Bridges
Reflecting the Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning at the
University of Saskatchewan
January 2011
Volume 9, No. 2
Checking the Temperature and Pressure:
Faculty Attitudes Toward Teaching
By Jim Greer, Director, ULC
I
n this issue of Bridges, I would like
to highlight a report that has just
been released on faculty attitudes
toward teaching at the University of
Saskatchewan. The report is based on
a survey conducted early in the current
planning period, just as several new
initiatives to strengthen the culture of
teaching and learning were being rolled
out. I’d like to thank Carisa Polischuk
from IPA and Brad Wuetherick and
Stan Yu from the Gwenna Moss
Centre for their work on this survey,
data analysis and report. Below, I offer
a synopsis of the findings. I invite you
to look at the entire 70-page report,
available on the UofS Institutional
Planning and Assessment website.
In fall 2009, the University of
Saskatchewan administered an
institution-wide survey aimed at
gaining a better understanding of
faculty members’ and other instructors’
general attitudes toward teaching
and learning. Originally developed at
the University of British Columbia,
the “Faculty Attitudes” survey was
administered to all of the 1190 faculty,
sessional lecturers, and graduate
students who had taught at least one
U of S course in the 2009 calendar year.
A total of 458 instructors responded,
resulting in a 38.5% response rate, with
good representation from all colleges
and all faculty ranks.
U of S instructors tended to hold
teaching in high regard, but also felt
discouraged by the lack of training,
incentives, commitment and rewards
given for teaching. Many seemed to
lack a strong awareness of the current
and ongoing efforts, initiatives and
supports for teaching excellence at
the University of Saskatchewan.
In comparing results against the
University of British Columbia,
we found that respondents from
both Universities held similar views
regarding their personal commitment
to teaching, both groups felt a
perceived lack of support for teaching
given by their University, and both
groups were not very familiar with
ongoing efforts and initiatives to
promote teaching and learning.
Amongst the instructors at the U of S,
97% rated themselves as effective or
very effective educators. Further, the
vast majority of respondents agreed
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
1
www.usask.ca/gmcte
January 2011
Vol. 9 No. 2
The Gwenna Moss Centre for
Teaching Effectiveness
University of Saskatchewan
Room 50 Murray Building
3 Campus Drive
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A4
Phone (306) 966-2231
Fax (306) 966-2242
Web site: www.usask.ca/gmcte
Bridges is distributed to every
teacher at the University of
Saskatchewan and to all the
teaching centres in Canada, and
some beyond. It is also available on
our web site. Your contributions
to Bridges will reach a wide
local, national, and international
audience.
Please consider submitting an
article or opinion piece to Bridges.
Contact any one of the following
people; we’d be delighted to hear
from you:
Jim Greer
Director, ULC and GMCTE
Phone (306)966-2234
jim.greer@usask.ca
Brad Wuetherick
Program Director
Phone (306)966-1804
brad.wuetherick@usask.ca
Christine Anderson Obach
Managing Editor (Bridges)
Program Manager
Phone (306) 966-1950
christine.anderson@usask.ca
Corinne Fasthuber
Assistant
Phone (306) 966-2231
corinne.fasthuber@usask.ca
Views expressed in Bridges are
those of the individual authors and
are not necessarily those of the staff
at the GMCTE.
ISSN 1703-1222
that it is important, as instructors, to
provide students with useful feedback
and to engage students in the subject
matter. Almost all felt that successful
teaching means that students retain the
concepts of the class for the long term.
To teach effectively, respondents agreed
that they must be cognizant of how
students learn a subject. A majority
of respondents felt that traditional
lecturing is not a very effective teaching
method and many favoured the use of
problem-based and interactive learning.
On the other hand, instructors were
found to be more conflicted on the
notion of exams, with the majority of
respondents feeling that we should not
decrease emphasis on exams as a means
for assessing undergraduate student
learning. Despite this, the majority also
admitted that exams do not encourage
a true understanding or learning of the
subject matter and that more effective
methods of student assessment could
be developed.
Generally, respondents agreed
that increasing resources, such as
expanding the availability of classroom
media/computer technologies and
smaller class sizes would improve
the effectiveness of their teaching.
However, they also indicated that
they could become more effective
even without more resources if they
could only devote more time to their
teaching.
Only 37% of respondents believed
they had been adequately trained to be
effective teachers, with full professors
and graduate students reporting even
lower percentages. Further, a majority
of respondents continued to feel that
they are not being provided with
enough training and education on
effective teaching methods and tools
at the University of Saskatchewan, yet
2
indicated that finding time to avail
themselves of such training would be
very difficult.
A large majority of respondents
perceived that both their departments
and their colleges place more emphasis
on research than on teaching. In
contrast, only 24% of respondents
placed more personal emphasis on
research than teaching, with nearly
40% placing more personal emphasis
on teaching than research. Among the
assistant and associate professors, much
more personal emphasis was placed on
research than teaching. This tended to
shift a bit with full professors, where
more than half of the full professors
claimed to place equal or greater
emphasis on teaching.
Despite their personal commitment
to teaching, most respondents felt that
they were not being provided with
adequate incentives and rewards to be
a good teacher nor were they provided
with adequate rewards or incentives
to promote teaching excellence. Thus,
when asked if they would be willing to
devote more time to becoming a more
effective teacher, given all the demands
and constraints placed upon them in
their role at the U of S, around half of
the respondents stated that they could
not find the time.
Still, many respondents agreed that
they were willing to invest some time
into continuing to improve their
teaching, and most agreed that any
initiatives or training opportunities
aimed at improving teaching excellence
at the University of Saskatchewan
were highly important. However, when
asked if they were familiar with current
efforts and initiatives in promoting
teaching excellence at the University,
47% of respondents stated that they
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
were unfamiliar with any such efforts
and initiatives. Further, close to onethird of the respondents did not know
whether current efforts to improve
teaching excellence at the U of S were
having any measure of success. Among
those respondents who had attended
training sessions on effective teaching
at the U of S, 45% did agree that it was
a valuable use of their time; however,
many claimed that the efforts and
initiatives failed to help them find
teaching more fulfilling.
Faculty with fewer than ten years
of teaching experience were more
likely to favour interactive learning
and generally viewed learning as a
social activity. Female respondents
more highly valued the interactive
classroom experience, smaller class
sizes, and engaging in training to be an
effective teacher. On the other hand,
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
male respondents placed a greater
importance on gaining teaching
experience, conveying enthusiasm for
the subject, and preparing for lectures.
The combined effect of gender and
teaching experience showed a dramatic
gap in preferred approaches between
women earlier in their teaching
careers and men later in their careers.
Traditional lectures and traditional
examinations are seen as quite negative
by earlier-career female faculty but
were thought to be a relatively effective
means of teaching by later- career
males.
When comparing the results between
the University of Saskatchewan
and UBC, we found far more
similarities than differences between
the opinions of respondents across
both Universities. While respondents
from both Universities felt that they
3
generally lacked training to be a good
and effective teacher, only 19% of the
respondents from UBC believed that
they were trained to be a good and
effective teacher in comparison to 37%
of the respondents from the U of S.
Since 2009, many new initiatives have
been launched to improve the profile
of teaching and learning at the U of
S, and the rewards and recognition
for effective teaching are an area of
institutional focus. Of course, the
primary mission of the Gwenna Moss
Centre is to support and foster effective
teaching in any way we can. Probably
those of you reading this article
through to the end are fully aware of
the learning opportunities afforded
through our work at the Gwenna
Moss Centre, but please, talk to your
colleagues who aren’t!
www.usask.ca/gmcte
Starting a ‘Wave’
By Kim West, Educational Development Specialist, GMCTE
As a teacher, you influence the
quality of the learning experience for students (Black, Gach, and Kotzian, 1996).
You can make a ‘Wave’ of
difference.
Introduction
W
Life describes the day on October 15,
1981 when Krazy George Henderson
invented ‘the Wave’ in the Oakland
Coliseum. He describes the Wave as
. . . an extraordinary act.
All those people, spread out
over a vast stadium, with
limited ability to connect
or communicate, somehow
come together in a giant
cooperative act inspired by
a common goal: to help
the home team win. It defies language and culture,
occurring with regularity
throughout the world at
Tower of Babel events as
diverse as the Olympics and
international soccer games.
. . It transverses gender, income, and societal status. It
is a pure expression of collective passion released.
hen faculty and instructors
are asked, “What do students need to succeed?”,
the answer is usually intellectual attributes such as student preparedness,
ability and motivation, attendance, and
teacher effectiveness (Provitera McGlynn 2001). But ask the same question
of students and overwhelmingly, the
response is simple: it’s about how students feel and whether they experience
a sense of community and belonging
within their colleges, departments, and
institutions (Provitera McGlynn 2001).
Characteristics such as preparedness,
ability and motivation, or attendance
may be easy to define and measure, but
what does ‘belonging’ actually look and Seidman poses the question, “Is
there some way to foment that
feel like?
kind of creative energy focused on
our business goals? What does it
Dov Seidman, the author of How:
take to start a Wave?” I’d like to
Why How We Do Anything Means
pose a similar question here: Can
Everything . . . In Business And In
4
faculty, instructors, and students
start a Wave- a pure expression of
belonging, community, and collective passion- across the university? And what would this Wave
look and feel like?
It could look and feel like many things:
trust, respect, rapport, responding
openly and honestly, building relationships, caring and concern, common
visions, and learning that becomes a
conversation not a monologue. Seidman argues that ‘soft’ qualities such as
trust, respect, transparency, purpose,
and reputation are actually the ‘hardest’
qualities of all because they create and
drive everything else­­­­­the connectedness, belonging and community that
students are looking for.
Faculty and instructors can start a
Wave of belonging and community in
their classrooms by taking the initiative
and leadership to build rapport in the
classroom. Weimer, Parrett, and Kerns
(1988) define rapport as “the quality of
interpersonal relations between teacher
and students.” Just like the Wave
extends beyond a section in a sports
arena, rapport exists both within and
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
beyond the classroom. Rapport is not
expectations and follow through
only a dialogue between teacher and
on promises made (“I won’t
students it also is a polylogic conversatest you on this specific termition that must be fostered amongst
nology . . .”).
students and students. Rapport is commonly described as a wavelength- a
•Offer fair and rational explanafeature of subconscious communications for grading.
tion- that involves being ‘on the same
wavelength’ with the person with
•Provide immediate, construcwhom one is interacting. Rapport intive, and encouraging feedback.
volves the subconscious and conscious
behaviours, choices, decisions, and in- To build rapport amongst students,
terpersonal communication that either faculty and instructors should provide
motivates or demotivates students, or
opportunities for students to:
creates a supportive or non-welcoming
classroom environment.
•Get to know each other,
through active learning, discussion, collaborative learning, and
Some Strategies to Build
icebreakers.
Rapport
To build rapport with students, faculty
and instructors might
•Learn who their students are
(learn/use their names and find
out background information
about them to make course content interesting and relevant to
demonstrate that they care).
•Be approachable (and available
before and after class, and during office hours).
•Show students that they ‘care’about the content, teaching,
learning, and student success.
•Provide students with clear
•Learn from each other
(through discussion, collaborative learning, etc).
•Ask questions of each other in
class.
sion and energy in your college, school,
or university.
References
Black, B., Gach, M., & Kotzian, N.
1996. Guidebook for teaching labs for
University of Michigan graduate student
instructors. Ann Arbor, MI: Center for
Research on Learning and Teaching,
University of Michigan. Retrieved
December 2, 2010 from http://www.
crlt.umich.edu/gsis/P7_1.php.
Brookfield, S.D. 1995. Building trust
with students. In The skillful teacher:
On technique, trust, and responsiveness in
the classroom (pp.168-176). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Provitera McGlynn, A. 2001. Creating a welcoming classroom environment. In Successful beginnings for college
teaching: Engaging your students from
the first day (pp.55-70). Madison, WI:
Atwood Publishing.
•Form study groups with each
other.
Seidman, D. 2007. How: Why how
we do anything means everything . . . in
business and in life. Hoboken, NJ: John
•Become part of a learning com- Wiley and Sons, Inc.
munity.
Weimer, M., Parrett, J. L., and Kerns,
Seidman says the Wave is typically
M. 1988. How am I teaching? Forms
generated by no more than a few
and activities for acquiring instructional
dozen people. Once started, this initial input. Madison, Wisc.: Magna Publiact of leadership can create collective
cations.
passion and energy across a stadium
filled with thousands of people. Now
just imagine creating that much pas-
The U of S is hosting the 2011 conference for the Society of Teaching and Learning
in Higher Education (STLHE) on June 15-18, 2011.
Theme: From Here to the Horizon: Diversity and Inclusive Practice in Higher Education.
If you are interested in being part of the conference planning team or a volunteer please send an email to
stlhe.2011@usask.ca or call The Gwenna Moss Centre 966-1950
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
5
www.usask.ca/gmcte
Forget about process; let’s focus on
content! Threshold Concepts in the
Disciplines
Brad Wuetherick,
Program Director, GMCTE
V
irtually everyone who has ever
taught in higher education,
regardless of discipline, has
struggled with the sometimes overwhelming need to include too much
content in their course(s). I know I
have. My thought process at the time
was essentially: “I need to include everything from a to z, because if I don’t
then how can they possibly progress in
the discipline. And besides that, what
would my colleagues think if they realized that I wasn’t covering it all.” Yet
those of you who have been GMCTE
workshop participants (or at comparable centres at any university) have
likely heard about the pressing need in
higher education for faculty, sessionals and graduate students to focus on
the process of teaching and to let go
of the focus on content. A common
mantra has been that we should “cover
less to uncover more,” with a reminder
that “coverage is a virtue only in house
paint.”1
Well, let’s forget about process (at least
for the few moments it takes for you to
read this article) and instead embrace
that desire to focus on content. Every
discipline has content that students
need to master to progress in that
discipline. That content may be more
linear and hierarchical in nature or may
be highly contextual and contestable
(or both) depending on the discipline.
For years, academics have written about
disciplinary content using the notion of
The first quotation is attributed (with some
uncertainty) to Bland Tomkinson from the
University of Manchester, who has used it
regularly in his publications, while that latter
quote is attributed to Pat(ricia) Rogers, Dean
of Education from the University of Windsor.
1
core (or key) concepts, those concepts
that are ‘core’ to one’s discipline, your
sub-specialty within a discipline, or
one’s individual courses. Core concepts
are those that students should learn
about, understand, and even master, if
they are to graduate with a degree in a
discipline (or even if they are to complete a single course in a discipline).
In essence, they are critical to how one
might begin thinking and practicing in
a discipline.
The notion of ‘ways of thinking and
practicing (WTP)’ in the disciplines
emerged out of the Enhancing Teaching-Learning Environments in Undergraduate Courses (ETL) Project in
the UK. They used the phrase ‘ways of
thinking and practicing’
“to describe the richness, depth and
breadth of what students might
learn through engagement with a
given subject area in a specific context. This might include, for example, coming to terms with particular
understandings, forms of discourse,
values or ways of acting which are
regarded as central to graduate-level
mastery of a discipline or subject
area. Research findings describing
students’ understandings and misunderstandings of academic tasks,
and of key concepts, tap into the
difficulties that they may experience
in coming to terms with the WTP
of particular academic communities
(Prosser and Webb 1994; Hounsell 1997; Campbell et al. 1998).
WTP can potentially encompass
anything that students learn which
helps them to develop a sense of
6
what it might mean to be part of a
particular disciplinary community,
whether or not they intend to join a
given community in the future, for
example, by pursuing a particular
profession.” (McCune and Hounsell, 2005: 257)
This research on ways of thinking and
practicing has led to an understanding
that there are core or key concepts in
some disciplines that are particularly
troublesome and transformational,
which serve as conceptual gateways
that open up new and previously
inaccessible ways of thinking about a
subject. These concepts, called ‘threshold concepts’ by Meyer and Land
(2003), can be found in all disciplines.
They provide a way of distinguishing
between core learning outcomes that
result in seeing things a new way, and
those that do not.
What makes a concept a ‘threshold
concept’ rather than just a core or key
concept? Meyer and Land argue that a
core concept “is a conceptual ‘building
block’ that progresses understanding of
the subject; it has to be understood but
it does not necessarily lead to a qualitatively different view of the subject
matter” (Meyer and Land, 2006: 6).
On the other hand, Meyer and Land
(2003) articulate five main characteristics of a threshold concept. A threshold concept must be:
1.Transformative – Once the concept
is understood it results in a significant
shift in the perception of a subject (or
part thereof ). This transformation
usually manifests as a shift in students’
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
perspectives, but can also be performative (or skill-based) in nature.
reasonable but mistaken expectations
(heavier objects fall faster), and the
strangeness and complexity of solution
to a problem (mathematical formulas
in Newton’s laws); alien knowledge –
that which comes from a foreign or
‘alien’ perspective that conflicts with
our own (Aboriginal ways of knowing
vs. Western ways of knowing); and,
finally, tacit knowledge, that which
remains personal and implicit, yet often
unexamined, at the level of practical
consciousness (the role of heat in cooking) (Perkins, 1999; Meyer and Land,
2003). Many threshold concepts reside
in the conceptually difficult and alien
categories of knowledge, but not all
conceptually difficult or alien knowledge is a threshold concept.
This liminal state can be unsettling
for students, with the result that
students engage in mimicry of the
threshold concept. This may involve
both attempts at understanding and
troubled misunderstanding or limited
understanding. The students’ mimicry,
whether compensatory (when students
assure themselves that something is
understood, but in reality it is not) or
conscious (when a student is aware
it is beyond their grasp, so they pretend they comprehend), can result in
students passing examinations, assignments, or whole courses, but then
struggle significantly in future courses
in that discipline where the limited
understanding or misunderstandings
are exposed.
Threshold Concepts in the
Disciplines
5. Troublesome – These concepts are
usually troublesome for students, in
that they can appear conceptually
difficult, counter-intuitive, foreign (or
alien), or incoherent.
Another troublesome area for threshold concepts is the use of language in
and of itself, particularly arising from
disciplinary jargon representing their
particular ways of seeing and thinking.
“There is no concept that exists outside
systems of thought and language; there
is no concept which is not involved
in the infinite play of word meaning”
(Land and Bayne, 1999).
The troublesome nature of threshold
concepts is something that I would
like to focus on in particular. Building on Perkins’ ideas of troublesome
knowledge, Meyer and Land argue
that there are a number of categories
in which course content can fall: ritual
knowledge, that has a routine and in
some ways meaningless nature that
have been learned as part of a social or
individual routine (names and dates or
basic arithmetic); inert knowledge, that
sits in the mind, but is only called upon
when specifically called for by an exam
or direct prompt and then put away to
gather dust (game stats for players on
the Roughriders); conceptually difficult
knowledge, that which is troublesome
and arises from a mix of misimpressions from everyday experience (objects
seem to slow down automatically),
Another key issue with threshold
concepts is that students are often in
a liminal or uncertain state as they
pass through the ‘threshold’ (Land and
Meyer, 2006). Learning a threshold
concept in some disciplines may be
akin to moving through a rite of passage, with uncertainty arising from the
transitional state of space or time experienced during the learning process.
The condition of liminality, arising
from learning threshold concepts, may
play a transformative function in that
there is a change of state or status. The
individual acquires new knowledge and
subsequently a new status and identity
within the community. The transformation can also be protracted over time
and involve oscillations between states
often with a regression into previous
states.
2. Irreversible – Once the concept is
understood, the resulting change of
perspective is unlikely to be forgotten
(or would take considerable effort to
unlearn).
3. Integrative – Threshold concepts
help expose the hidden interrelatedness
of ideas and concepts in the discipline.
4. Bounded – Such concepts are usually
(though not always) ‘bounded’ in that
the conceptual space will have frontiers
or boundaries bordering new conceptual areas (which may include the demarcation between theoretical perspectives,
between disciplines or sub-disciplines,
but could also represent natural progressions through a discipline – particularly one with a more linear and
hierarchical knowledge structure).
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
7
An increasing volume of research in
higher education literature explores
the different threshold concepts in the
disciplines. Three short examples may
help to clarify what some threshold
concepts might be, and to demonstrate
how large or relatively small these concepts might be.
First, from mathematics, a commonly
discussed threshold concept found in
first year calculus is the concept of a
‘limit.’ This is a foundational piece to
any understanding of calculus, and is
arguably a threshold that is necessary
to cross in order to pass first year calculus, but it is also one that students find
troublesome (particularly because of
complications arising from the use of
the word ‘limit’ in everyday language).
Students often mimic understanding of
the concept and, in so doing, are unable
to progress in their understanding and
application of calculus. (Meyer and
Land, 2003)
Second, from first-year economics an
example of a threshold concept is that
www.usask.ca/gmcte
of an ‘opportunity cost.’ This fundamental concept in economics is essentially an understanding that choices
can be compared and that every choice
(including not choosing) means rejecting alternatives, each of which have a
value that can be determined. The concept of opportunity lost is troublesome
in that it forces students to realize
that choices are not predetermined or
unchangeable, and results in a transformation where students have a more
abstract way of thinking. (Meyer and
Land, 2003)
Finally, a third example of a larger
threshold concept in many disciplines
in the humanities and social sciences
is the concept of ‘postcolonialism.’
This theory, which encompasses many
different aspects of a number of disciplines, meets each of the criteria
discussed above for threshold concepts
(including the fact that many students
mimic understanding of it rather than
truly progressing through the ‘threshold’). It is a much larger, more complex
concept (often explored or learned over
multiple courses at multiple levels of
study) than the previous two examples,
but gives an idea of the fact that the
scope of threshold concepts can vary.
Several conferences, plus book sand
articles, have been dedicated to exploring different threshold concepts
in the disciplines. In particular, the
recent book by Meyer, Land and Smith
(2008) explores numerous threshold
concepts across the disciplines.
Revisiting the Title
Remember when I said (in the title
to this article) “forget about process;
let’s talk about content”? Well … I
lied. One of the strengths of threshold concepts, as a way to think about
content explored by students in our
respective disciplines, is that it calls
on us to think about how best to help
students overcome the barriers - to
navigate the liminal state - they may
face in crossing those thresholds of
knowledge. In essence, threshold
concepts help us examine the most
effective process through which conceptually troublesome content can be
taught and learned. There are many
ways across and through the threshold, but are there particular ways that
are better than others to help students
understand?
There will be an opportunity in the
upcoming winter term to explore
threshold concepts further as the
GMCTE will have a workshop on
this topic. For more information on
threshold concepts, or to access to
some of the references here, please visit
the GMCTE (and in particular, the
GMCTE library)!
References
Land R. and S. Bayne (1999). Computer-mediated learning, synchronicity
and the metaphysics of presence. In
Collis B. and Oliver R. (eds), EDMEDIA 1999: Proceedings of the 11th
Annual World Conference on Educational
Multimedia, Hypermedia, and Telecommunications, Charlottesvill, VA: American Association for the Advancement
of Computing in Education.
McCune V. and D. Hounsell (2005).
The development of students’ ways of
thinking and practicing in three finalyear biology courses. Higher Education.
49, 255-289.
Meyer J. H. F. and R. Land (2003).
Threshold concepts and troublesome
knowledge: Linkages to ways of thinking and practicing within the disciplines. In C. Rust (ed.). Improving
Student Learning Theory and Practice
– 10 Years On. Oxford, UK: OCSLD,
412-24.
Meyer J. H. F. and R. Land (2005).
Threshold Concepts and troublesome
8
knowledge (2): Epistemological considerations and a conceptual framework for teaching and learning. Higher
Education. 49, 373-388.
Meyer J. H. F. and R. Land (eds.)
(2006). Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold Concepts
and Troublesome Knowledge. London:
Routledge.
Meyer J. H. F. and R. Land (2006).
Threshold concepts and troublesome
knowledge: Issues of Liminality. In
Meyer J. H. F. and R. Land (eds),
Overcoming Barriers to Student
Understanding: Threshold Concepts and
Troublesome Knowledge. London:
Routledge, 19-32.
Meyer J. H. F. and R. Land (2006).
Threshold concepts and troublesome
knowledge: An introduction. In Meyer
J. H. F. and R. Land (eds), Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding:
Threshold Concepts and Troublesome
Knowledge. London: Routledge, 3-18.
Meyer J. H. F, R. Land and J. Smith
(2008). Threshold Concepts within the
Disciplines. Rotterdam: Sense
Publishers.
Perkins D. (1999). The many faces of
constructivism. Educational Leadership.
57 (3), 6-11.
“Ideal teachers are those
who use themselves as
bridges over which they
invite their students to
cross, then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging
them to create bridges of
their own.”
Nikos Kazantzak
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
How many ways can you say “Hello?”:
Intercultural Communication for an Integrated Campus
W
By Sheryl Mills, GMCTE & Lisa Krol, Language Centre
hat does a smile mean to
different cultural groups?
You might be surprised at the range
of interpretations when you watch
the recently released 6-minute video,
Intercultural Communication for an
Integrated Campus, created here at the
University of Saskatchewan.
It can be difficult for international
students—or any new students for
that matter— to make “Canadian”
friends. Intercultural Communication for an Integrated Campus focuses
on intercultural communication and
potential barriers to effective relationship-building conversations. Its
objective is to help students become
more aware of the cultural differences
around them—Canadian to Canadian
as well as Canadian to International.
The objective of this module is to help
viewers feel less fearful of engaging in
an intercultural exchange the next time
the opportunity presents itself.
blind ourselves to information that may
change our views. This knowledge will
encourage people to enter into intercultural interactions with open minds
and awareness of miscommunication.
used at the beginning of term to help
students get to know one another. It
can encourage us to recognize, appreciate, and engage in intercultural
communication. It is a self-contained,
informative and practical resource that
Intercultural Communication for an
is both subtle and invitational. Ideally,
Integrated Campus provides viewers
students will watch the video modules
an opportunity to experience global
as a group. Where the video indicates
perspectives and begin important inter- a pause for discussion, there are intercultural conversations. It is the first
active activities in an accompanying
of three modules promoting internaPDF for discussion. The activities are
tionalization on campus. The module
designed for small group discussion
initiated by special advisor Tom Wisand can be used with groups of varyhart, and conceptualized and develing sizes, including large lecture-style
settings.
In today’s political climate, we tend to
think of people as being the same for
issues of equality while in reality we
all have different backgrounds, which
make for significant differences in how
we think and interpret words, events,
and actions. Intercultural Communication for an Integrated Campus
highlights that we are all different even
when we come from the same place.
This DVD gives us a place to start the
intercultural conversation.
oped through the University Learning
Centre, was developed by Lisa Krol
and Melissa Diehl of the University
Learning Centre. Lisa is the Curriculum Coordinator and ESL Advisor at
The Language Centre and the recipient
of the Spring 2010 Provost’s Award for
Excellence in International Teaching.
Generally we have a tendency to create stereotypes—positive or negative.
Often, to save “psychic energy,” we
tend to think we know what a group
is like, and without awareness, we may
Intercultural Communication for an
Integrated Campus is a short, accessible video lesson intended for use at
orientation type events (undergraduate, residence, PAL, etc). It can also be
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
9
It is estimated that the full package
of three modules and support materials will be ready for use in September
2011. Module 2 will focus on breaking
down stereotypes. It is natural to categorize people both positively and negatively. By being aware of the tendency
to group people, students can examine
their personal experiences to dispel
stereotypes and build more accurate
and malleable representations. Module
3 will focus on moving forward with
an open mind. What evidence in an
interaction might indicate a misunderstanding? And what strategies can be
employed to make the communication
successful for both parties?
So… check out this new DVD resource
if you are looking for something to
start a conversation with colleagues,
students, or staff about stereotypes,
inter-cultural communication, or
racism. Contact GMCTE for more
information.
www.usask.ca/gmcte
The Runaway
The following narrative is based
on a true story.
Card. I robotically pushed the green
button again, but, now crestfallen,
my aspiration to publish seemed
insignificant. From the other side of
he other day I was in the
the bookshelf, I heard profound intakes
library in search of resources
of breath, followed by hushed sobs.
that would contribute to my
By some incomprehensible means,
latest article. The library was a hive of
I felt her frustration and pain. The
busyness: computer terminals were full,
runaway call echoed in my ears and the
students were gathered around tables
sound of this parent’s poignant voice,
discussing assignments, and there was a
which radiated with love, concern, and
line-up at the self-service book checkanxiety, consumed my thoughts.
out. It felt invigorating to be immersed
in this academic environment,
Click, schhhh . . . click, schhhh . . .
especially with my own collection of
The final pages emerged and lay on
books and journals securely clamped in
the finish tray. I gathered my stack
hand. I chewed my gum as I walked
of papers, turned around, and started
toward the back of the library where
to walk
I knew three lone photocopiers were
past the
housed. Eager and ready to claim my
bookshelf.
personal copies, I placed the inside
With a
of a book face down on the glass and
peripheral
pushed the green copy button. To my
glimpse,
surprise, instead of a soft hum-reply, I
I saw the
heard a buzzing ring. After an instant
stooped
of confusion, I realized the sound was
body and
not from my machine but from a cell
instantly
phone behind a nearby bookshelf. As
recognized
I proceeded to claim the next page,
her; she was
I could not help but overhear the
one of my
ensuing one-sided conversation:
students.
Should I
“Yes, this is Devon’s mother. Oh no.
talk to her?
Where is he? Oh, you found him, and
Should
he’s back. Is he okay? Thank god. Ya,
I tell her that I overheard her
he does that sometimes, runs away,
conversion? Should I stop to console
especially when it gets to be too much.
this obviously distraught person? Or
Do you know what happened? What
should I runaway to the sanctuary of
made him feel a need to escape? He
my office? I reminded myself that I
doesn’t do well under pressure. Usually
had eavesdropped; it would be both
he screams and then leaves. Yes, I can
presumptuous and pretentious of me
be at school by 3:45 today. I’ll see
to make the details of her personal
you then.” Click. I heard the person
problem my business. Gratefully
return the phone into a backpack.
unnoticed, I stole past my student and
Then I heard a whisper confessing,
exited the library.
“Sometimes, I want to runaway, too.”
T
Back in my own world, I glanced at
the money remaining on my Copy
Although I physically escaped the
discomfort of the situation, I did
10
By: Jane P. Preston,
College of Education
not leave the library emotionally
unscathed. I was shaken and uncertain
why I felt that way. I walked down
the hallway and stopped at the black
couches located near the stairwell. I
sat there for a while and watched my
surroundings. At the other side of
the couch, a student was feverishly
texting. Rushing past me, a swarm
of students were trying to make it to
class on time. I nodded to a professor
on his way to class. Even with all of
these distractions, my mind returned
to the phone call. Why was I feeling
so sentimental about a conversation of
which I was only half privy? Granted,
I used to be a middle years teacher, but
now I was just a graduate student and
sessional lecturer at the university. I
was no where near the child who had
run away. I had nothing to do with
him. Or did I?
I thought about my past K-12 students.
Usually, nostalgic memories of my
teaching brought me delight; however,
if the truth be told, not all of my
teaching days were positive. There
were some days when I felt angry with
my students—like Bev and Sulamon—
because they created problems in my
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
class. Bev was an incessant talker and
never paid attention. Sulamon was
always making silly noises, constantly
moving in and around his desk. When
he did attempt to focus, it took him
15 minutes just to get out a pencil,
never mind the paper. I thought
about the choices I made when
dealing with these students and other
demanding students. Although I was
the professional, at times, my teaching
demeanor reflected frustration and
impatience, not ideal teacher traits.
Then I thought about that parent in
the library who was probably still
hurting. How did she deal with the
constant challenges of parenthood? I
felt ashamed of my teaching mistakes
and my related arrogance. It felt
uncomfortable to be in this selfreflective state.
After cogitating a bit more, I asked
myself what good could come from
this impromptu reflection catalyzed
by the ringing of a phone. I realized
that the process of reflection has
great potential to fuel personal and
professional improvement because
future challenges can be alleviated
through philosophically resolving past
events. Once you understand yourself,
your strengths, and your weaknesses,
you can use this unique knowledge
to target personal and professional
growth. Furthermore, reflection is a
self-auditing process that can be used
to decipher core values and beliefs.
Related to education, our teaching
values and beliefs are often disguised
within past student interactions and
other educational experiences. By
reflecting on such experiences, we
give ourselves time to unravel our
fundamental beliefs about teaching.
In turn, once you know yourself and
can articulate your beliefs, you become
empowered with recognizing choice
and creating confident, informed
decisions.
While sitting on that couch, I reflected
on my teaching and attempted to reveal
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
my thoughts pertaining to a number
of teacher-related questions. What
was my core purpose as a teacher?
What did I consider to be a successful
teacher? Essentially, how did I view
my students? What did I believe was
the primary purpose of education? As
a result of a runaway phone call and its
ensuing self-reflection, I now present
some of my teaching beliefs:
Through this narrative, I also wanted to
share part of my philosophical beliefs
pertaining to education and invite you
to form/reform your own thoughts on
the topic. Finally, I wanted to thank
the runaway child not only for going
back to school, but for providing me
with a reason and opportunity to run
away with my thoughts.
Jane’s Bio:
Jane is currently employed as the
College Position Analyst in the
College of Education, University of
Saskatchewan. She taught school
for about 10 years while living in
Canada and
•Invariably, each learner is
internationally.
exceptional and comes to
Her research
every learning situation with
spotlights parent
overwhelming potential.
and community
involvement in
•Teachers must devote time,
school councils,
attention, and effort on developing
Aboriginal
the unique talents and skills
issues, and rural education. Please feel
possessed by each student.
free to email any of your comments to
jane.preston@usask.ca
•A successful teacher is one who
is capable of recognizing and
unleashing the celebratory, selfgreatness that abounds each
learner.
•The act of teaching is a social state
of being, and, depending upon the
teacher, learner, and/or learning
opportunity, teaching is both an
effortful or effortless process.
•It is the duty of every teacher to
bolster the academic, physical,
emotion, social, and spiritual
development of students within a
stimulating and safe environment.
•A well-educated society is one that
promotes the health, happiness,
and longevity of humankind. To
actualize this statement, a teacher
must first touch the soul of a
student.
I wrote this narrative for a number of
reasons. First of all, I wanted to offer
the reader a short vignette to exemplify
the power of self-reflection. At times,
we all need to stop . . . and decipher our
past in an effort to plot out our future.
11
For information
about upcoming
workshops, events
and courses offered
by The Gwenna Moss
Centre for Teaching
Effectiveness please
visit our website. Full
details and online
registration are
available.
www.usask.ca/gmcte
www.usask.ca/gmcte
Emotion,
Conflict,
and
Culture
in the
Classroom:
Part One
of Two
By Tereigh Ewert-Bauer,
GMCTE
B
arbara Vacarr’s essay “Moving
Beyond Polite Correctness:
Practicing Mindfulness in the
Diverse Classroom” (2001) describes
a critical incident wherein an African
American student described to a White
student how it felt to hear her use the
word “tolerance”:
“’When I hear you talk about tolerance,
I hear you telling me that I am
something to be put up with. That
doesn’t make me feel very good’” (p.
286).
Vacarr’s response bears quoting at
length:
In the silence that followed this
moment I had the uncomfortable
privilege of confronting myself as
I struggled with the decision to
address the differences in the room,
and with trusting my ability to
facilitate a safe and honest dialogue.
Remaining present in that
struggle led me into a disturbingly
vulnerable place where I was
forced to confront my ineptitude.
It is only in retrospect that I am
grateful to the African American
woman for taking a risk that
brought me face to face with my
own isolation, a place from which I
could perceive her isolation as well
as I stood facing the room of silent
White students. In that moment,
the silence of the room amplified
the noise of my internal distress.
Speaking felt risky — my words
could leave me out there, exposed
in much the same way that the
student had exposed herself. Just as
her declaration pierced the illusion
of group unity and separated her
from her classroom peers, my
words could separate me from the
White students or could further my
distance from the African American
student.
I sensed that several students
wanted me to be their ally and
to excuse our ignorance and our
racism. And, in fact, I wanted to
do just that; it would have been
so much safer. It was a preciously
frightening moment, laden with
potential betrayal. Parker Palmer
(1998) speaks about this as
pathological fear, the kind that
leads us to betray our students and
ourselves: “It leads me to pander
to students, to lose my dignity . . .
so worried that the sloucher in the
back row doesn’t like me that I fail
to teach him and everyone else in
the room” (p. 49). In these moments,
so much of who we are as human
beings is at stake. Our integrity,
our honesty, and our fundamental
trustworthiness is [sic] jeopardized
by our need to belong, our need for
validation, and our need to feel in
control. (286-287)
12
This article has always been unsettling
to me, because of the issues it raises: of
conflict, emotion, power and control,
and culture in the classroom. It is easy
to both identify and feel uncomfortable
with Vacarr’s story.
I commiserate with Vacarr in her
moment of perceived “ineptitude”
when faced with conflict and tension
in her classroom. I’ve experienced
that seemingly endless moment of
classroom silence when internally, I
frenetically rifled through my content,
ethical, and pedagogical knowledge
for the “right” way to react. The kneejerk response could be to diffuse
the situation as quickly as possible,
returning the classroom to a place
of thinking and not feeling, wherein
the content becomes the focus of the
lesson. Indeed, Vacarr admits that to
ignore the situation would have been
“much safer.” Conflict and emotions
are messy, and create the potential to
lose control over the environment.
Conflict and strong emotion are events
that we are trained, in a Euro-centric
academy, to avoid in the classroom, in
exchange for objectivity and rationality.
This “positivist” epistemology hearkens
to the empirical and scientific ages
( Jaggar, 1992, p. 116), upon which
the traditional Western university is
founded. In this tradition, it is believed
that emotions prevent the creation of
valid knowledge. Alison Jaggar argues,
“emotions were not seen as being
about anything: instead, they were
contrasted with and seen as potential
disruptions of other phenomena that
are about some thing, phenomena
such as rational judgments, thoughts,
and observations” (p. 119). Vacarr’s
courageous student challenges this
thinking by combining her feelings
about what was said with logic,
taking issue with the use of the word
“tolerance.” The student experiences
and expresses both emotion and
rational thought, but then the class
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
and the teacher are also faced with
reconciling the student’s emotion
and thinking. It is in this moment,
I believe, that Vacarr experiences her
moment of “ineptitude,” precisely
because she has been (and we in the
Eurocentric tradition are), trained to
separate out thinking from feeling.
James Gould, in “Thinking with
the Heart,” suggests a “holistic
epistemology” arguing that “when
feelings are excluded, rational and
moral judgment can become distorted”
(2002, p. 9). Rather than trying to
exclude emotion, Gould’s assertion
is that our embracement of emotion
completes the thinking process.
Vacarr also identifies conflict, both
real and potential, as a site for her
discomfort. The conflict is manifest
in the “differences” that arise among
the students, the “pierced illusion of
group unity,” and her recognition of
the need for “safe and honest” dialogue
(thereby acknowledging that conflict
would be part of that dialogue). If
we fear emotions in our classrooms,
surely to a large extent it is because
we fear the conflict that may arise out
of those emotions. Vacarr feels herself
being pulled first toward ignoring the
situation, and second, to becoming
an ally to the dominant group. Both
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
point about the word itself because
it is used widely in supposedly wellintentioned ways to describe the need
for equal treatment for all people,
and yet the student is absolutely
right that by definition, to “tolerate”
is to put up with something negative
or detrimental. An examination of
a dictionary definition of the word
may have elicited some interesting
discussion from the students. Second,
because the student generously shared
her feelings—and by this, I mean
that in making herself vulnerable, she
provided her peers with a learning
opportunity— the class could have
explored the debate around “politically
(in)correct” language. Those not
actions would possibly result in avoiding
affected by such language seldom have
immediate conflict, or rather, either
insight into just how significant an
action would result in avoiding an open
impact the use of some words can have,
manifestation of conflict. The conflict
yet through her emotional and rational
would still remain: the student would
statement, the young woman provided
still feel hurt and/or offended by the
such an insight for her peers.
use of the word “tolerance,” she would
still feel isolated, and the rest of the
Vacarr identifies that one of the
students would still harbour dismissive
feelings she experienced was the need
feelings that the African American
to “feel in control.” I interpret this
student over-reacted. Vacarr reports
to mean that she doesn’t want her
that when the African American
classroom to feel out of control—with
student first spoke, the “other students
emotion and conflict dominating the
rolled their eyes as if to say, ‘Oh come
environment in detrimental ways. I
on, don’t make a big deal out of this.
argue that a treatment of the situation
Do we really have to watch our every
as described above can be accomplished
word?’” (286). In Beyond the Culture
by establishing ground rules or
Wars, Gerald Graff suggests that
guidelines for behavior and discussion
“the best solution to today’s conflict
before such a circumstance presents
over culture is to teach the conflicts
itself. In a class wherein sensitive
themselves, making them part of our
issues are to be broached in the
object of study” (1992, pp. 12).
curriculum, one can safely anticipate
that conflict will emerge. Having the
Indeed, Vacarr’s situational conflict
students collaboratively devise a set
presents two very teachable moments.1
of guidelines may circumvent student
First, the student who problematizes
behaviours such as eye-rolling (an
the word “tolerance” raises an excellent
attempt to isolate, embarrass, and
silence the student who spoke out),
1
A “teachable moment” is one in which “the
student arrives at a position where he or she and to foster skills such as careful and
is open to teaching.” This occurs when sturespectful listening and discussion.
dents must reconcile their existing models
of learning with “incompatible” models that
present themselves, causing the student to
“evaluate the discrepancies and ‘construct’ a
new or revised model” (Elmborg, 2002).
13
I recommend creating this list of
guidelines with the students, so
that they feel a sense of ownership
www.usask.ca/gmcte
of the behavioral and discussion
expectations. Students who have a
say in the guidelines are more likely
to take them to heart, and further,
are more likely to peer monitor one
another for adherence. You may create
a list of your own, to supplement the
one generated by the students, that
includes “non-negotiable” items such
as “no using racial slurs or attacks,”
and confidentiality. Some possible
guidelines might include these, from
a psychology of gender class in Dort
College:
your experience of her or his
contribution—the effect that her
or his contribution had on you.
Use ‘I’ statements that convey
your experience of the other
person’s efforts” [the student
who spoke up in Vacarr’s class
perfectly demonstrated a variation
of the use of an “I” statement,
by following a “When you said
_____, it made me feel ___”
model] (Thoughts on Teaching,
2008)
References
Elmborg. J.K. (2002). Teaching at the
desk: Toward a reference pedagogy.
Libraries and the Academy, 2(3), 455464.
Gould, J. B. (2002). Thinking with the
heart: Provoking emotion as a tool for
learning. Excellence in College Teaching,
13(1), 5-27.
Graff, G. (1992). Beyond the culture
wars: How teaching the conflicts can
I would also add:
revitalize American education. New
• Assume that everyone, like you,
• the “ouch” and “oops” model (that York: W.W. Norton & Company.
is seeking truth. Listen in a spirit
I learned from a colleague who
of humility, so you can learn
learned it at a conference). When Lantinga, S. (1999). Psychology
from others, painful though that
a student feels that something
of gender: Rules for discussion.
process might be. One technique
that has been said is hurtful or
Psychology 343, Fall 1999, Dort College.
is to honestly ask “what if what I
offensive, that student can say
Accessed from http://homepages.
believe about this is really wrong,
“ouch.” Likewise, if a student
dordt.edu/~lantinga/gender_rules.htm
and his/her perspective really is
says something and then realizes
on October 28, 2010.
right?”
that he/she may have created an
• Every person is treated with
“ouch” statement, that student can Jaggar, A.M. (1992). Love and
respect. No personal attacks or
say “oops,” acknowledging that an knowledge: Emotion in feminist
comments [and here I would
unintentional mistake has been
epistemology. In E. D. Harvey & K.
add, no non-verbal attacks
made.
Okruhlik, (Eds.), Women and reason
or intimidation]. Say “I don’t
(pp. 115-142). Ann Arbor: University
understand how those ideas
By generating guidelines for discussion, of Michigan Press.
relate” rather than “You can’t
students are better prepared to engage
really believe that.” Ask clarifying in constructive conflict, to experience
Some guidelines for discussion
questions rather than making
and share emotion, and to learn from
participation. Thoughts on
judgments about people.
one another; a safe and structured
teaching. Blog. Monday, April
• Listen carefully to one another— learning environment has been
21, 2008. Accessed from http://
if you are thinking about how
established based on an understanding thoughtsonteaching-jdunlap.blogspot.
you are going to respond, you are of one another’s needs and expectations com/2008/04/some-guidelines-forprobably not listening.
within the classroom community.
discussion.html on October 27, 2010.
• No interruptions.
• After class is over, opinions can
Thus far, in outlining the aspects of
Vacarr, B. (2001). Moving beyond
be discussed, but not people. That this article excerpt that make me
polite correctness: Practicing
ism you could say to your friends uncomfortable, I have not addressed
mindfulness in the diverse classroom.
later “Here’s one of the ideas that the aspect of “culture.” Issues of White Harvard Educational Review, 71(2),
came up in class today” but not
privilege and power, of Othering, and
285-296.
“You wouldn’t believe what Virgil classroom oppression are all evident in
said!” (Psychology of Gender:
this passage by Vacarr. These are issues
Rules for Discussion, 1999)
that I will address in the second part of
this article in the next issue. I welcome
To this we might add:
contributions to that part of the discussion,
• “be non-attributive: Do
if you have a particular reaction to the
not describe a classmate’s
Vacarr quotation.
attributes but rather describe
14
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
Sustainability Education: Leading by Example
By Alice Cassidy
I
n 1986, as I was completing
my Master’s thesis at McGill
University, I took a break to camp
at Point Pelee during the spring bird
migration. My good friend and fellow
bird fanatic, Tracey, flew out from the
west coast to join me. After all the
good times – impressing the other
campers with our culinary skills on
a Coleman stove, meeting friends at
the campfire, returning to
soggie Shreddies having
seen the rare Worm-eating
Warbler – it was time to pack
up. I remember taking some
aluminum beverage containers
to the closest garbage can.
“Hey Alice,” Tracey called
out, “can you return those
for a refund or recycle them
somewhere?” I realized I
didn’t know, but I always
listen to my wise friend, and
we bundled the cans into my
Landrover and headed back
to Montreal. I investigated
where and how I could
recycle, and from that day,
wherever in the world I have
found myself, have sought
out recycling facilities, asked
questions, and done my best to reduce
my impact. It all started with a simple
non-judgmental question that got me
thinking and changed my actions.
volunteers, me included. It provided
tools and resources to promote and
foster awareness about sustainability
within our departments. I initiated
such simple actions as re-using paper
for printing, bringing second-hand
dishes and cutlery to our kitchen, and
providing energy-savings tips such as
turning chargers and power bars off
when not in use.
Fellow staffers took part and became
actively involved. We provide bins for
food scraps, paper napkins and other
compostable material for the in-vessel
composter on campus, the resulting
output used for gardens around the
University (http://www.recycle.ubc.ca/
During my time working at the
compost.htm). We collect batteries for
University of British Columbia, I
recycling (http://www.sustain.ubc.ca/
found opportunities to set examples
and initiate programs that I hope have campus-sustainability/recycling-nonmade a difference. I shall describe three rechargeable-batteries) and plastic bags
for re-use or recycling off campus. We
of them here.
developed protocols for e-commuting.
The Sustainability Coordinators (SC)
Program (http://www.sustain.ubc.ca/
Since my department was a teaching
sustainability-coordinators) started
support centre (then called the Centre
in 1999 by recruiting about 150
for Teaching and Academic Growth,
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
15
TAG), every week colleagues from
all across the University came for
workshops and meetings, thousands
of people each year. They took notice.
They took ideas and actions back to
their departments.
For 14 years, I taught a third-year
course, Human Ecology, involving my
students in activities and assignments
that would help them see connections
between themselves and
world around them (http://
www.zoology.ubc.ca/bio345/
gallery.htm).
The course was built around
basic ecological principles
and techniques, such as
ecosystems, biodiversity,
nutrient cycles, field
observation and inquirybased learning, blended with
the study of current events
and issues, both local and
global. Much of the course
content came out of what
students were interested in,
considered how ecology ties
in to their daily life, and made
connections between ecology
and other disciplines they
were studying.
Students found ways to make a
difference, through their individual
actions and also in groups through
community service-learning projects.
One course had about 350 alumni
and in keeping in touch with many
of them, living all over the world, it is
encouraging to see them contributing
to a more sustainable planet.
An invitation to attend a workshop
in 2007 led to the design of a unique
sustainability education program at
UBC that has had many offshoots in
the past two years. Freda Pagani, then
www.usask.ca/gmcte
director of UBC’s Sustainability Office
invited me, as Associate Director of
TAG, to take part in the Sustainability
Across the Curriculum Leadership
Workshop at Emory University in
Atlanta, Georgia (see http://www.
aashe.org/.)
The only Canadian institution at
the workshop, we were represented
by myself as well as Kristin Orians,
Associate Professor, Chemistry/
Chemical Oceanography and Associate
Director, Environmental Sciences,
and Yona Sipos, Graduate Academic
Assistant, TAG and Ph.D. Candidate,
Faculty of Land and Food Systems.
We learned about the Ponderosa and
Piedmont Projects that have helped
over 200 faculty members in the
United States adapt their courses to
include a sustainability focus.
The 2.5-day Intensive provides tools,
resources and time for participants,
undergraduate and graduate students,
faculty, staff and post-docs are all
invited to apply to develop a plan to
integrate or enhance sustainability
in their course, program or initiative.
Studio sessions and financial support
for UBC colleagues over six months
culminate in a showcase event to share
the results.
Similar programs are now being
developed at other post-secondary
institutions (e.g. http://www.bcit.
ca/construction/sustainability/
pacificspirit.shtml). A video
highlights the programs at UBC and
BCIT (http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=h1y9nhuhLTU). It was
created and produced by Sean Devlin,
then Communications Coordinator
for goBeyond (http://www.go-beyond.
Once home, we set about to design
ca/about-us), a multi-campus climate
our own program, the Sustainability
change network with a strong student
Education Intensive (SEI; http://blogs. component.
ubc.ca/tagsustainability/about/). With
UBC’s reputation as a sustainability
The first two years of our program have
leader in North America, we were in a enjoyed participation of colleagues
unique position to develop leadership
from many disciplines at UBC as well
both within and beyond our own
as from four other post-secondary
institution.
institutions, including two in Ontario.
As a result, sustainability has been
Wanting to make our program unique introduced or enhanced in about 40
to UBC, noted for its undergraduate
courses, programs and initiatives (see
student leaders, Yona and I involved
Outcomes on the SEI blog).
undergraduate Sarah Nyrose in
initial design and delivery, followed
Two alumni of the first SEI, Angela
by Angela Willock, an alumnus from
Willock and Maggie Baynham, further
the first year. We sought help from
developed their SEI project as the
colleagues in a variety of roles and
BC-wide Sustainability Education
from units across the University. We
across the Province (SEAP; http://
are grateful for financial support
www.sfu.ca/sustainability/sac/events/
through the Sustainability Office, the
seapbc2010.html).
Centre for Teaching and Academic
Growth (which have each since
Having an idea or asking a question,
merged or become part of other units; taking action, being visible about it,
see http://www.sustain.ubc.ca/ and
setting examples for others. It can start
http://ctlt.ubc.ca/) and UBC students small; it can start with one idea or one
through the Teaching and Learning
person. The above examples show how
Enhancement Fund (TLEF; http://
quickly it can catch on and lead to
tlef.ubc.ca/).
other ideas and developments. Thanks
16
for asking about those cans I was going
to throw out in 1986, Tracey!
Further Reading
Cassidy, A. (2008). The Value of
Hands-on Learning: Techniques
from instructor; results from students.
Invited presentation at the 4th
Annual Community and Education
Symposium. Centre for Sustainable
Food Systems at UBC Farm. April 25,
2008. University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, BC.
Cassidy, A. and Y. Sipos. (2007).
Students as Co-Researchers and Copresenters. Presented at the 27th
Annual Conference of the Society
for Teaching and Learning in Higher
Education (STLHE) – Evolving
Scholarship. June 13-16, 2007.
University of Alberta. Edmonton,
Alberta.
Mayer-Smith, J. and L. Peterat (Eds).
(2010). Get growing! Activities for
food and gardening learning. A teacher
resource elementary and middle grades.
Vernon: Really Small Vernon Press.
(220 pages)
Podger, D.M., E. Mustakova-Possardt
and A. Reid. (2010). A wholeperson approach to educating for
sustainability. International Journal
of Sustainability in Higher Education,
11(4), 339-352.
About the author: Alice Cassidy,
Principal of In View Education
and Professional Development, is
a biologist, science educator and
educational developer. She has degrees
from the University of Victoria, McGill
University and the University of
British Columbia. In the past 15 years,
she taught in the Zoology Department
and held leadership roles at UBC’s
Centre for Teaching and Academic
Growth and associated Institute for the
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
CHANGE AND INSTRUCTIONAL
RENOVATION
Sheryl Mills, PhD, Curriculum and Educational Development Specialist, GMCTE
W
hether it is loss of control or loss of certainty or
because “change” represents
a potential threat to security, safety,
or survival, there are literally millions
of books, articles, websites, newsletters and workshops about personal
and organizational change. “Change”
can conjure up images and feelings of
excess uncertainty, surprise, shock, being “different,” loss of face, or concern
about future competence.
deciding whether or not to keep the
innovation after it has been integrated.
Although there are variations on the
process of organizational change, the
stages of disruption, reforming, and
moving to stasis are consistent. There
is a tendency for systems—individuals,
groups, or organizations—to conserve
energy by holding fast to rules, norms,
and codes, or to a clear and stalwart vision of the future. The forces for change
have to be great enough to overcome
the desire to remain the same. The
status quo does not have to be optimal, but the potential for change only
occurs once the pain of the current
situation is too great or the potential
for benefit is greater than the perceived
difficulties in making the change.
There is little impetus for individuals to
change if their situation is comfortable
and things seem to work.
There is surprising uniformity in the
literature on change. Kurt Lewin
(1951) offered a basic change model
of unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. Fullan and Stiegelbauer (1991)
expressed these stages as initiation,
implementation, and continuation.
Rogers’ model (1983, 1995) consisted
of the five stages of (1) becoming
aware of the innovation, (2) forming an
opinion about it, (3) deciding to adopt, Only when it becomes apparent that
(4) integrating the innovation, and (5) the existing situation is not as effective
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
17
as it could be that change is possible.
The initial step in the change process,
then, is simply to notice and accurately
assess the current situation. A confluence of factors may be necessary to lead
to this stage of awareness. Individually, factors may be “necessary but not
sufficient” to instigate change. Certain
conditions contribute to this the point
at which change occurs. The qualities
and characteristics of the innovation
and of the individuals making the
change within their organizational
context have an impact on the adoption
of new practices.
“It is more difficult to change minds
when perspectives are strongly held,
and publicly, and by individuals of rigid
temperament” (Gardner 2004, p. 62).
Minds are more easily changed, however, when “individuals find themselves
in a new environment, surrounded
by peers of a different persuasion...or
when individuals undergo shattering
www.usask.ca/gmcte
experiences...or encounter luminous
personalities” (p. 62). The desire to
change, knowing what to do and how
to do it, the right climate, and appropriate rewards influence the acceptance—or rejection—of change.
Generally when people are driven by
curiosity, change is not dramatic at
all. What I discovered in my research
on instructional change is that it is
more like instructional renovation.
These renovations evolve over time in
response to helping students better
understand difficult concepts. Instructional change is in fact a gentle evolution rooted in perceived needs that are
met gently and serendipitously with
timely, appropriate, and applicable
information. Instructional change is
gently aligned with personal beliefs and
discipline-rooted signature pedagogies.
“Signature pedagogies” are characteristic forms of teaching and learning that
organize and prepare future practitioners for their professional work (Schulman, 2005). A signature pedagogy is
“a set of assumptions about how best
to impart a certain body of knowledge
and know-how. It has an “implicit
structure, a moral dimension that comprises a set of beliefs about professional
attitudes, values, and dispositions”
(Schulman, 2005, p. 55). Inextricably
linked with a particular profession,
it is the way of teaching that is distinctive to that profession as well as
pervasive within the curriculum and
across similar institutions as elements
of instruction and socialization (Schulman, 2005). Medical students expect
clinical rounds and law students expect
case discussions. Traditional lectures
and “signature pedagogies” of professional colleges provide consistency and
routine to faculty and students.
Eventually we develop “personal signature pedagogies” that combine our
beliefs and experiences about teaching
and the discipline that has both formed
and informed the way we learn—and
teach (Mills, 2009). When you reflect
on your teaching, think about how your
instructional practices have been gently
renovated over time. And when you
think about difficulties students may
have with particular concepts consider
what other teaching strategies you
might be able to use.
Schulman, L. (2005). Signature pedagogies in the professions. Daedalus, 134
(3), 52-59.
Schulman, L. (2005). The signature
pedagogies of the professions of law,
medicine, engineering, and the clergy:
Potential lessons for the education
of teachers. Retrieved 09/15/2008.
http://hub.mspnet.org/media/data/
There are many teaching strategies
Shulman_Signature_Pedagogies.pdf ?
from which one can choose to enhance media_000000001297.pdf
student learning. The Gwenna Moss
Centre for Teaching Effectiveness can
help.
References
Fullan, M., & Stiegelbauer, S. (1991).
The new meaning of educational change.
New York: Teachers College Press.
Fullan, M. G. (2003). Change forces
with a vengeance. New York: Routledge
Palmer.
Gardner, H. (2004). Changing minds:
The art and science of changing our own
and other people’s minds. Boston: Harvard University Press.
Lewin, K. (1951). Field theory in social
science: Selected theoretical papers. D.
Cartwright (Ed.). New York: Harper &
Brothers.
Mills, S. (2009). Instructional Renovation: Integrating a “Good Idea” in Undergraduate Classes. Unpublished dissertation. University of Saskatchewan.
Rogers, E. (1983). Diffusions of innovations. New York: Free Press.
Rogers, E. (1995). Diffusion of innovations. (4th ed.). New York: Free Press.
Schulman, L. (2005). Pedagogies
of uncertainty. Liberal Learning, 91
(Spring), 18-25.
18
Further Reading about
The Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning.
For people interested in the
SOTL article featured in the
previous issue of Bridges, you
may also be very interested in
an article by Eileen Herteis,
former Program Director of the
GMCTE and current Director
of Mount Allison’s Purdy Crawford Teaching Centre, that is still
available on the GMCTE and
CDL websites (and originally
published in the August 2002 issue of Bridges - Vol. 1, No. 2).
The article in the most recent
issue continues an important conversation started by Eileen, and
Eileen’s work should have been
referenced in that article. I would
like to thank Eileen for her excellent work on the topic acheived
during her term as Program
Director here at the GMCTE.
Brad Wuetherick,
Program Director,
GMCTE.
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
Master motivator
By Kris Foster, GMCTE
E
dwin Ralph, the most recent
recipient of the U of S Master Teacher Award, found
inspiration for his teaching career
from a travel commercial tagline
from the ‘60s: “Getting there is half
the fun!”
Teaching and learning can indeed
be fun, said Ralph, as long as learners are motivated, but that motivation needs to stem from the teacher’s persistence, energy, passion and
enthusiasm for the subject.
“I have purposefully sought out
ways to enhance the learning-motivation of the individuals and groups
with whom I have worked during
the past five decades as a teacher—
from the elementary-school level
through to the adult-education
stage,” said Ralph, curriculum studies professor, College of Education.
Ralph was 18 years old and volunteering to lead a group of “to
say it respectfully, challenging and
uncooperative pre-adolescents,”
he recalled. “I quickly learned the
principle that effective teachers
have espoused for years: interested,
engaged and active learners have
less inclination to become bored or
disruptive.”
Ralph is certainly a master of keeping boredom at bay and students
engaged as evidenced by the list
of teaching accolades he has reBridges, Vol. 9, No. 1
ceived during his more than
two decades as a U of S professor. In addition to the Master
Teacher Award, Ralph received
the inaugural Provost’s Teaching Excellence Award for the
College of Education in 2010
and six student-initiated teaching awards—three of which
were USSU Teaching Excellence
Awards.
Edwin Ralph
But to be recognized as a master
Fall 2010
teacher, recipients must have, in
Master Teacher Award
addition to demonstrated excellence
winner
in front of the classroom, an active
research agenda that contributes
to the learning experience. Ralph’s
scholarship in this area is extensive,
with five books, 67 refereed journal articles and 88 workshop and
conference presentations relating to
teaching, learning and mentoring in
higher education or preparing K-12
educators.
very humbling, is not his motivation
for practicing what he preaches. The
most rewarding—and fun—part for
Ralph, is when his students finally
“get there”.
“The most satisfying part of teaching is when I work myself out of
“My research on teaching, learning a job, and reach a point when a
and mentoring processes, has allearner no longer requires my assislowed me to study both the positive tance, guidance, support, or inspiraand the negative aspects of these
tion. In other words, the protégé, in
activities,” explained Ralph. “Conse- turn, becomes a mentor for other
quently I have the opportunity and learners, and perhaps even me.”
obligation to maximize the positive
and minimize the negative in my
own teaching practice and in that of
my students and any colleagues who
request my feedback.”
The Master Teacher Award, said
Ralph, while truly an honour and
19
www.usask.ca/gmcte
Teaching Award News
By Corinne Fasthuber, Assistant, GMCTE
A
s winter settles over the prairies, it is a good time to pause
and reflect on the many outstanding teachers at our campus.
Part of the University of Saskatchewan’s mission statement states, “As
an academic community, our mission
is to achieve excellence in the scholarly activities of teaching, discovering,
preserving and applying knowledge.”
Please take the time to recognize those
whom you feel have achieved excellence in their teaching by nominating
them for one of the following awards.
• Provost’s Award for Outstanding
Innovation in Learning. Deadline
February 1st.
• Outstanding New Teacher
Award. Deadline February 1st.
• Outstanding Graduate Student
Teacher Award. Deadline February 1st.
Information regarding these awards
can be found on our website:
http://www.usask.ca/gmcte/
drupal/?q=teaching_awards
The University Learning Centre’s
Learning Communities created an
The Centre, in cooperation with the
award last year with the first recipient
Office of the Provost, offers the follow- being Wendy Roy, from the Departing awards/grants for excellent teachment of English, College of Arts and
ing practices:
Science. To read more about it see
below:
• Provost’s Prize for Innovative
Practice in Teaching and Learn• First-Year Learning Communities
ing. Deadline August 31st.
Teaching Award. This is an award
• Provost’s Project Grant for Inoffered by the University Learning
novative Practice in Teaching and Centre. Instructors assigned to teach
Learning. Deadline August 31 st. a class involved in First-Year Learn• Sylvia Wallace Sessional Lecturer ing Communities will be eligible to be
Award. Deadline mid-November. nominated by LC students. The dead• U of S Master Teacher Award, for line for nominations is end of Noon-campus faculty only. Deadline vember. For more information on this
mid-February.
particular award, go to
• Call for Proposals 2011: Teachhttp://www.usask.ca/ulc/lcaward
ing and Learning Scholars Grant.
Deadline August 31 st.
If you know of someone who you feel
• Provost’s College Awards for
deserves recognition for their excellent
Outstanding Teaching. Deadline
teaching, please take the time to nomiFebruary 1st.
nate them for one of these awards.
• Provost’s Award for Excellence
in Aboriginal Teaching. Deadline The Gwenna Moss Centre also proFebruary 1st.
motes other teaching awards, both at
• Provost’s Award for Excellence in this university and nationally. They are
International Teaching. Deadline as follows:
February 1st.
20
• U of S Student’s Union Award.
Check the USSU website for their
deadline: (http://www.ussu.ca/)
• Society for Teaching and Learning in
Higher Education (STLHE) Annual
Conference Sponsorship. The 3M Fellowship Award. Deadline August 31,
2011
• Alan Blizzard Collaborative Projects
Award. Deadline mid-January. Information can be found at http://www.
stlhe.ca/en/stlhe/
“Good teaching
cannot be reduced
to technique; good
teaching comes
from the identity
and integrity of the
teacher.”
— Parker J. Palmer (The
Courage to Teach:
Exploring the Inner
Landscape of a
Teacher’s Life)
Bridges, Vol. 9, No. 1