a series of scenarios depicting a
young man as he becomes, as the title implies,
“hooked on music, hooked on music from that
moment on.” What a long way we would go in
maintaining our love for teaching if we, like
Davis, kept handy a list of moments of pure
teaching joy. Perhaps our biggest killjoys are
bad moments and poor memories.
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Enthusiasm Conquers the Killjoys.
continued from pg. 1..........
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Most of us, unfortunately, dwell on the
negative. Certainly, instructors should analyze
bad teaching moments, but wallowing in failure
can temper enthusiasm. Even when things are
going well, those of us who have been in the
classroom for some years can become desensitized to the wonder of student learning. We must
find ways to remind ourselves of the important
and profound nature of our profession.
We suggest dwelling on those moments of
teaching brilliance. Like Mac Davis, create
a list of memories of when you became hooked
on teaching, moments when, as Parker Palmer
says, “things were going so well you knew you
were born to teach” (p. 67). Share these memories with colleagues and drag them out of your
memory occasionally just for pure enjoyment.
Encourage colleagues to do the same, and share,
share, share. The best faculty meeting we ever
attended centered around everyone narrating
a joyous teaching moment. Even taciturn and
disgruntled faculty shared and smiled. Take
time to remember the good work you do, and
you will conquer this killjoy.
Duty and Responsibility. Involved faculty
members are easy to identify. They are the
faculty who never say no. They serve not only
on faculty committees but also as chairpersons.
They are faculty advisors to student organizations
and are the first to volunteer for community
service projects. They do this for the intrinsic
value these activities add to their lives. They
might also garner the slightest hope that they
are modeling desirable behavior.
As we place all of these teaching functions,
personal commitments, and institutional responsibilities in perspective, please note it is okay
to say no. Know it will be okay that you are
not chairperson this semester. Co-sponsor the
student organization and let another know the
joy this can bring. Choose the one activity that
brings the greatest reward and learn to say no
to the others.
Routine. When an instructor has taught the
same world literature class fifteen times in the
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 5
past ten years, that teaching has become routine,
and routine can be a killjoy. Not having to start
from scratch each time we step into the classroom is a blessing. However, never creating
anything new will led us to boredom, and bored
instructors are not effective instructors.
Despite the heavy workload most faculty
carry, we suggest continually breaking the
routine by incorporating something new into
each course each semester and making that
something new very exciting for yourself. Last
semester, for instance, that world literature
instructor created a multi-media presentation
which used 1960s and 1970s song lyrics to
lead students to an understanding of the formal
aspects of Romanticism poetry. Recording the
songs for the presentation at 11:00 p.m. was
not an imposition on sleeping time: it was a
sing-fest. Surfing the web for confirmation
that the memory had the lyrics right was not
a dreaded task: it was a marvel at song-writing
genius. Hearing students guffaw at the old
music while finally coming to an understanding
of the importance of metaphor and alliteration
was not an embarrassment or a humdrum
routine: it was teaching, an extremely thrilling
job.
The break in routine could be simple, like
adding a new topic to an old course, or it could
be consuming, like developing a new course
or participating in an alternative instructional
method. Whatever the strategy you choose,
maintain enthusiasm by combating boredom.
Workload. Within the college culture,
faculty wear many hats. They serve on division,
faculty, and institutional committees. They are
mentors, advisors, and counselors. These
services are in addition to the main focus of
their employment, teaching. Teaching involves
development, delivery, and assessment time.
The art of time management is a required
skill for the joyous faculty member. In Getting
Things Done, Davis Allen outlines a method
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2
Enthusiasm Conquers the Killjoys.
continued from pg. 2..........
for successfully reducing stress in project
management. The method involves reviewing the project to determine if action is
required. If action is required, take the next
step. This may be as simple as filing a
document or as complex as creating a
timeline for completion. Once the initial
action is taken, the project is forwarded to
the “next action category.” Allen indicates
that as projects are placed in the next action
category, they are reviewed to ensure
advancement.
If initial evaluation concludes that no
further action is required, these projects
become “non-actionable transaction” items,
and the project completion is achieved.
The non-actionable transaction may lead
you straight to the recycling bin.
Climate. While very little has been
written about faculty enthusiasm, much
has been written about institutional climate
and faculty dissatisfaction. Faculty dissatisfaction can diminish student learning,
and a given institutional climate can dissatisfy faculty. Many instructors list their
administrations, systems, state-mandates,
accreditation requirements, fellow faculty,
and a myriad of other items as killjoys.
What is important to remember is that we
can choose to be victims, or we can react
with intelligence. Do not let the situation
outside the classroom kill the joy within.
Attitude. In Wake Up Calls, Joan
Lunden states that “attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?” (p. 7). As
professional educators, we must realize the
power of attitudes in lecture halls, offices,
and walkways on our campuses. Lunden
quotes Amy Tan with this statement: “If
you can’t change your fate—change your
attitude” (p. 86). Be reminded, we hold
the power of change within us.
Conclusion. In his book Tuesdays
with Morrie, Mitch Albom reveals the
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effect great teachers have on students. His
personal experience with his teacher was lifechanging. Remember the first class you
taught? Remember the first lecture when
you knew your students knew? Remember
that feeling of unbelievable delight, and
remember that’s why you choose to teach.
For the sake of student learning, conquer
the killjoys and reclaim the thrill of teaching.
References
Albom, Mitch. (1997). Tuesdays with
Morrie: An old man, a young man,
and life’s greatest lesson. New York:
Doubleday.
Allen, D. (2001). Getting things done:
The art of stress-free productivity. New
York: Penguin.
Davis, M. Hooked on music. On Mac
Davis: Very best and more [CD]. New
York: PolyGram.
Lunden, J. (2001). Wake-up calls. New
York: McGraw-Hill.
Palmer, P. J. (1998). The courage to
teach: Exploring the inner landscape of
a teacher’s life. San Francisco: JosseyBass.
•••••••••••••••
December Commentary
Larry D. Head, Assistant Professor of Aviation
Technologies at Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale, is the author of the December
Commentary. The title of his article is “A
Mechanic’s Call to Arms.”
Integrating Theory
and Concepts with
Application in a
Capstone Business
Administration Course
W. Kevin Baker, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Business Administrations
Roanoke College
Salem, Virginia
baker@roanoke.edu
Introduction
One of the most difficult obstacles to
overcome in pedagogy is integrating
application or real-world aspects into the
student’s learning experience. Too often
we are accused of residing in an “ivory
tower” and teaching courses devoid of
practical application. This accusation
is especially true in capstone courses that
virtually demand integrating the concepts
with application—especially in Business
Administration curricula. In 1994, I
restructured our Business Policy (Strategic
Management) course with the goal of
making this class function as a major
integrative course utilizing effective
applications. The results derived from
outcomes assessments have indicated
outstanding success.
Business Policy
The course Business Policy serves as
our capstone course for the Department,
and one of the goals of the course is to
have students incorporate the knowledge
they have learned in the major into a
coherent whole. An academic reality
precipitated by the high degree of specialization today is that students tend to learn
continued on pg. 4..........
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 5
3
Capstone Business Administration Course
continued from pg. 3...........
the different subjects piecemeal in a core
curriculum without comprehensive integration. The use of extensive applications in
Business Policy would allow students to
see the “big picture” in terms of the different
subjects form and function as a coherent
whole.
An academic reality
precipitated by the high degree
of specialization today is that
students tend to learn the
different subjects piecemeal
in a core curriculum without
comprehensive integration.
Students enter Business Policy possessing
the compartmentalized knowledge gained
from three years of Business courses in
various disciplines. In the course, the
students learn Strategic Management
concepts to use as a framework to apply
and integrate this knowledge. These concepts serve as the supporting structure to
integrate the other disciplines the students
earn in our Department, i.e., Accounting,
HRM, Economics, Finance, etc. However,
it became apparent that learning the way
these disciplines work together would
require extensive applications to take the
knowledge from the abstract and make
it more reality-based and tangible to the
student.
Team-Based Learning
The first major component of the course
is to have the class itself function in teams
just as industry does. The students work in
groups of four or five. The preference is
for teams of five to facilitate decisionmaking. These student groups will mimic
autonomous work teams. Given assignments with deadlines, the groups decide
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on the appropriate methods and work
scheduling to accomplish the task. They
also received unplanned tasks, just as in
industry, to allow them to refine their skills
further in decision-making and scheduling.
Working in these groups also serves to
demonstrate group dynamics, leadership,
and interpersonal/intragroup communication.
Evaluations are important components for
groups, and an industry standard 360degree evaluation process is used. The
professor, Business Administration faculty,
and leaders of the business community
evaluate the group members. Additionally,
the group also evaluate each other’s
individual performance at the end of the
course. Because the groups are autonomous, they may also decide to eliminate
a non-performing member at any time
during the semester. Effectively removing
a person from the course is indeed a drastic
measure that the group must justify and the
professor must approve.This action provides
an incentive for active participation and
involvement by all team members.
Policy Project
A second major component used for
learning application is called the “Policy
Project.” The groups must construct all
the plans contingent on starting a viable
business entity. Not only do the students
learn to apply all they have learned from
their Business Administration education,
but they also learn innovation and entrepreneurship. The plans must be very
detailed, with all areas researched and
documented. Faculty members and business
leaders from each discipline in the Department set the minimum requirements for
information needed to satisfy their areas.
For example, the financial area may
require five-year pro forma balance sheets
and income statements, cash budgets, fiveyear statements of equity/debt structure,
ratio analyses, breakeven calculations,
start-up cost breakdowns, five-year capital
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 5
expenditures, etc. It is important to note
that each item and figure in these required
statements must be researched separately
to construct the statements. These requirements have grown to be quite extensive
and detailed and they ensure consistency
among the business plans. Each group will
conduct marketing research, analyze the
data, and justify demand for its business.
At the end of the semester, the business
plans are presented formally to the faculty
and community business leaders for reviewing and grading. Our alumni indicate that
this project was their most significant
learning experience even after completing
graduate school. Several of these projects
have been developed to be very successful
business entities in our community.
Case Analysis
The third component is the use of
extensive case analysis. Thorough and
detailed cases are used that reflect reallife experiences of corporations. The
cases cover a wide variety of industries
and are inclusive of all functional areas
within these firms. The key is the use of
comprehensive cases that examine an
organization in its totality. Students will
learn how to identify problem areas within
the myriad of information and antecedent
conditions. The student teams approach
continued on pg. 5.........
4
Capstone Business Administration Course
continued from pg. 4...........
the cases as consulting firms, analyzing
the organizations and making their recommendations. There is, of course, no precise
right or wrong answer, but the key is how
the teams justify their decisions. The
results are presented to the class where
they are further challenged to support and
justify their recommendations. It can be
quite adversarial in nature at times, but
this further emulates strategic business
sessions and hones the student’s communication skills.
Simulation
The fourth key component is the use of a
business simulation. The simulation in
this case allows the students to manage
their own regional commuter airline. The
realistic simulation is very detailed and
designed by airline executives. All the
classes compete against one another on
the simulation, and their stock prices are
graphed and posted in the classroom
weekly. Each week represents a quarter
of the year, and the simulation lasts 10
weeks (21⁄2 years’ simulation time). Groups
that exceed a specified stock price barrier
are included in the simulation “hall of
fame” permanently—an achievement they
perceive as quite an honor. To add to the
sense of history of the simulation, every
semester an alumni group will also compete
against the students. This challenge is
quite competitive and a great learning
experience, not only for strategy but also
group dynamics. In addition, teams will
construct key business components for
their airline, such as a mission statement,
a marketing plan, and HRM components
as major assignments.
Grading
Grades for the course are composed of
both team grades (cases, project, and
simulation) and individual grades (mid-
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term and final examinations). All team
grades are weighted by contribution as
assessed by the group members at the end
of the semester. For example, if a team
member is judged by his or her teammates
as contributing to only 90% of the completed
work, then all this person’s team grades
are multiplied by this percentage to derive
group grades.
Outcomes Assessment
I am very proud of the results and the
profound impact Business Policy has had
in the Department and especially for our
students. In exit surveys, we ask the students
to indicate the most valuable courses in
our Department. For the past seven years,
Business Policy has been named as our
most valuable course by an exceptional
margin. In the latest surveys, Business
Policy was mentioned by 100 % of the
students as our most valuable course.
For the past seven years,
Business Policy has been
named as our most valuable
course by an
exceptional margin.
It is important to note that Business Policy
was rarely mentioned at all as the most
valuable course in the 1993-1994 exit
surveys before the restructuring. Additionally, students rate all our courses on a
seven-point scale from 1 (least valuable)
to 7 (most valuable). Business Policy’s
impressive rating of 6.99 was by a significant margin the highest rated course in
the Department. The course has evolved
to become the distinctive competency for
our Department that generates much publicity for our college.
•••••••••••••••
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 5
Teaching Our Students
the Language of
Scholarship
Robert W. Barnett
Associate Professor of Composition and
Rhetoric Director of the Writing Center
The University of Michigan-Flint
rbarnett@umflint.edu
Philip T. Greenfield
Lecturer, Composition
Mott Community College
Flint, Michigan
pgreenfi@edtech.mcc.edu
Introduction
In a 1998 Language Arts Journal of
Michigan article, “Bringing Theory,
Practice, and Reality Together in the
Teacher-Training Classroom,” Robert W.
Barnett argues that “. . . good classroom
practice is informed by a solid understanding of theory and that we as educators have
a responsibility to incorporate this concept
into the training of our students, many of
whom will eventually become teachers
themselves” (60). He goes on to illustrate
how we can help students learn about our
profession by immersing them in the very
discussions and writing projects that define
us as professionals in our field.
Barnett uses the Theory into Practice
Project (TIPP) as his model, a nontraditional research project that allows students
to think as professionals by engaging other
professionals in focused topics through
their established scholarships. In a theoretical section of the project, the articles that
students read become voices in a dialogue
led by a student. In a practical section,
students learn the importance of cementing
that dialogue in application. In the end,
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5
Teaching the Language of Scholarship
continued from pg. 5...........
students learn the significance of incorporating sources to support their own views.
More important, perhaps, students begin
learning the craft that will contribute to
their becoming scholars.
Barnett’s initial aim of the TIPP was
to introduce students to and engage them
in the discourse of our discipline. As future
members of a specialized community with
its own specialized language, students
should be given as many chances as possible
to practice and learn the language. And
because a good deal of the language of our
field is embedded in our scholarship, we
should focus some of our teaching on the
language of our scholarship. By challenging
them to think beyond traditional presentations of research and writing, we can help
students more effectively apply their own
experiences to their emerging knowledge
of our field.
In this article, we will further Barnett’s
discussion of the TIPP by offering it as a
model for teaching students the content
and language that defines our field. For
students to actively participate in our professional dialogues, we need to teach them
the importance of (1) thoroughly understanding and problematizing an issue or
idea, (2) synthesizing existing viewpoints,
and (3) creating practical classroom applications. In short, by teaching students to learn
the language of scholarship, to think and
write as scholars, we are asking them not
only to think and speak in theoretical and
philosophical ways but also to react to the
ideas that they are creating, to apply their
knowledge to real life situations.
The TIPP Introduction:
Problematizing the Issue
The opening of the TIPP represents an
immediate departure from the traditional
research paper, the introduction of which
usually produces vague, formulaic, and
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elusive statements that rarely contribute
much intellectual thought to the paper.
How many times have we seen papers
open with statements like, “The topic of
tutoring learning disabled students is very
controversial,” or “A lot of factors contributed to the fall of classical rhetoric.”
Eventually, a thesis emerges, but the old
five-paragraph essay style seems to muffle
the richness of a fully presented issue. The
problem, in part, is that we ask students
to make short, declarative thesis statements
in a mere sentence or two when, in fact,
we should encourage them to do what
established writers do: pose many questions
for themselves about the topic.
In a 10-15 page TIPP, students usually
take one and a half to two pages to introduce the topic. The answers, complications,
and/or implications associated with their
questions surely help them move closer
to the heart of the issue. In this way, the
TIPP introduction liberates students from
the constraints of declarative writing and
encourages them to write in response to
questions they create for themselves and
for their audience. Instead of padding a
lengthy thesis statement with jargon, the
TIPP introduction allows students to think
through a topic and to make some sense
of it for themselves.
A short list of questions may easily
be inserted into the TIPP assignment sheet
to start students thinking beyond the micromanagement of a topic and on to a point
where they can more clearly develop ideas
that will sustain the paper. Questions like,
“Why is this topic important to practitioners
in your field? What are the implications
of this topic on student learning? or Why
is this topic significant to you? will stimulate much more critical thought, and thus
more intellectually informed prose. By
the end of the introductory section of the
TIPP, the reader should notice a clear thesis
emerging, accompanied by a clear sense
of voice—two cornerstones of good
scholarship.
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 5
The TIPP Theory: Synthesizing
Existing Viewpoints
The second section of the TIPP is also
unique because it asks student writers to
facilitate and contribute to a professional
discussion as a way of further exploring,
clarifying, and advancing the topic. Students
cannot merely regurgitate information
found in their source material. Rather,
they must “find what others have to say
about the topic, to analyze those opinions,
to compare them to each other, and finally
to blend those views with their own argument” (62).
The emerging voice of authority that
began in the opening section is allowed
to continue here. The writer is given control
of the discussion and becomes responsible
for deepening the reader’s understanding
of the topic by articulating the views of
her sources at the same time she articulates
her own. The underlying value in this
approach is that students begin moving
away from a style of writing that traps
them into supporting what the professionals have to say at the expense of their own
views. In the language of good scholarship, the writer is well supported by source
material, not eclipsed by it.
As teachers and professional writers,
we too infrequently model good scholarly
techniques for our students or engage them
in discussions that reveal rhetorical markers
indicative of good academic prose. Perhaps
doing so will help our student writers take
the control necessary to present new and
interesting issues of their own to contribute to the developing scholarship of our
fields.
In the language of good
scholarship, the writer is well
supported by source material,
not eclipsed by it.
continued on pg. 7.........
6
Teaching the Language of Scholarship
continued from pg. 6...........
The TIPP Practice: Creating
Application
The final practice section of the TIPP
best exemplifies the language of scholarship because it teaches students what we
as scholars already know: that good theory
is informed by good practice. In the classroom, we are most effective when we
engage students in meaningful activities
which have grown out of good theories.
And students begin to make connections
in their writing between theory and practice,
as Barnett illustrates in the following
observation of one of his own students:
“[Eliot’s] topic was the noise factor in the
campus Writing Center. After researching
and analyzing the problems associated with
the noise factor, Eliot concluded that we
should reconfigure our Writing Center, with
more space, to accommodate both open
and private tutoring. After a discussion
and rationale for the change, he drew a
new floor plan for the Center”(63).
Eliot had already begun thinking as
a scholar by analyzing and researching
noise and its effect on student learning.
And to that extent, he entered the language
of scholarship by articulating those aspects
with language he had learned from other
established scholars. But had he ended with
only that argument, as the traditional
research paper might ask, he would have
been forgetting the actual problem. He
was not simply looking at noise for noise’s
sake; he was addressing a crucial concern.
And he offered a viable solution to the
problem he posed by creating a practical
plan that would reduce the noise factor.
Scholarship, similarly, begins with a
problem, a question to be answered. “How
do we bring down the noise that is currently
permeating our Writing Center?” To become
satisfied with theory alone is to leave the
question unanswered, in essence stopping
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the language of scholarship in mid-sentence.
The TIPP’s practical portion finishes the
sentence and answers the question. Furthermore, the setup of rationale, detailed
explanation of how the project is carried
out, and visual representation of the project,
which the practice section calls for, fosters
further critical thinking in students by
urging them to provide detail and pragmatics as a part of their practical applications.
Summary
When we provide frequent opportunities
for our students to problematize, to synthesize, and to ask intelligent questions as
they write and when we use our professional
dialogues as models for them to emulate,
we are exposing them to the theory and
the practice of our field. And when we
fully immerse students in our discourse
community through research, writing, and
discussion—we can be sure we are teaching
them the language of our scholarship.
The TIPP may not offer a template
for professional writing, but it will help
open the door for students’ developing
understanding of our language, helping
them develop the critical skills necessary
to become good scholars. Once they begin
mastering those skills, they will better
understand what it means to be a scholar,
and their writing will begin to take on the
same characteristics that make up the
language of our scholarship.
Reference
Barnett, Robert W. “Bringing Theory,
Practice, and Reality to the Teacher
Training Classroom.” Language Arts
Journal of Michigan Vol. 13.1 (Spring
1997), 60-63.
•••••••••••••••
Generating Effective
In-Class Discussions
Calvin S. Kalman, Ph.D.
Department of Physics and
Centre for the Study of Learning and
Performance
Concordia University
Montreal, QC, Canada H3G 1M8
KALMAN@VAX2.CONCORDIA.CA
How can you have a really meaningful
discussion in class? You want the discussion
to be primarily student-based with you the
instructor acting primarily as chair and
resource person. Your intentions maybe to
•
•
•
breakup your lectures when students’
attention begins to wander,
examine in-depth salient points in the
course, and
permit students to construct their own
knowledge throughout the entire course.
Each discussion is to be on a short
topic (pericope) that you can place on a
single sheet of paper or transparency. You
want the students to engage metacognitively with this material, share their
thoughts with a neighbour, and then open
the discussion to the whole class. All of
this is achieved using reflective-writepair share (Kalman,1999).
The first step is for the students to read
the pericope, and if desirable (from the
students’ point of view), write notes or
summarize the contents. Next they use
reflective writing for a short, fixed time to
examine its conceptual underpinnings of
the material.
My introductory calculus-based
mechanics course begins with a description
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VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 5
7
In-Class Discussions
continued from pg. 7...........
of nature in terms of displacement, instantaneous velocity, and acceleration. During
each of the first three weeks, I use one
reflective-write-pair-share activity to explore
these concepts. In the first week, I use it
so that students are to see that v=0 at one
particular time does not imply that the body
is stopped and in the second week so that
students are to see that a=0 at one particular
time does not imply that a body has constant
velocity. The third intervention uses a
reflective-write-pair-share exercise to
contrast Galileo’s views with Aristotle’s
about bodies falling near the earth’s surface
in a vacuum. It is pointed out that Aristotle
is against idealizations. Since a vacuum
does not exist, according to Aristotle, the
speed of a body in a vacuum should not
be considered. Students are introduced
to Galileo’s viewpoint that it is useful to
consider idealizations of phenomenon
occurring in the real world.
Reflective Writing
Reflective writing is based upon the notion
of “freewriting” popularized by Peter
Elbow (1973). J. Countryman defines
freewriting as writing rapidly for a short
and fixed period of time (1992, p. 14).
Freewriting falls within J. Britton’s notion
of expressive writing (Britton et. al. 1975).
Britton uses the term expressive writing
to refer to writing to oneself—as in diaries,
journals and first-draft papers—or to trusted
people who are very close to the writer,
as in personal letters. Because expressive
writing is not intended for external audiences, it has few of the constraints of form
and style. Expressive writing often looks
like speech written down; usually it is
characterized by first-person pronouns,
informal style, and colloquial diction.
Toby Fulwiler (1987) comments that “some
writing activities promote independent
thought more than others do. Expressive
The Successful Professor™
or self-sponsored writing, for example,
seems to advance thought further than note
copying” (p. 21). Many examples of such
writing are found in the works of Fulwiler.
In particular, Verner Jensen proposes a
section in “Writing in College Physics” that
“understanding can be enhanced through
a free-writing experience . . . Physics
students can use the writing process to
clarify their thinking and understandings
about physical phenomena through their
written articulation of relationships.
Learning physics requires many different
mind processes, including abstract thinking.
Writing can assist the student with this
process” (p. 330).
In general the use of writing in science
and mathematics has been to have students
examine material after it has been discussed
in class. See D. K. Pugalee (1997), for
example, who reviews the various uses of
writing in the teaching of mathematics.
Freewriting has also been used as a way
for students to pinpoint their difficulties
in solving quantitative problems
(Countryman, 1992, Mayer & Hillman,
1996, Kalman, 2001). Previous research
on freewriting has been done in multiple
subjects and levels of formal schooling
(Countryman, 1992, Kalman & Kalman,
1996, Goldberg & Bendall, 1995). These
studies have typically included freewriting
as a learning intervention treatment in a
quasi-experimental study. From the results
of these studies, there is evidence that freewriting enhances the elaboration of subject
matter concepts through writing.
The term reflective writing is used to
refer to the use of freewriting to interact
with material in a manner that includes
self-monitoring of the understanding of
the conceptual underpinnings of each
reading. My student Nabilla put it this
way: “If there’s a new concept, you’re
trying to understand what is it about . . .
and that’s what you freewrite about, what
you think about the new concept, and how
does it make sense to you.” The instructions
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 5
for reflective writing: Think carefully
about the material presented to you. If
you normally write notes on material you
read, do this at the same time. Then write
freely about the material. “Write freely”
includes the following points adapted
from Elbow’s work (1973): “Just write and
keep writing. Talk to yourself in your
writing” (p. 61). “If you stop involuntarily
in the middle of a sentence, force yourself
to keep writing and write to yourself whatever it is you have to say about that sentence:
why it is stupid or wrong, how you noticed
it, whatever” (p. 74). Along these lines, my
student Solomon notes that “typically I’d
write. I don’t understand this concept, what
does it have to do with anything, and then
well, I guess maybe it works this way or
that way and I’ll actually ask myself questions about the material . . . for more
clarification; typically it’s because I don’t
understand a link . . . how two things fit
in the puzzle.” Another student, Alexei,
stated that “it’s a little bit like thinking
out loud and then putting it on paper; so
it’s pretty much like what I always used
to do; it’s just that it’s quite surprising to
see how much more it’s helpful once it’s
put down on paper . . . it’s also helpful
because even if I don’t find the answers
at least I will find the questions. If there
is something I don’t understand, or if
there’s a popular concept I find difficult,
at least I can find why I don’t understand
it even if I won’t understand it, or like not
right now, but at least I’ll be able to find
the questions. Sometimes I find that is
the first step . . . so in order to find the
answers you need to find the right questions.”
After completing their reflective
writing on the pericope, students share
their ideas with their neighbours, and then
the discussion is opened up to the entire
class.
continued on pg. 9..........
8
In-Class Discussions
continued from pg. 8...........
References
Britton, J. et. al. (1975). The development
of writing abilities 11 - 18. (London: Macmillan).
Countryman, J. (1992). Writing to learn
mathematics: Strategies that work. (Portsmouth,
NH: Heinemann).
Elbow, P. (1973).Writing without teachers. (New
York, NY: Oxford University Press).
Fulwiler, T. (1987). The Journal Book.
(Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann).
Fulwiler , T. “Writing an Act of Cognition” In C. W.
Griffin (ED.) New Directions for Teaching and
Learning:Teaching Writing in all Disciplines, no.
12. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, Dec. 1982.
Goldberg, F. and Bendall, S. (1995).
“Making the Invisible visible: A teaching/learning
environment that builds on a new view of the
physics learner.” American Journal of Physics 63,
978-990.
Jensen, Verner. “Writing in College Physics.”
section 35 pp 330-336 in Fulwiler, T. (1987).
The Journal Book. Portsmouth, NH:Heinemann.
Kalman, J. and Kalman, C. (1996). “Writing to
learn.” American Journal of Physics 64, 954- 955.
Kalman, C. S. (1999). “Teaching science to
non-science students using a student-centred
classroom.” In K. Ahmet and S. Fallows (Eds.),
Inspiring students: Case studies in motivating the
learner (pp. 17-24).(London, England: SEDA:
Staff and Educational Development Series Kogan
Page Limited.)
Kalman, C. S. (2001). “Teaching Students to
Solve Quantitative Problems in Science Courses
by Writing Their Way into the Solution. The
Successful Professor. Sample Issue, 3-4.
Mayer, J. & Hillman, S. (1996), “Assessing
Students’ Thinking through Writing.” The
Mathematics Teacher 89,428-432.
Pugalee, D. K. (1997). Connecting Writing to
the Mathematics Curriculum. The Mathematics
Teacher 90, 308-310.
•••••••••••••••
The Successful Professor™
Motivating Students to
Achieve: Six Strategies
for Success
Nichola D. Gutgold, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Speech
Communication
Penn State Berks-Lehigh Valley College
Fogelsville, Pennsylvania
dgn2@psu.edu
As professors, one of our main objectives
in the classroom is to motivate students.
We have all had students that seem to lack
the energy commitment to perform well
in class, so motivating them could mean
the difference between success and failure.
But how can we motivate? What can we
do to make our students want to do well?
Most of us can think of some theories of
motivation – B.F. Skinner, the Hawthorne
Studies, Abraham Maslow, and others. But
the question is, are we, as professors, motivated to motivate our students?
Although motivation comes from
within, in other words, people motivate
themselves, we as professors can create
a communication climate in our courses
for students to motivate themselves.
What follows are six principles for
motivating others put forth by Professor
Mel Silberman in his Training and Performance Sourcebook. I have adapted
those principles for use in our classrooms.
These are ways we can enliven our courses
with positive energy and encourage our
students to do what they should to learn
and succeed!
Six Principles For Motivating Students
1. Positive Thoughts Motivate. What
conditions motivate people? Recall the
teacher, friend or parent who motivated
you to do well by telling you that you
could succeed. This is an example of our
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 5
first principle of motivation: Positive
thoughts motivate.
In Your Class: Try to identify the
strengths in your students and encourage
them to pursue academic goals that match
their strengths and interests. I teach communication skills, and one very motivating
factor in my class is I give students credit
for what that they are already doing well.
My doing so takes practice, but the payoff
is big. Students will appreciate your
thinking about their specific strengths and
your noticing them.
Try to identify the strengths
in your students and encourage
them to pursue academic goals
that match their strengths and
interests.
2. Enjoyment Motivates. Maybe you
can remember a time when doing something fun made you continue. Recall an
exercise program or a research project
that, for example, took on a life of its
own and provided you with much pleasure.
In Your Class: Lighten up a little and
introduce students to the idea that learning
can really be fun. Have mini speaking
contests through-out the semester: give
away candy bars or other small tokens to
show that there is a prize for winning, and
let students be the judges. Take students
on as many out-of-class experiences that
time and budget allow. Bring in guest
speakers. These are all ways to enliven
the learning and make it enjoyable to the
students.
3. Feeling Important Motivates. Do
you remember a time when your opinions
were sought? Have you ever been invited
to contribute an article or make a presentation? I bet it motivated you!
continued on pg. 10..........
9
Motivating Students
continued from pg. 9...........
In Your Class: Empower students to
shape the course. As the course progresses,
assess the course. Give little surveys. Ask
students to help create assignments and
tests. Ask students to offer their opinions
about what makes a good professor or
learning environment. Show students that
you take their advice by putting their reasonable requests into practice in your class.
Do you remember your BEST teachers?
They were the ones who taught with you
constantly in mind. They tailored the course
to meet the needs of each specific class.
4. Success Motivates. For many people
motivation occurs when they do something
well. You feel part of a worthwhile endeavor and you work hard to ensure continued
success. The saying is true: nothing
succeeds like success!
In Your Class: Give credit for little
victories. In public speaking class, little
victories can be found for a student who
was too afraid to speak, who managed to
speak to a small group, to the skilled speaker
refining transition statements in a speech.
The key here is that success is very specific
to the individuals in the class.
5 Personal Benefits Motivate. What’s
in it for me? Most people want to know
the answer up front. Many people need
to see the reward system before they can
get excited about performing well.
In Your Class: Be very clear about your
grading and the penalties for not completing
assignments. This is a hallmark of good
teaching. In speech class, I show sample
speeches that are “A” “B” and “C” grade
speeches. I give a very detailed description
of how they are graded. I also make the
statement in the first class: “This course is
designed for you to succeed.” This sets
the tone and lets students know that their
destiny is in their own hands.
The Successful Professor™
Many people need to see the
reward system before they can
get excited about performing well.
6. Clarity Motivates. If our task is
unclear, we cannot know what we need to
do to be successful. This point is a close
cousin to #5, because being clear―letting
people know what they need to do to be
successful—usually makes people very
successful.
In Your Class: Spell out your goals and
expectations for students as clearly as you
can. Bring in sample work from the previous
year and describe projects in great detail.
Give specific information about formatting,
length, and due dates. The clearer you are,
the more students will be able to live up
to your clear expectations.
Remember that lifting up students is a
sure-fire way to make your courses more
effective, your time better spent, and your
teaching more successful.
Reference
Silberman, Mel. (Ed.). (1999). “How
to motivate others.” Training and
Performance Sourcebook. New York:
McGraw-Hill.
•••••••••••••••
The Story of Your Name
Kim Cuny
Director of The Storytelling Project
Department of Communication
Monmouth University
West Long Branch, New Jersey
kcuny@yahoo.com
Introduction
For ten years I started each class off with
the same ice breaking “circle of friends”
activity because the students liked it and
it accomplished the desired goals. After
team teaching The Power of Story at
Monmouth University for a year with
Claire B. Johnson, I was challenged to come
up with an even better ice breaker. Claire
encouraged me to find a way that the first
day ice breaker might also serve as an
introduction to the performance elements
that I would later cover in great detail.
What resulted is a class activity which fosters
a sense of community, allows students to
face their communication apprehension
in a non-threatening way, introduces some
of the performance elements of speaking
(eye contact, rate, and volume), and creates
a positive atmosphere in which the rest of
the semester can flourish. This activity
can be beneficial to anyone who teaches
classes which require student presentations,
discussion, in-class activities, or other
forms of oral communication. Beyond my
Children at Atlantic Highlands Elementary School
in New Jersey enjoy a story about a man who needs
a hearing aid. (Credit for the photograph goes to Jim
Reme.)
continued on pg. 11..........
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 5
10
The Story of Your Name
possible. Make it clear that only one person
should be talking at any point in each group.
communication courses, I have used it in
my interdisciplinary class and in workshops
with 4th-6th graders with great success.
4. After all students have had the chance
to share their story with their group of four,
create groups of eight (again in circles)
by joining two groups of four. Have them
take turns telling the story of their name
until all eight people in the group have
had the opportunity to speak. No reading
once again. Make it clear that only one
person should be talking at any point in
each group.
continued from pg. 10..........
What to do before the activity:
Be sure your class has been assigned to
a room which will allow for chairs and
desks to be moved. Students will need to
move their seats as the activity progresses.
Students will stay seated during the entire
activity.
This activity can be beneficial
to anyone who teaches
classes which require student
presentation, discussion,
in-class activities, or other
forms of oral communication.
What to do during the activity:
1. Instruct students to write down the
story of their name. Tell them to be sure
to include everything they know relating
to their name. This might include the
reason they were so named and/or anything that has happened to them to date
related to their name. From this point on,
all members of the class will participate
in each step of this activity at the same
time. (It will get loud at times.).
2. Pair students up in teams of two and
have them read their name stories to each
other.
3. After all students have had the chance
to share their story with a partner, pair
teams of two together forming circles
made up of groups of four students. Have
them take turns telling the story of their
name until all four people in the group
have had the opportunity to speak. This
time tell them not to read but instead look
at the others in the group as much as
The Successful Professor™
the content of the course. I like to follow
my review of the syllabus with this activity.
I have sometimes facilitated the discussion
on the second day due to time restrictions.
At the end of each semester when students
are asked to reflect on their progress for
the semester, they often point to the name
story activity as the reason they were able
to start out so successfully. One former
student, now studying education in graduate
school, recently commented on the power
of story to transform the classroom on that
very first day of the semester.
5. After all of the groups of eight have
finished, split the class into two large
circles. Have the students take turns telling
the story of their name until all in the
circle have spoken. No reading. Make
it clear that only one person should be
talking at any point in each group.
6. The last step involves the entire class
forming one large circle. One at a time
individuals, including the faculty members
tell the story of their names to the entire
class. No reading.
What to do after the activity:
Facilitate a discussion or assign a written
reflection which focuses on any of the
following:
• What are the common themes
heard in the stories?
• What are personal adjustments
made in presenting the story as
the audience grew?
• What changes did they notice
in the stories of others as they
were repeated?
• What are the benefits of practicing a public address before the
formal presentation?
• What might someone have
learned as a result of participating in the activity?
Monmouth storyteller Stephen Bridgemohan tells
students at Bradley Primary School in Asbury
Park, NewJersey about his proud heritage
through the story of his name.
•••••••••••••••
Kim serves on the Communicating Common
Ground (CCG) national leadership team.
CCG (http://www.natcom.org/Instruction/
CCG/ccg.htm) is a partnership of the
National Communication Association,
American Association of Higher Education,
Southern Poverty Law Center, and Campus
Compact which is dedicated to stopping
hate, hate speech, and hate crimes by
teaching tolerance to kids. To find out
more about The Storytelling Project visit
www.monmouth.edu/~story.
Conclusion
The questions used after the activity can
be designed to focus on the specifics of
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 5
11
Meet the Authors
Deborah Frazier has been employed with the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville since
1987. She has served as an instructor; lead faculty; chair for the Division of Business, Technology and Public
Service; and is currently Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. She is a past UACCB Outstanding Faculty
Award winner and Faculty Senate President. Ms. Frazier’s community service includes tenures on the United
Way Board, the Independence County Fair Board, Christmas Brings Hope, Children of North Central
Arkansas, and Midland School Board. She is currently a candidate in the Doctoral of Higher Education
program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Jennifer Methvin, an English instructor at the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville, has
been teaching English in Arkansas two-year colleges for over ten years. She teaches basic writing, freshman
composition, technical writing, creative writing and world literature courses. Methvin holds a B.F.A. in
Creative Writing from Arkansas Tech University and an M.A. in English from Oklahoma State University.
In 1997 and 1999, she received an Arkansas Association of Two-Year College Outstanding Faculty Award.
Currently she serves on the Board of Directors of the Ozark Foothills FilmFest and is the Past-President of
the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges.
W. Kevin Baker, Ph.D., has taught in the Business Administration Department at Roanoke College for
the past 9 years. He has 18 years of overall of teaching experience at both the graduate and undergraduate
levels. He earned his doctorate from the Pamplin School of Business at Virginia Tech. He teaches the
capstone course of Business Policy for the Department. His research interests include affective responses to
the workplace/classroom and organization culture.
Robert W. Barnett has published in the areas of WAC, writing centers and composition studies. His most
recent book is titled The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing Center Theory and Practice. He is currently working
on a new manuscript, Centering Basic Writers: A Writing Center Based Approach. He lives in Flint, Michigan,
with his partner Philip.
Philip T. Greenfield has worked in writing centers, developmental writing, Internet writing, and corporate
writing. His research includes writing in mathematics and composition on the Internet. He currently teaches
freshman composition and business technical writing at Mott Community College. He lives in Flint,
Michigan, with his partner Bob.
The Successful Professor™
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 5
12
Meet the Authors
Dr. Calvin S. Kalman is professor of physics at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He
is a Fellow of the Science College and a member of the Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance.
He earned his doctorate from the University of Rochester. In 1980, he received the Concordia Unversity
Council of Student Life Teaching Award and, in 1999, the Canadian Association of Physicists Medal for
Excellence in Teaching. In addition to publishing in his field, he has refereed for numerous journals of
physics.
Nichola D. Gutgold, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of speech communication at Penn State Berks-Lehigh
Valley College. Her work includes pedagogy related to teaching public speaking and rhetoric of women.
Her recent projects include a book on the rhetoric of Elizabeth Dole and a chapter on the rhetoric of
Betty Ford. An active consultant, she enjoys teaching public speaking, professional and organizational
communication, and negotiation skills.
Kim Cuny is the Director of The Storytelling Project within the Department of Communication at
Monmouth University. Kim’s dedication to teaching and learning were first recognized in 1998 when she
received a Teaching Excellence Award in North Carolina. Regularly featured in Teaching Ideas for the
Basic Communication Course, Kim is responsible for the new tradition of featuring Great Ideas for
Teaching Speech/Communication (G.I.F.T.S.) sessions at the annual communication conferences in both
New Jersey and the Carolinas. (Credit for the photograph goes to Jim Reme.)
The Successful Professor™
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 5
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