April 2008
April 2008
Bridges
In this issue...
Teaching Matters?
Go Green!
Transitioning to an
Environmentally
Friendly Classroom
Content Conundrums
The Teachers Write Column
Engaging Students
Preparing Graduate
Students to Teach
Course Design/Redesign
Workshop
Sylvia Wallace Sessional
Teaching 2008 Award
Winner
Community ServiceLearning Update
When did Learning Become
Such a Burden?
Loving to Learn Day
Volume 6 No. 3
Reflecting the Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning at the University of Saskatchewan
Teaching Matters?
Jim Greer, Director, University Learning Centre and The Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching Effectivenes
I keep hearing around
the campus phrases
like these: “teaching
is not valued at
this University,”
“all that seems to
matter is research,”
“our senior leaders
don’t care about
teaching any more,”
and “there are no rewards for doing a
good job of teaching.” As the Director
of the University Learning Centre, I
feel that a part of my role is to act as a
spokesperson for teaching and learning
at the University of Saskatchewan. So
before accepting the rhetoric of “teaching
doesn’t matter” and taking on even more
of the unfortunate persona of Rodney
Dangerfield, I thought I ought to take a
closer look at this issue.
Does teaching (and learning) really
matter at the University of Saskatchewan?
Is teaching being recognized and
rewarded to the level that it deserves?
Are we devoting an appropriate level of
resources and attention to teaching and
learning?
Over the past few months I have been
visiting department heads (one by one)
across the campus to discuss things we
could do together to advance our mission
of teaching and learning. I have learned
much on these more than 40 visits so far.
First, I have learned that at the
department level, almost without
exception, there is a strong commitment
to teaching and learning. There is an
intense level of interest in delivering high
quality undergraduate and graduate
programs and a strong commitment
to providing a good education to our
students.
Second, I have learned that research (here
construed broadly to include scholarly
and artistic work) is perceived to be of
growing importance in many areas of the
campus. In some departments research
always was a primary focus. But it is true
that we, along with most other major
universities, are in a period of growing
research intensity. So indeed, we are
being called to devote more effort to
research. Sometimes this call comes from
the top down, with messages from Deans
and others that we must increase our
research activity and research revenues.
More often this comes from our faculty
members themselves, who recognize
that their success in the international
arena is almost exclusively measured
in terms of reputation among their
research peers. But does this mean we
should neglect or reduce our teaching
intensity? In some cases, where teaching
was historically the primary activity in a
department, the answer is yes. Does this
imply we should decrease our attention
to or emphasis on good teaching? No,
of course not. The amount we teach
is not correlated positively with our
commitment to teaching (unless one of
the factors approaches zero). Teaching
somewhat fewer three-cu courses need
not translate into a reduced commitment
to good teaching, especially when this
April 2008
Vol. 6 No. 3
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 freely available on the world
wide web through 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
Phone (306)966-2234
jim.greer@usask.ca
Kathy Schwarz
Program Director
Phone (306)966-1804
kathy.schwarz@usask.ca
Christine Anderson Obach
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
is achieved by streamlining academic
programs, limiting selected specialty
course offerings with tiny enrolments
to alternate years, easing prerequisite
constraints, and so on.
Third, I have learned that there may
be an erroneous message being sent
to our new faculty (and by extension
to all of us). New faculty recruits are
given reduced teaching assignments
with the explicit directive to get their
research program established as soon
as possible. This may lead people to
believe that research is more important
than teaching. Well, consider the
alternative – if young faculty were told
to take a couple of years off research
and focus all energy on their teaching,
what would happen to their careers? A
gap in publication, a loss in research
momentum, and an interruption
in funding would cripple (perhaps
permanently) a research career. Yet
a year or two with reduced teaching
should have little deleterious effect
on teaching quality; in fact, the extra
time in fewer courses should allow for
greater emphasis on teaching quality.
The message we need to clearly give to
young faculty is that teaching is valued
equally to research. We are simply
providing a little more time for achieving
quality in their teaching by reducing the
quantity of their teaching in early years.
Fourth, I have learned that the student
experience is at the top of the agenda
in this University planning cycle. The
primary aspect of the student experience
we can directly influence by our actions
or inactions is their learning experience.
This means that fairly substantial
new resources are being invested in
learning and teaching. New initiatives
in experiential learning are popping
up across the curriculum. Community
Service-Learning is growing in stature.
Efforts to incorporate research into the
undergraduate curriculum are moving
ahead. Work to recruit and retain our
best and brightest students is a high
priority, as is work to assist learners at
risk to rise to our standards and earn
a degree. Along with this is a need to
publicize these activities and to celebrate
and reward the teaching effort that goes
2
into making these efforts possible. The
celebrating and rewarding of teaching
is being taken on as a mission of the
University Learning Centre over the
next planning cycle. New awards will be
rolled out in relation to teaching; some
more targeted to individual instructors
showing leadership in experiential
learning, service learning, incorporating
research into the curriculum, and so on;
and others more targeted to academic
teams working as a unit to raise student
learning to a higher level. It is our goal
to celebrate good teaching and to
continually remind the community that
teaching matters.
Finally, I have learned that teaching
matters if and only if we believe and
profess that teaching matters. Some
would argue that this is paying mere
lip service to the matter, but that
would be professing without believing.
So resources and investment must
accompany the words. And we have
resources to devote. There is a prizes and
awards budget created within the ULC’s
financial framework. There is a faculty
merit pool that could (faculty willing) be
in part dedicated to rewarding individual
teachers. We at The Gwenna Moss
Centre will happily work with College
Review Committees to develop criteria
for determining meritorious teaching.
The University, via PCIP, has “put some
money where my mouth is.” It may not
come close to the increases recently
invested by the Federal and Provincial
Governments in building research
capacity, but one could argue that the
majority of our operating grant has
traditionally been believed to be aimed
at our teaching mission and research has
far to go to catch up in importance.
I am rather tired of hearing the “lip
dis-service” that is being paid to
teaching. If we continue to profess that
teaching doesn’t matter, it surely will
not! And if people who have a personal
commitment to teaching excellence
continue to profess that teaching does
not matter to the University, this is even
more damaging to our cause. I firmly
believe that perception influences reality
to a much greater degree than reality
influences perception.
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
So now I shall attempt to answer the
original three questions:
1. Does teaching (and learning)
really matter at the University of
Saskatchewan?
I would answer with a resounding yes.
Could it matter even more? Yes again but only if we remain active in believing,
promoting, and investing.
2. Is teaching being recognized and
rewarded to the level that it deserves?
To this question I would have to answer
“not yet.” Steps are being taken, but
more needs to be done. The primary
place where rewards need to change is
at College Review Committees. And who
is in charge at the CRCs? Our faculty
colleagues are in charge. So it is up to
faculty to take a strong step to recognize
and reward teaching if that is our will.
3. Are we devoting an appropriate level
of resources and attention to teaching
and learning?
This is the hardest of the three questions,
and on this one I will need to waffle a
bit. In some units of the Campus this is
clearly so, and in others there are serious
shortfalls. I believe a local examination
of this question on a unit-by-unit basis is
appropriate. Since there may be regional
differences across the campus, there may
be a role for central authorities to step in
and take action.
A few years ago there was much talk
at our University about the TeacherScholar model. This concept suggests
that every faculty member should be
engaged fully in teaching, research
and service, perhaps with variations in
intensity in one or other as one’s career
moves on. This is at odds with the
“Specialist” model, which seems to have
taken hold in a number of places. In the
Specialist model research specialists
and teaching specialists are hired with
the expectation that research specialists
would be expected to do little teaching
and teaching specialists might focus on
scholarly work in the pedagogy of their
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
subject area. While there is some appeal
to this model, allowing star researchers
who do not care much about teaching
and star teachers who do not care
much about research to focus on what
each does best, it requires some careful
consideration. In this model the teaching
specialists often find themselves in a
“second class” status with ranks and
salaries lower than their research
colleagues. I think we are seriously at
risk of moving to a specialist model at
the University of Saskatchewan; we need
an open dialogue on this issue before we
find ourselves there by default.
Before concluding, I need to raise one
more point. Nobody should doubt
the importance of research at this
University and if my arguments are
persuasive, the importance of teaching
also should be evident. What troubles
me most is that our third leg -- service
to the community and the university
-- is seriously atrophied. New faculty
members get the message loud and
clear that service should be avoided like
the plague. And this tendency to opt
out of administrative and service activity
is really habit-forming. We struggle
to staff our major committees. We
struggle to engage faculty in University
decision-making. The unfortunate result
is a disengaged professoriate. If we as
faculty do not step up to the decisionmaking plate, the professional managers
will (reluctantly or maybe happily) step
in to make decisions for us. An engaged
university is one in which faculty lead the
decision-making processes. Faculty are
in dire danger of losing any authority in
institutional matters. The big problem is
not the corporatization of the university
or the dominance of the research
agenda, but rather the systematic
disengagement of faculty in matters
where we ought to be taking the lead.
In conclusion, I hope that my
editorializing has pressed some buttons
and maybe kindled some thoughts. I
would welcome comments on this article
and promise to open some space in the
next issue of Bridges for your replies.
3
Provost’s Prize for
Innovative Practice in
Teaching and Learning
Terms of Reference
It has become clear that many Departments
at the University of Saskatchewan maintain
a positive and vibrant culture of learning
and teaching. Departments represent a
fundamental organizational unit for many
of our academic programs and become
a point of identification for many of our
students. While we have a growing number
of inter-and multi-disciplinary programs that
cross traditional boundaries, departments
(and non-departmentalized colleges) still
represent the principal organizational
structure for most programs.
The Provost’s Prize for Innovative Practice in
Teaching and Learning is an annual prize to
be awarded to a University of Saskatchewan
Department or non-departmentalized
College for innovation in teaching and
learning. The department selected to receive
the prize will have demonstrated:
• strong commitment to teaching
and learning
• successful implementation of some innovative practice in teaching or learning
• involvement by a majority of the
department’s faculty members in
the innovation
• a positive impact on student learning
or the student learning experience
The winning Department / nondepartmentalized College will be selected by
a sub-committee of the University Learning
Centre’s Advisory Board. The value of the
prize for 2008 will be $5000 and will be
transferred from the ULC to the department’s
operating fund.
Applications for the prize are due May 31,
2008 and the winner will be announced in
September, 2008. The application submission
should be no more than 5 pages in length
and should include:
• a brief description of the activity, practice
or innovation
• an explanation of the level of faculty /
staff involvement (be specific, use names)
• a description of the impact on students or
the student experience (provide evidence /
brief testimonials)
www.usask.ca/gmcte
Provost’s Project
Grant for Innovations in Teaching
and Learning Terms
of Reference
The Provost’s Project Grant for
Innovations in Teaching and Learning is
an annual project grant to be awarded
to a University of Saskatchewan
Department or non-departmentalized
College to undertake some innovation in
teaching and learning. Proposals for the
project grant will demonstrate:
• strong commitment by the
department to teaching and learning
• a plan for implementation of some
innovative practice in teaching
or learning
• planned involvement of a majority
of the department’s faculty members
in the innovation
• an expected positive impact on
student learning or the student
learning experience
One Department / nondepartmentalized College will be
selected to receive this project grant
in 2008-09. The project grant recipient
will be selected by a sub-committee
of the University Learning Centre’s
Advisory Board. The value of the project
grant for 2008-09 will be $10,000 and
will be transferred from the ULC to the
department’s operating fund.
Proposals for the project grant are
due May 31, 2008 and the successful
proposal will be announced in
September, 2008.
The proposal should be no more than
5 pages in length and should include:
• a description of the proposed activity,
practice or innovation
• an explanation of the level of faculty
/ staff involvement (be specific, use
names)
• a description of the expected impact
on students or the student experience
Go Green!
Transitioning to an
Environmentally
Friendly Classroom
Internet is viewed as a vast textbook and
students are coached in how to construct
a framework for their particular subject
that supports access to and evaluation
of information from the Net (Pedersen).
Davis (2002) suggests that his e-system
allows him to be more effective and
efficient in the evaluations and comments
to students; he believes he is now freer to
interact and converse with students.
Dr. Sandra Bassendowski
Associate Professor
College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan
I realized that the move to an
environmentally friendly classroom
could be assisted by the additional use
of technology, and I thought about
alternative ways to deliver and conduct
the courses that I teach each semester.
In the past, I have always identified texts
as required reading or I have handed
out articles for students to read in order
to meet learning outcomes. As class
groups continue to get larger, this leads
to greater amounts of paper being used
during a semester. What could I do to
move from a reliance on texts and articles
for course content?
Scenario: I am standing in the door of
my office at the end of the semester and
looking at the piles of paper stacked on
the desk, on the filing cabinets, and on
the floor. I realize that I need to make
some changes in order to be ecologically
responsible. Keeping student learning
outcomes in mind, I try to envision an
environmentally ‘green’ classroom and
what this would look like in terms of
my role and the learning outcomes for
students.
Although trees were once viewed as an
inexhaustible resource, the literature now
indicates that current rates of logging are
not sustainable. Leaving trees behind for
future generations should be considered
a priority by all citizens (http://unh.edu/
news/campusjournal/2007/May/16trees.
cfm). The advent of technology (and the
use of e-mail) has increased the use of
paper as many consumers now want both
a computer copy and a paper copy. The
fact that a copy of a file can be saved on
a CD, hard drive, or external hard drive
A few weeks after this personal reflection, has not resulted in reduced use of paper.
I decided to make a commitment to a ‘’3e” Overall, paper consumption per person
classroom that would support (e)learning, has jumped from 1.904lbs in the early
(e)nvironmentally friendly strategies,
1990s to 2.047lbs in 1998 (Kassaye, 2001).
and (e)xperiential assignments. This
The themes behind green strategies and
article focuses on the environmentally
ecological values include a heightened
friendly classroom and the steps that I
awareness of green issues, increased
have taken to reduce the distribution
levels of information available to help
of paper in my classroom and amount
green consumers make informed
of printing that I do to support my
decisions, and a shift in values towards
work. For the winter semester of 2008, I
concern for the environment and society
made a decision to eliminate (or at least
(Cleveland, Kalamas, & Laroche, 2005;
reduce) course handouts, required texts,
Davis, 2002; Jenny, 2006; Strong, 1998).
paper submissions from students, and
Thus, environmentally friendly classrooms
paper marking tools. Although I had
could be defined as those classrooms and
previously moved to a blended approach
educators that try to minimize harm to
to my courses (face-to-face and online
the natural world. The literature highlights
home page), this decision still meant
several questions and challenges that
considerable change to the usual way
educators need to consider when moving
that I conduct my courses.
to a paperless classroom. Do the benefits
outweigh the costs, are certain groups of
With respect to use of paper, the
students advantaged or disadvantaged,
literature describes a green consumer
and what is the impact on the students’
(http://www.businessdictionary.com/
overall experience, and does it enhance
definition/green-consumer.html) as
learning (Davis, 2002; Lamberton &
one who minimizes the use of products
Roohani, 2000)? An increasing number of
that are likely to cause damage to the
schools are trying to develop a new kind
environment during use or disposal
of teaching with the help of computer
or that cause unnecessary waste.
rich environments (Pedersen, 2004). The
4
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
As a starting point, I met with
representatives from the Canadian
Nurses Association (CNA) in the spring
of 2007 and discussed the possibility
of getting students full access to the
portal, which is called NurseONE (http://
www.nurseone.ca/). This portal is a
personalized web-based resource to help
nurses manage their careers, connect
with colleagues, and care for clients
and their families. NurseONE supports
an evidence-based approach to care
for improved professional practice and
client outcomes. With the support of
individuals responsible for the delivery
of NurseONE, I was able to get access
for the students in my course, and it
is now the required resource for the
course. Students access the course home
page on the NurseONE portal, click on
the link to my course, and then access
the required resources for each week.
In addition to required readings, I have
added podcasts, vodcasts, and photos as
enhanced support for course content. I
encourage students to bring laptops and
their personal digital assistants (PDAs) to
class as students can then access online
sites as I use them in the teaching of
course content.
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
I next thought about my course
assignments and reflected on how I could
make them environmentally friendly.
Students now submit their formal
papers online through PAWS in the
hand-in folder, and I mark and return the
assignments to students via their email
addresses. I have developed on electronic
marking guide that I complete for each
student and return with the student’s
paper as individual feedback. The first
time I marked a student paper online it
took me probably double the time to
mark it as it would have for a paper copy.
However, I persisted with the marking
and used the tracking tool and the ctrl
+ alt + F to insert footnotes on each
page and now I prefer marking online
as compared to marking paper copies of
assignments. I use blue or green as the
colour for my feedback and prefer to add
footnotes rather than inserting within the
body of the student’s paper.
if provided in a CD format. I have a habit
of printing off messages and articles so
it is a challenge for me to avoid printing
articles of interest but rather to save
them on a jump drive and then access,
read, and highlight the articles online. I
am improving my online filing system so
that files are easier to locate for meetings
and I am bringing my laptop to meetings
rather than taking paper files with me.
If I have to print an article or a draft of a
paper, I try to reuse the sheets of paper
and print on both sides. A few months
ago, I unplugged my printer at home
and have been able to manage without
printing a single page. To ensure that I do
not lose any data, I use an external hard
drive that automatically backs up my files
every 2-3 days. I still have a long way to
go before I am environmentally friendly
in all aspects of my professional life,
but I will continue to build on my green
initiatives.
I continue to use PAWS as the
communication site with the students
in my courses. I post all announcements
for the student group on a weekly basis.
I also post files and news, update links
to relevant sites, and use the discussion
forum as a way to encourage students
to reflect on and respond to questions
about course content. I continue to
encourage students to come and see me
in person if they have questions about
the course.
Preferred scenario: I am standing in
the door of my office at the end of the
semester and looking at the small box
of jump drives on the desk. There are no
piles of paper on the desk or floor and
only one filing cabinet. The changes that I
have made to reduce paper consumption
have helped me be more ecologically
responsible. Keeping student learning
outcomes in mind, I try to envision the
next steps that I will take to enhance an
environmentally ‘green’ classroom and
what this will look like for the students in
the next semester.
The course components that I still need
to consider are the course evaluations
and the final exam. The course and
faculty evaluations are currently handed
out in class as I have tried to use the
online course evaluation provided by the
University of Saskatchewan, and I did not
have success in getting the students to
log on and complete them. A final exam
is a current requirement of mine at this
time and having students complete an
exam online is not a possibility. I would
welcome any suggestions about how
to move these two components of my
courses to a paperless environment.
On a personal level, I have decided that
I will not accept samples of texts in
paper format but that I will accept texts
5
References
Cleveland, M., Kalamas, M., & Laroche,
M. (2005). Shades of green: Linking
environmental locus of control and
pro-environmental habits. Journal of
Consumer Marketing, 22(4), 198-212.
Davis, D. (2002). The paperless classroom:
E-filing and E-valuating students’ work in
English composition. Teaching English in
the Two Year College, 30(2), 162-176.
Jenny, F. (2006). The tablet PC and
paperless classrooms. Proceedings from
the ASCUE Conference, June 11-15, 2006.
Myrtle Beach, SC. Available:
www.ascue.org
www.usask.ca/gmcte
Kassaye, W. (2001). Green dilemma.
Marketing Intelligence and Planning,
19(6), 444-455.
Lamberton, B., & Roohani, S. (2000).
The benefits and challenges of teaching
accounting in a paperless classroom.
The New Review of Applied Expert Systems,
146-159.
Pedersen, J. (2004). Project work in
the paperless school: A case study
in a Swedish upper secondary class.
Education and Information Technologies,
9(4), 333-343.
Strong, C. (1998). The impact of
environmental education on children’s
knowledge and awareness of
environmental concerns. Marketing
Intelligence and Planning, 16(6), 349-355.
The Greening of
Teaching
The environmental trend is
showing up in many places.
This year’s annual university
teaching conference of the
STLHE (Society for Teaching
and Learning in Higher
Education) in Windsor, June
18-23, has a Green Conference
Initiative. They will be
“incorporating principles of
environmental sustainability
into our conference planning as
articulated in our green vision
statement: * to minimize our
waste generation and use of
energy, * to transform thinking
and action on environmental
issues, and * to establish lasting
environmental legacies.”
(http://web2.uwindsor.ca/stlhe/
walkinglightly.php)
Look for their report after the
conference.
CONTENT
CONUNDRUMS
Eileen M. Herteis, Purdy Crawford Teaching Centre, Mount Allison University
For the past few months, I have had
the opportunity to ask about 60 faculty
members in Atlantic Canada and the
Caribbean to answer the following
questions about content:
• List all the things you consider to be
content in the classes you teach.
• What factors influence how you choose
subject-specific material?
• List the other things beyond the subjectspecific material which your students
are expected to know.
• Do you teach these things in your
classes?
• Do you assess them?
I discovered that teachers have a very
catholic definition of content. Some of
the dozens of components of content
I collected are listed below —a vast
amount to cover in the typical academic
term, especially when we consider that
many of these items actually go beyond
what we would normally consider to be
content:
• Facts, information, theories, concepts,
and frameworks
• Terminology
• Written and oral communication
• Information literacy
• Critical reading and thinking
• Group co-operation
• Creativity
• Time management
If, as we see above, a large percentage of
the content is process-oriented material,
this raises an interesting question: are we
actually a) teaching and b) disclosing to
our students all of the things we consider
to be content?
Many classes, for example, include group
work as a central pedagogical approach.
Do the professors in those classes explain
to students why they are working in
6
groups and what they are expected to
learn from the experience? Do they teach
the students how to work in groups, to
manage discussion, to set ground rules,
to negotiate answers, to deal with nonproductive members? Or do we assume
that the students have learned these skills
elsewhere?
One professor’s other things included
all of these . . . .
The ability to disseminate research
including:
• Being able to talk about research
informally
• Being able to present research formally
(oral presentation)
• Being able to use technology (e.g.,
PowerPoint) as presentation aids
• Being able to present research in a
written format (consistent with the
requirements of the discipline)
The same could be asked about giving
presentations or critical thinking. We
want our students to develop these
skills, but do we actually give them the
opportunity; such skills, says Maryellen
Weimer (2002), do not “develop by
osmosis.” Does the amount of content
we have in our classes prevent us from
having time to give our students regular
assessments to see how well they
are learning? Does it encourage bad
study habits that result in a temporary,
superficial understanding of the material?
Does it promote teaching strategies that
we know to be less effective in many
cases (a concentration on lecture rather
than discussion, for example)?
Content and Learning
Much of the content we expect our
students to learn in our classes is hidden
below the surface; once excavated, we
see just how much there is. Yet, when our
students think about content, they think
only of the facts and principles piece;
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
the rest are activities (group work, cases,
presentations) or assessments (tests,
quizzes, essays, etc.). Teachers have a
dual responsibility here: we must do a
better job of explaining to our students
that these “other” things are actually part
of the content, and —if they are—we
have to give them the opportunities
to learn, even master, this additional
content.
It may be a “beguilingly simple term,”
but Chris Knapper (1995) reminds us
that learning encompasses ‚“a multitude
of different constructs: memory,
comprehension and understanding,
acquisition of skills (both physical and
intellectual), problem-solving, analysis,
and synthesis, as well as attitude
formation and change.” And if the process
of learning is at least as important
as mastering a body of facts, argues
Knapper, “Then those processes should
be taught explicitly and not taken for
granted.”
In What the Best College Teachers Do,
author Ken Bain says that “the most
successful teachers reject the view that
teaching is nothing more than delivering
correct answers to students and learning
is simply remembering those deliveries.”
While teaching the facts, concepts and
principles of mathematics, history, or
psychology is irrefutably important,
others also see their jobs ‚“as helping
students to understand, apply, analyze
and evaluate evidence and conclusions.”
Content shares its importance with the
learning outcomes it effects. This is a
different way of looking at content; it
becomes more than simply an end; it is
also the means to an end.
Content in Introductory Classes
It is unfortunately coincidental that many
of the courses that contain the most
content are introductory courses where
faculty members wish to initiate students
into the discipline by exposing them
to basics facts, knowledge, terms, and
concepts. These courses also tend to be
the largest at most universities, making
it even more likely that the professor
will lecture and the students will be
passive learners. To add another layer of
jeopardy, these courses are often taught
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
by more than one professor in a kind
of relay, whereby each introduces the
students to one aspect of the discipline
(her specialty). In such cases, all too
common, constrained by the course
design, the number of students, the
tolerance of their colleagues, and most
likely the architecture of the classroom,
professors fall back on lectures crammed
with content. Is it any wonder that
many students find such classes very
difficult and believe that the purpose is
to limit the numbers that enter second
year studies? And is it surprising that
the teachers of those subsequent
classes are dismayed by how little even
the best students remember from the
introductory class?
There is a need for
instructional methods
that emphasize and
provide opportunities
for active learning
rather than simply
acquisition of facts,
and for assessment
that is frequent,
authentic, stresses
deep rather than
surface learning,
and is aligned with
the instructional
methods.
Would an introductory course that
contained a little less subject-matter
content but which also introduced
students to the ways of writing, thinking,
analyzing, and solving problems in the
discipline be more successful? It might,
at least, be more pleasurable to teach!
Content and Critical Thinking
University mission statements
throughout Canada laud critical thinking
and problem-solving skills. Ask individual
faculty members what they want from
7
their students, and critical thinking
will be high on their lists. Yet in many
classes, content, its transmission and its
memorization still reign supreme. This
“surface” learning springs from a desire
to meet minimum requirements, such
as passing a test; the learning is mainly a
matter of reproduction. “Deep” learning,
on the other hand, the kind associated
with critical thinking and problemsolving, emphasizes the pursuit of
meaning and understanding, integrating
new ideas with previously learned
material. Entwistle and Ramsden (1983)
have differentiated these two types of
learning as “reproducing orientation” and
“meaning orientation”.
Are we willing to deliver less content to
free up time for students to actually think
about it and understand its meaning?
Linking Learning and Content
First, content is not covered; it is
used to develop a knowledge base;
Second, content is used to develop
learning skills; Finally, it is used to
create learner awareness.
Maryellen Weimer: Learner-
Centered Teaching
One definition of academic rigour is
difficulty, and one way to look at difficulty
is the amount of content in a particular
course. But does super-saturating our
courses with more content lead to more
learning or to more memorization?
Drs. Richard Paul and Linda Elder from
Sonoma State University’s Centre for
Critical Thinking have this to say:
“The majority of teachers and
students currently approach
content, not as a mode of thinking,
not as a system for thought, nor
even as a system of thought, but
rather as a sequence of stuff to be
routinely “covered” and committed
to memory. When content is
approached in this lower order way,
there is no basis for intellectual
growth; there are no deep structures
of knowledge formed, no basis for
long term grasp and control.”
(www.criticalthinking.org).
www.usask.ca/gmcte
“What key information
or concepts can I clarify
to provide students with
foundations (or scaffolds) from
which they can continue to
build their understanding?”
Ken Bain
“What the Best College
Teachers Do” 2004
exclusively on content, rather than how
the students apply it to solve problems,
we are also making it much easier for
students to cheat.
There is a need for instructional
methods that emphasize and provide
opportunities for active learning
rather than simply acquisition of facts,
and for assessment that is frequent,
authentic, stresses deep rather than
surface learning, and is aligned with the
instructional methods. Shuell (1986) is
absolutely correct when he reminds us
that “what the student does is actually
more important in determining what is
learned than what the teacher does.”
Paul Ramsden (1988) reminds us that
“scores of studies” have demonstrated
that even though students may be able
to ”reproduce factual information . . . and
pass examinations successfully,” they may How Much Content Is Enough?
still be unable to show that they actually
There are constraints, of course.
understand what they have learned.
Teachers must include enough content
in introductory classes to ensure the
Content Binging
students are prepared for the next level;
Scholars such as Craig Nelson have
we also must make sure that content is
coined the term academic bulimia. This
addressed for accreditation purposes. But
pathology is at its worst when students
those two conditions aside, how much
have to memorize vast amounts of
content is enough?
content for a course. The binge-andpurge symptoms are common on
Some professors equate academic rigour
university campus’. For a few hours,
with the amount and difficulty of the
students cram themselves with the
subject-content in their classes. For
content and purge themselves during the them, the reduction of content would
test. The information has been with them signify a corollary reduction in rigour.
for such a short time, they have not really But if shoe-horning more content into the
digested it; it has not —to stretch the
class actually leads to less of the kind of
analogy a little—led to any intellectual
learning we want and instead increases
nourishment that has helped them grow short-term memorization rather than
and develop.
understanding, can we really talk about
rigour? We can certainly talk about stress
If, instead of giving students the time
as professors and students struggle
and opportunity to do things with the
to keep up. The educational literature
content, our focus continues to be
(and even commonsense) tells us that
coverage in a frantic race against the
“covering” less means that students get
clock or calendar, the learning will stay
a chance to learn more—really learn,
superficial. Students may have retained
not just memorize and regurgitate. If it
the information long enough to do quite means that students have a chance to
well on the test, but this surface learning do more with the content and apply it to
does not result in real understanding,
complex problems, isn’t it worth trying
merely—and only temporarily—in
to eliminate a little content to increase
reproduction. (How often have we
learning?
lamented about students who got an A at
Christmas forgetting basic content when We Cannot Teach It All
winter term starts only a few weeks later?) No matter how much we cram into our
classes, we are forced to admit that we
There is, of course, a corollary message
will never be able to teach our students
here: if our courses and our testing focus everything they need to know. We
8
acknowledge that every time we plan a
course and select—from the infinite array
of texts, facts, and concepts—what will
comprise the content for any class we
teach.
What we should do when we are
choosing content, however, is to ask this
question, suggested by Ken Bain: “What
key information or concepts can I clarify
to provide students with foundations (or
scaffolds) from which they can continue
to build their understanding?” In other
words, since we cannot cover everything,
we must free up enough space in the
curriculum to teach students how to
discover the rest for themselves. As
Maryellen Weimer says, our ”strong
allegiance” to content coverage blocks
a focus on learning. She goes on to
suggest that we “aim not to cover
content, but to uncover some of it.”
Towards Learner-Centered Instruction
Focusing on learning, as opposed to
content, shifts us into a new paradigm
of learner-centeredness, where more
content is not necessarily better.
Wilbert McKeachie (2002) differentiates
content-centeredness and learnercenteredness. In a content-centered
course, the professor’s primary objective
is to share facts and concepts that
expose the students to the ideas of the
discipline. In a learner-centered course,
the process of learning is “elevated,”
says McKeachie: ”Teachers with this
pedagogical philosophy accept and relish
their responsibility for fostering changes
in how students think by emphasizing
active learning.”
In learner-centered instruction, the role
of content changes. Students’ critical
thinking and problem-solving skills
increase as they engage directly with
the material through active learning,
experimentation, and discovery.
Teaching for Lifelong Learning
Only the minority of our students will
pursue careers in higher education,
or even enter Master’s programmes in
the discipline. As they progress in their
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
chosen career paths, therefore, the actual
facts they learned at university will lose
importance (and perhaps accuracy
and currency in the field); however,
the process of learning will become
increasingly important to them as they
acquire new work-related knowledge or
skills, solve problems, or write persuasive
arguments.
Maryellen Weimer argues that, if nothing
else, students have to leave university
knowing how to learn because learning
will be ”a lifelong occupation” for them.
While at university, students need
opportunities to learn and practice
different learning skills to discover what
works for them.
For centuries, especially during the
rise of universities in the medieval and
renaissance periods, the lecture was the
method of teaching. Only a few people
had books, and the lecturer was one of
them. The lecturer (from the Latin legere,
to read) was doing just that, reading
the book to the students who did not
have it. When universities began, there
was scarce access to information, and
the sharing and memorization of those
vital facts and concepts were essential
elements of a university education.
Society is no longer information-poor—
a world of facts and information is just
a mouse-click away—and we no longer
have to memorize it all. University
teachers are no longer the book readers;
Allowing students to be actively
instead, we have to help our students
involved in their learning, in uncovering
navigate an information-rich terrain and
or discovering things for themselves,
show them how to make wise choices
will certainly take longer in class than
about what is worth learning, through
if we simply tell them. We may ”cover”
questioning, critical thinking, comparison,
less; however, the students gain in
and analysis. Students need meaningful
metacognition and learning skills. Weimer frameworks or scaffolds on which to
concludes: “Learner-centeredness means hang the content we give them: patterns,
that students leave our classrooms with a metaphors, roadmaps, or outlines.
base of content knowledge and the skills Teachers provide them, and students
they use to apply it and to learn more.”
need time to learn them.
Chris Knapper agrees. Giving the keynote
address at the 2005 Canadian Summit on
the Integration of Teaching and Research
(University of Alberta), Knapper says that,
to be equipped for the swiftly changing
complexities of today’s society, students
require learning approaches that stress
“depth,. . . conceptual understanding,
and integration of new knowledge with
existing ideas”: skills that help them
“solve complex and often novel or
unanticipated problems.” Knapper calls
for greater alignment between what
students learn in university and what
they will need to know—and keep on
learning—once they graduate and enter
the workforce.
Joe Friday Was Wrong
University is no longer just about
transmission of the facts; there are books,
libraries, and a plethora of websites
that can do that. Nevertheless, the
didactic, lecture method of teaching still
predominates in universities.
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
If we truly want to focus on learning and
on developing our students’ thinking
skills, then we must create opportunities
to do so. We must view content as a
tool to help our students learn skills
for lifetime. Maryellen Weimer says, ”If
we aim to be learner-centered, content
still needs to be a focal point of the
[instructional] universe, but it can no
longer be the exclusive centre, the only
or the most important variable when it
comes to instructional decision making.”
References
Bain, K. (2004). What the Best College Teachers
Do. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Knapper, C. (August, 2005). Teaching and
Learning in Canada’s Research Universities. A
presentation to the Canadian Summit on
the Integration of Teaching and Research:
University of Alberta.
Knapper, C. (1995). Understanding student
learning: Implications for instructional
practice. In A. Wright and Associates. Teaching
Improvement Practices. Bolton, MA: Anker
Publishing.
McKeachie, W. J. (2002). Teaching Tips:
Strategies, Research and Theory for College and
University Teachers. (11th edition). New York:
Houghton Mifflin.
Content is a means to learning as much
as it is an end. Perhaps we should view
Nelson, C. (2001). Nelson’s notebook. National
content not as a finite amount of stuff to
Teaching & Learning Forum, 10 (4), 10-11.
be covered, but rather as a tool that will
help us and our students achieve learning
Ramsden, P. (1988). Studying learning:
goals.
Conclusion
Is it time to overhaul a course with a view
to what can be excised from it? If you
ever do, you might want to ask questions
such as:
•
•
•
•
Why is this part of the course content?
When did I add it?
Why is it important to learn?
Is it need-to-know material or
nice-to-know?
• How does it fit into the “big picture”?
• What is the best way for students
to learn this material: lecture, active
learning? Inside or outside class?
• If this is important content, how will
I assess whether students have learned
(as opposed to just memorized) it?
9
Improving teaching. In P. Ramsden (ed.)
Improving Learning: New Perspectives. London:
Kogan Page.
Shuell, T.J. (1986).Cognitive conceptions of
learning. Review of Educational Research, 56,
411-436.
Weimer, M. (2002). Learner-Centered Teaching:
Five Key Changes to Practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
www.usask.ca/gmcte
The Teachers Write –
about Engaging their Students
by Martha Crealock, Program Coordinator, GMCTE
“The Teachers Write” is an ongoing
column in Bridges. This is a space to hear
“from the trenches” about professors’
experiences with teaching in higher
education. This issue, professors were
asked about one tangible thing they
do to energize, motivate, captivate, or
inspire their students.
One of the things that I have used
effectively over the years is to give
my students a list of categories
of assignments with two or three
suggestions in each category. Students
select and “contract” with me on which
choices they make and what dates they
select for handing in the assignments.
This way, they “own” the choice and take
responsibility for getting it done on time.
It also encourages engagement and
commitment to the course learning early
on in the course. I have always given
people a week or two to decide but once
the decision is made, I have always been
clear that it sticks and must be fulfilled.
This helps avoid the procrastination and
late assignment syndrome that so many
students find themselves prone to and
which means they often don’t do their
best work.
Cecilia Reynolds, Dean of Education
One word: enthusiasm. If you can project
an air of enthusiasm for your subject,
then your students will appreciate it
more. If they see you love your subject
and love teaching your subject, then
they will be more appreciative of the
material. Try to find topics in your subject
which engage the students – what are
they interested in outside the classroom?
But do be careful not to overemphasize
your particular field of research, which is
endlessly fascinating to you, but may be
of limited interest to the class.
Andrew Robinson, Physics
As described in Edwin Ralph’s book,
Motivating Teaching in Higher Education:
A Manual for Faculty Development
(available in the GMCTE library),
exemplary teachers regularly attempt
to incorporate twelve research-backed
principles of stimulating teaching in all
of their instructional activities. These
dozen tenets are:
1. Demonstrate their knowledge (of
content and pedagogical methods);
2. Adjust their instruction to the
students’ developmental levels;
3. Show good organizational/
management skills;
4. Incorporate variety in the teaching/
learning activities;
5. Maintain an overall structure, yet..
6. Exhibit flexibility and spontaneity;
7. Ensure that the learning objectives,
activities, and evaluation are all
aligned;
8. Maintain relevance and meaning for
the learners;
9. Create and sustain a positive and
productive learning climate;
10. Employ clear communication;
11. Initiate active learner engagement;
and
12. Are reflective and enthusiastic
practitioners.
I use a lot of examples in my teaching
and I find these motivate students best
when they are interesting. It sounds so
obvious, but many examples provided
to instructors in textbooks and teaching
guides are deadly dull and suck the
energy right out of a classroom. When
I need to present the demographic
segmentation of a magazine, I use
Snowboarding magazine, not Good
Housekeeping. When I need to present
the steps of the marketing research
process, I use research conducted by
Kraft Dinner, not an investment bank. I
write cases about Band-Aids, not box
10
companies. When my students have to
learn how to evaluate a brand extension,
I take bottles of Special K water and a
stack of cups, and we drink it together
while working out the process. This use
of examples allows the students to relate
their lives (“hey, I eat Kraft Dinner!”) to
the class material. It encourages different
types of learners to participate. And it
shows the students that the information
learned in class is not just some academic
exercise, but a process that affects
decisions in the real world.
Barb Phillips,
Edwards School of Business
In my view, the key to providing students
with a stimulating and informative class
is to treat each of them and the subject
itself with respect. By keeping in mind
that each class session is an opportunity
for each of the students to learn more
about the subject being taught, about
their peers, about the society in which
they exist, and about themselves,
one should be motivated to prepare
material well and to present it with the
enthusiasm it and the students deserve.
Before discussing a specific work of
literature, I usually present and discuss
with students handouts with specific
questions on that genre. After students
have read a specific story, for example,
they come to class and I break them up
into small groups. Each group will be
asked to come up with answers to two
or three of the points on the handout
sheets. I circulate among the groups to
stimulate discussion and to assist with
being sure each student feels a part
of his/her group discussion. This has
worked well to stimulate quiet students
to participate and to have each student
play a role in group problem-solving
situations. The groups then reconvene
within the total class group and present
their findings...majority and minority
opinions. The result is an active ten to
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
fifteen minute small group situation
followed by the balance of the class
being an information sharing session
which also usually stimulates further
discussion.
Michael P. J. Kennedy, English
I try to provide a context for the content I
am providing, so the students appreciate
why I think the material is important. I
bring in news and magazine articles and
creative non-fiction and discuss their
accuracy in class. I hope the students
understand some of the pressures
farmers are under that may contribute
to decisions that have lead them to be
involved in legal cases we are studying.
Patricia Farnese, (Agricultural Law) Law
Last September, I started having the
students write a daily response to either
the readings or the class discussions.
As part of the response, I ask them to
narrate a personal example (a story) or
application. This activity has not only
energized and motivated them but
myself as well. I look forward to reading
these, especially those from the more
quiet, reserved students. I write some
response to each of them (either on
their content or grammar) and assign
one point for this activity. Many have
commented that they like this journal
activity; it has helped their writing skills.
Ed Heidt, English, St. Thomas More
I teach a class called Professional Issues
to first year medical students. We explore
various issues and topics related to
medicine and health care in general.
Much of the class is small and large
group discussion but there is one activity
in particular that the students and I have
found to be especially energizing and
challenging: the Structured Controversy
(SC).
Students form teams of 3 or 4 that
debate other teams on a topic. There
are about 10 small debates happening
concurrently in class. I keep time so all
groups progress together. What makes
the SC so unusual is that there are two
rounds of debate and in the second
round teams take on the opposite
side of the issue and interact with a
different team than they did in the first
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
round. Everyone then must advance a
convincing argument for both sides of
the issue.
The students tell me that they are
challenged and that they discover things
about the topic and themselves they
never knew before. And I know from
original research I have conducted that
SC makes students think more deeply
than an open discussion format. I
have published articles on this form of
cooperative learning and have a short
demo video clip.”
Marcel D’Eon, Medicine
ensure they are correct in language and
content, and then have students use
them (for practice) in partner- and group
work. The genuine learning, though,
takes place during the formulationprocess; students engage actively with
the material and think of it at a higher
level of abstraction. Again, they “do,”
rather than just read or are told. By doing
so, they learn more and thus feel more
motivated.
Silke Falkner, Languages and Linguistics
One of the ways I engage my students is
through the use of children’s literature.
This gives us a common experience
Humans appear to memorize very little of from which we generate discussions and
what they read or hear, yet a lot of what
move into the consideration of theory.
they “do.” “Doing” implies involvement
Children’s literature allows me to bring
of several senses (the more the better),
diverse representations of experience
and includes such activities as teaching
into our classroom. These books, while
others.
simple in structure, are often based on
complex ideas of the individual and their
To focus on two methods I use regularly: community. I begin all of my classes
a) Let student find rule.
with a story tied to the concepts I have
This may not work for all materials in all
planned for the day.
fields; it works very well for grammar
Shaun Murphy, Curriculum Studies,
and patterns / rules in general. Instead
Education
of providing learners with rules and
then asking them to practice these,
At a recent Improving University Teaching
and eventually testing whether they
(IUT) conference in Pittsburgh, PA, I
have understood them (and can apply
attended a session on the use of scratch
them correctly), it is more motivating
and win cards as a learning strategy. As
for students to work inductively. In the
the presenter demonstrated the cards, I
case of grammar: Show students a text,
thought about how they could be used
ask them to find a pattern, have them
to enhance student learning. I use the
define the rule. Only subsequent to
cards as a collaborative learning strategy
this, they apply the rule themselves. It
with multiple choice quizzes. I have the
is more motivating than the traditional
students work in pairs to answer the
(deductive) approach because it engages quiz, as I believe that working in pairs
the learners intellectually; they are also
gives the students a chance to engage
more likely to remember the rule (after
with each other and discuss possible
all, we remember more of what we
answers before scratching the card to
actually “do”). Greater success rate in
see if they have chosen the best answer.
acquisition, in turn, motivates to learn
Another benefit of the cards is that the
more.
students can keep scratching until they
b) Have student write (some of ) the exam get the answer (identified by a star)
questions.
and it reinforces their learning. Energy
In order to do this, students will need to
levels are high with this strategy and it
know the material, and, of course, the
motivates students to get the “star” at the
“format” of the questions. Specify the
first scratch! You can find out more about
format, or simply provide a pop-quiz
these cards at the following website:
with the question(s) formatted the way
http://www.epsteineducation.com/ifat.
appropriate to the level and material,
php
for reference. I assign the formulation of
Sandra Bassendowski,
exam-questions (a certain number per
Nursing
student) during the latter part of courses,
11
www.usask.ca/gmcte
One thing I have been trying to do
lately is challenge students to take
sociological theories into their own lives.
There is often a gap between academic
explanations and lived experience, and
by measuring the theories against their
experiences they are able to see how the
theories may actually help make sense
of things they have personal experience
with. This is a bit risky because you
never know what students will bring
to the class discussion, especially when
we talk about topics such as racism and
violence, but that helps keep everyone in
the class involved. Even if students don’t
come forward with contributions I think
many of them are thinking about how
sociological explanations apply or don’t
apply to their worlds. This also helps me
stay in touch with the relevance that
sociological theories have to my students’
lives.
Eric Kempthorne, Sociology, STM
into the classroom. If I take time to read
some of the sites the students read, I can
relate to them.
Lisa Christmas, Geography
I think of motivation in two parts: (a)
set-up, and (b) delivery. Set-up each new
topic as you would introduce a research
paper: briefly describe the topic, explain
its importance, and preview how it will
be investigated. My belief is that if I
can’t motivate a topic in the first two
minutes of class, I shouldn’t devote the
next 70 minutes to the topic. For me, the
best motivation comes from real-world
examples (e.g., how did Walter Pavlo’s
knowledge of bad debt accounting
allow him to steal $10 million?) In terms
of delivery, I like to create something to
look forward to every class, whether it
be a fact-of-the-day, a hands-on exercise,
or game-style quiz. And, above all else, I
try to display the energy and enthusiasm
that I want my students to display in
return.
Fred Phillips, Edwards School of Business
curfew and some students will think M’s
curfew is 11, b/c Mum said “it’s after 11).
Someone will invariably say, She might
just be emphasizing the time - it could
be the curfew is 10 or 10:30. Then there
is another scene with the same type of
situation. Sometimes a rule was broken,
sometimes not. The students then have
to put all the cases together to figure out
what the entire rule is.
First year law classes can feel like ‘foreign
territory’ for many students. The student’s
task is to synthesize the mother’s four
decisions into a single rule. The exercise
is fun. All the students can relate to it.
Most relate to the daughter, but some
relate to the parent. All of the students
can easily engage in discovering the
rule, based on the four decisions. The
discussion usually turns to the policy
behind the rule. Usually some students
think that the policy behind the curfew
rule is to facilitate education, while
I challenge my students, ask them
others think it is based on safety. I have
questions I know they don’t know the
found that this lesson helps de-mystify
answer to yet, and try to make them
the process of synthesizing cases and
think about what the problem actually
The law can seem mysterious. Analyzing
determining the policy behind the rule.
is, ways to solve the problem by a short,
cases and trying to discover how they fit It also helps students understand how
open discussion in class, or by working
together can be a challenge even for the the policy behind the rule can help to
out what we don’t know yet we would
best students. Much of what law students give meaning to the rule. What I like most
need to know to solve the problem. And learned before they came to law school
about the exercise is that it demonstrates
then we do exactly that.
seems to be unhelpful in learning the
to the students that they have the
Sven Achenbach, Electrical and Computer law. In order to help overcome these
knowledge and the skill to be successful
Engineering
issues, and in order to engage students
at legal reasoning. I find this to be very
and make learning fun, I have adopted
motivational for the students.
It is important to talk to students as
a lesson from a colleague. The lesson
Doug Surtees, Law
equals, as this facilitates sharing relevant involves watching a clip of a daughter
information in an engaging way. In the
coming home on four different evenings. I think that the motivation comes partly
past I have pretended that I was talking
The daughter is met by her mother, who from my own enthusiasm, partly the
one on one with a student, even when I
decides whether the daughter broke any subject matter, and partly how it is
was in front of a hundred people, and I
rules about staying out.
presented. Then, at least for the Town
find that this creates a more stress-free
Hall, (students have to research and
environment. I’m relaxed and casual, and Each of the clips features the young girl
roleplay different parties deciding how
I stop worrying about exactly what I’m
(about grade 11 or 12 ) coming home.
to address the elk population problems
going to say. Further, I can use personal
There is a clip of where she is (in a pizza
in Banff ) there is the challenge of selfexperience or stories, or self-deprecating parlor, at a school football game etc) and learning with little guidance (unless
humour, to relate to my students. If I
then a voice over explaining where she
asked for), and offering the students to
don’t talk down to them, or lecture at
was (Monica was at Bea’s Pizza Parlor
be their own script writers. These are
them, there’s an atmosphere of mutual
and returned home at 11:30) . The clip
pretty intelligent (vet) students, suddenly
respect. I make a point of keeping
then shows Monica’s Mum greeting her
thrown a curve ball a long way outside
my body language open and friendly,
(Where have you been? It’s after 11 and
their normal comfort zone. There is
and I use contemporary examples to
you’ve got school tomorrow. You’d better precious little incentive from the grades
illustrate my points in class. I will spend
get up to bed”. Then we stop the clip
point of view, as my little module is only
time reading “non-academic” sources of
and determine if a rule has been broken
worth 6% of the total class mark, hardly
information (news sites, magazines, ebay (it is pretty clear that it has) and what
worth bothering with.
searches!) so I can bring current events
that rule might be. It appears to be a
12
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
On subject matter, I think that the
environment, zoonotic diseases, and
conservation have gained steadily in
public conscience, so that students are
more aware of these issues before they
even get to WCVM than they used to be.
Jerry Haigh, WCVM
The images below represent how Dr.
Kalyani Premkumar, from the College
of Medicine answered the question,
“How can my students and I best
understand the nature, quality and
progress of their learning?”* The class
had over 80 undergraduate medical
and dental students studying about the
general characteristics of hormones.
Dr. Premkumar wanted students to
demonstrate their understanding of
the classification system, she had just
lectured on. Groups of five students
were given an envelope and asked to
sort the slips of paper inside using that
classification system. After 5 minutes,
Dr. Premkumar checked the results and
provided feedback.
Course Design/ Redesign
Workshop
May 26 – 30, 2008
The Gwenna Moss Centre is pleased
to provide a one-week, intensive
course design/redesign workshop
for faculty. Janette Barrington from
Concordia’s Centre for Teaching and
Learning Services will lead the workshop
in conjunction with a team of local
instructional designers to ensure that all
participants receive individual assistance
with their course.
Janette has worked as Teaching
Consultant at the Centre for Teaching and
Learning Services at Concordia University
for the past six years. She specializes in
faculty development workshops and
one-on-one consultations on specific
areas of teaching development, as
well as collaborative research and
development projects on the impact
of new technologies. She also teaches
a Ph.D. seminar in university teaching.
Janette has a Master’s degree from
Bath University in the U.K. and a Ph.D.
from Concordia University both in
Educational Technology. Her thesis is
titled: “Learning teams: A communitiesof-practice approach to faculty
development and university course
design.” She works collaboratively with
a team of educational developers from
six universities (McGill, SFU, Guelph,
Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier and Victoria)
who have adapted the Course Design
Workshop to their particular contexts.
She has facilitated the 5-day Course
Design Workshop five times of the past
four years with extremely positive results.
•
•
•
learning process in the context of
their own discipline.
Engage in collaborative discussion
and peer critique with colleagues
from across disciplines in the design
of their course.
Think about the course design from a
student perspective.
Develop an action plan to carry out
their course design.
The workshop will integrate large and
small group activities with opportunities
for individuals to design a course in their
subject area. Large group activities will
include presentations of major concepts
and cases illustrating their application to
actual courses. Small multi-disciplinary
groups will focus on course design and
microteaching. A principled approach to
course design is supported by recorded
teaching episodes, self-critique and
peer feedback. These activities will
provide the opportunity to learn about
different strategies for teaching, and
to experiment with them in a nonthreatening and supportive environment.
It is essential that you bring to the
workshop a course that you intend to
design or re-design, and that you are
able to attend all workshop sessions.
Readings and other preparation activities
are expected in the evenings.
There will be a $100 fee for this
workshop. For more
information, please e-mail Kathy
Schwarz at (kathy.schwarz@usask.
In this workshop a multidisciplinary
ca) or phone (966-1804) by April
group of participants will:
• Focus on the design of a new course 30, 2008. Please note that
or the redesign of a course they have registration is limited and
previously taught.
availability is on a first-come,
• Consider the various elements of
first-served basis.
course design and the teaching and
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
13
www.usask.ca/gmcte
Preparing Graduate
Students to Teach
Kim West, Program Coordinator
The Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching Effectiveness
In the last issue of Bridges, I outlined
some of the reasons why institutions
should prepare graduate students to
teach. This article follows up on that idea,
and outlines the approaches institutions
may consider and the challenges they
may face when implementing graduate
student teacher training programs.
Graduate students are in a unique
position within the university. They
are the students who are most likely
to become academics. Their work is
three-fold, involving 1) becoming a
subject-matter expert, 2) researching,
and 3) teaching. Although their
duties are the same, the extent and
focus of their education and training
differs dramatically from institution to
institution (Nyquist et al. 1991). In a
number of universities, graduate students
are taught to become subject matter
experts and excellent researchers, but
they are left on their own when it comes
to teaching. Alternatively, in universities
where graduate education is threefold, involving an emphasis on subject
matter, research, and teaching (teacher
training programs and/or supervision of
teaching duties), there is a higher degree
of student satisfaction and self-efficacy
towards teaching in the graduate student
community (Prieto and Yamokoski 2007).
Teacher training is essential at the
graduate level for several reasons. First,
if graduate students become academics,
then it is only fair to train them how
to be successful teachers, researchers
and subject matter experts. Second, if
we view graduate students as potential
professoriate, what time is better than
at the beginning of their careers to help
them to reflect and work on improving
their teaching skills? New faculty
members hardly have the time, amongst
There are three basic
approaches to graduate
student teacher training:
1) departmental programs/
orientations, 2) university-wide
programs/orientations, and 3)
a combination of departmental
and university-wide programs
and events.
their duties, to reflect on their teaching.
Last, if graduate students learn more
about teaching in the early stages of their
careers, as Boice (1992) advocates, then
universities need to model the idea that
teaching is a scholarly activity akin to
research, as Boyer (1990) first suggested.
Universities interested in further
developing graduate student teacher
training programs should not do so
lightly. There are many considerations
to make when implementing these
programs. To start, one must decide
what approach to take. There are three
basic approaches to graduate student
teacher training: 1) departmental
programs/orientations, 2) universitywide programs/orientations, and 3)
a combination of departmental and
university-wide programs and events. As
a general rule, university-wide programs
and orientations tend to focus on
general principles and university policies
relevant to teaching and learning while
departments tend to focus on disciplinespecific pedagogy.
Let’s look at the benefits and drawbacks
of each approach. University-wide
programs or orientations bring graduate
students together from different
disciplines allowing them to exchange
ideas, support one another, and practice
14
new types of pedagogy that they may
not otherwise be exposed to. Giving
graduate students the opportunity
to connect with others outside their
discipline study is an important strategy
since professional collaboration will
often be an important part of their
future profession. The major drawback
of university-wide programs/orientations
is that graduate students do not receive
discipline-specific pedagogical training,
and the general nature of these types
of programs, may not suit graduate
student teachers with a broader range of
experience, motivation, and expertise.
McManus (2002) makes the argument
that graduate student teacher training
programs should be developed
specifically for departments because the
needs and responsibilities of graduate
student teachers vary dramatically
between departments. Departmentspecific training programs help to foster
the attitude that teaching is valued
within the department, and can assist
graduate student teachers in identifying
resource people and materials related
to teaching and learning within the
department. Departmental programs
may be particularly successful when
mentoring is included as part of the
training. This is for two reasons: 1)
mentoring fits well with the original
apprenticeship model upon which
teaching assistantships were based
(Lewis 1997), and 2) students who are
paired with mentors receive feedback
and guidance which undoubtedly should
lead to a higher sense of self-efficacy.
In addition, students who are paired
with experienced teaching mentors
often come to the understanding that
becoming an effective teacher is a
process. Although it is important for
graduate students to receive general
information about effective teaching
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
practices, departmental orientations
can also help to facilitate best practices
within the department, mentoring
relationships and pedagogically specific
discipline practices.
A hybrid approach with departmental
and university-wide support provides
the best of both worlds: quality
instruction related to discipline-specific
pedagogy, and general pedagogical
advice outside the realm of the discipline
(Goss Lucas 2001). This approach allows
graduate student teachers to become
pedagogically competent within and
outside their discipline, introducing them
to different peers and getting them to
think outside the box while fostering
mentoring relationships within their
own department. This approach also
promotes teaching at the department
and institutional levels, an important
step that all universities should take in
the direction of promoting teaching as a
scholarly activity akin to research (Boyer
1990). Out of the three approaches,
this approach is perhaps the most
comprehensive and, in a sense, the
most idealistic since resources are not
often available on a number of different
levels. That being said, it is the approach
that will likely benefit graduate student
teachers the most.
not interested in teaching, even though
teaching is a skill that most graduate
students can use, regardless of whether
they are teaching courses or not. For
example, graduate students working
in a research capacity often can use
their teaching skills to disseminate their
research to a wider audience. In addition,
it can be difficult to provide the right
level of instruction to a diverse audience
who may have varying levels of comfort,
experience, and expertise when it comes
to teaching. For example, in some
departments, teaching is much more
valued than in others, so this can lead
to individual differences in the amount
of teacher preparation training that is
needed.
of different training programs suited to
individual or program/department needs.
For instance, graduate students pursuing
a career in teaching may benefit most
from a two-term course on university
or college teaching. Students pursuing
alternate career options may benefit
most from a variety of general, universitywide orientations or department-specific
programs. Even if students are not
pursuing teaching as their first choice
career option, if they are expected to
teach as part of their duties as a graduate
student, they should be supervised and
mentored during the process.
Challenge #2- Providing Opportunities
for Investment and Collaboration
One way to ensure long-term
sustainability of teacher training
programs is to ask graduate students
to be involved with the design,
implementation, and coordination of
the programs. Experienced or senior
graduate student teachers could serve as
mentors to newer, more junior graduate
In addition, it is also important to build
student teachers. The old adage is that
on the experience that graduate students you learn something really well once
have, even if it is at the college or high
you teach it. This approach provides
school level (McManus 2002). Sprague
experienced graduate students with the
and Nyquist (1991) identify graduate
opportunity to invest in the program
student teachers as progressing through while becoming teacher-scholars.
three stages: senior learners, colleagues
Besides the type of approach, there are at in training, and junior colleagues. As
The approach outlined above
least four challenges that administrators
graduate students become more
is suggested with the ideas of
will face when implementing graduate
confident and knowledgeable teachers,
apprenticeship and ‘ownership’ in mind.
student teacher training programs:
they need to be increasingly challenged
Think about it this way: when you
at each level (Meyers 2001). Graduate
invest money in a stock, you become
Challenge #1- The Goldilocks Effect:
student teachers also need to be
much more aware of the market value
Providing Adequate Levels of Instruction encouraged to reflect upon the process
(trading price) of the stock, as well as the
at the Right Time
at each stage of development. Even if
company’s ethical and trading practices.
the level of experience and expertise
Providing graduate student teachers with
The goals and motivations of individual
varies amongst the first-year graduate
a sense of ‘ownership’ (McManus 2002)
graduate student teachers vary from
student population, it is best to provide
allows them to own and contribute to
discipline to discipline (Meyer 2001).
some type of teacher training at the
the program, and if they ‘own’ it they will
Some graduate student teachers have
beginning of their program to increase
contribute to and invest in it to a greater
the goal of teaching in mind, others
confidence and self-efficacy before the
degree. ‘Ownership’ also promotes the
are training to work in other careers,
first teaching responsibility is assigned
professional development of graduate
particularly industry or research.
(Lewis 1997). A comprehensive training
students and helps them to contribute
McManus (2002) says, “One should expect program with scaffolds should follow in
to the growing literary scholarship
only 25-30% of the graduate students
middle to upper years to support and
of teaching and learning. This type
to be interested in participating in a
further challenge teachers-in-training
of approach is student-centred and
graduate student teacher preparation
(Lewis 1997).
provides graduate student teachers with
program” (McManus 2002). McManus
practical experience in terms of program
suggests that part of the challenge
One way for administrators to deal with
and course design.
involves motivating students who are
this specific challenge is to offer a variety
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
As graduate students
become more confident
and knowledgeable
teachers, they need to be
increasingly challenged at
each level (Meyers 2001).
15
www.usask.ca/gmcte
In addition, if graduate students from
various levels are involved in program
design and coordination, this encourages
collaboration between novice and senior
graduate student teachers. This type of
collaboration could potentially foster
resource-sharing between graduate
student teachers and faculty members.
Faculty could serve as teaching
supervisors, or mentors, and newer
graduate student teachers could be
paired with more experienced graduate
student teachers. Each group could
benefit from the other- experienced
graduate student teachers will further
enhance their own professional
development, faculty members may
reflect further on their own teaching
during the process, and new graduate
student teachers will benefit from asking
their peers, rather than faculty, for help
with their teaching (McManus 2002).
Challenge #3- It’s Not Just About Content
Good teaching requires the development
of pedagogical skills and curricular skills,
and this involves a deeper dialogue
(Palmer 1998) as well as an investment
of time. Students need to look into why
they teach (and who they are) as much
as how they teach and the mechanics of
teaching. There needs to be a balance
in teacher training programs between
the philosophical and practical elements
of teaching. While students need
opportunities to practice their skills
(e.g. microteaching) and to discuss reallife scenarios they may be faced with,
they also need opportunities to reflect
(journals, diaries, or portfolios) on how
to continually work to improve their
teaching skills.
In addition, teacher training programs
need to be designed so that graduate
student teachers are actively involved
at all stages. This involves including
opportunities for active learning, role
modeling, mentoring and support,
practice, reflection, and experiential
learning. If graduate students are
actively engaged in the design and
delivery of the program, many of these
opportunities will be integrated already
within the program. Evaluation of the
program is also important because
graduate student teachers need to get
feedback from their peers as well as
their direct supervisor in order to build
confidence and self-efficacy. They need
to know what they are doing right and
what they can improve.
In summary, while there are many
challenges in developing quality
training programs for graduate student
teachers, the benefits by far outweigh
the challenges. The most effective
graduate student teacher training
programs are not done in isolation but
require the efforts of departments and
institutions, as well as dialogue between
all parties involved, including faculty,
university administrators, junior and
senior graduate student teachers, and
undergraduates.
Acknowledgements
Conversations with Matt Feagan, Ryerson
University and Grant Timms, York
University gratefully improved this article.
References
Boyer, E.L. 1990. Scholarship reconsidered:
Priorities of the Professoriate. Princeton,
NJ: The Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching.
Gaia, A.C., Corts, D.P., Tatum, H.E. and
Allen, J. 2003. The GTA mentoring
program. College Teaching, 51(2): 61-65.
Goss Lucas, S. 2001. Departmental
orientation programs for teaching
assistants. In The teaching assistant
training handbook: How to prepare
graduate student teachers for their
responsibilities (pp.25-50). Edited by L.R.
Prieto and S.A. Meyers. Stillwater, OK:
New Forums Press.
Edited by L.R. Prieto and S.A. Meyers
(pp.3-23). Stillwater, OK: New Forums
Press.
Nyquist, J.D., Abbott, R.D., Wulff, D.H.
and Sprague, J. 1991. Preparing the
professoriate of tomorrow to teach.
Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing
Company.
Palmer, P. 1998. The courage to teach:
Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s
life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Prieto, L.R. and Yamokoski, C.A.
2007. Teaching assistant training and
supervision: An examination of optimal
delivery modes and skill emphases.
Journal of Faculty Development, 21(1),
33-42.
Sprague, J. & Nyquist, J.D. (1991). A
developmental perspective on the TA
role. In Nyquist, Abbott, Wulff & Sprague,
Preparing the Professoriate of Tomorrow
to Teach., pp. 295-312. Dubuque, Iowa:
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.
Tomorrow’s
Professor
Mailing List
Faculty Development
100 times a year.
Lewis, K.G. 1997. Training focused on
postgraduate teaching assistants: the
North American model. Seminar Report-CVCP, 1 May 1997. Retrieved November
1, 2007 from http://www.ntlf.com/html/
lib/bib/lewis.htm.
This listserv is a
partnership between the
American Association
for Higher Education,
The National Teaching
& Learning Forum anjd
the Stanford Centre for
Innovations in Learning.
Meyers, S.A. 2001. Conceptualizing and
promoting effective TA training. In The
teaching assistant training handbook: How
to prepare TAs for their responsibilities.
To subscribe go to
http://ctl.stanford.edu/
Tomprof/index.shtml
16
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
Sylvia Wallace Sessional Lecturer Award
2008 Winner — Peggy Proctor
versions of assignments to be submitted
for feedback prior to the final assignment
due date. I also encourage self-evaluation
on the part of the learners.
The Sylvia Wallace Sessional Lecturer
Award annually recognizes the
important and essential contribution of
sessional lecturers to the University of
Saskatchewan’s teaching community. We
are pleased to announce that the 2008
winner is Peggy Proctor from the School
of Physical Therapy in the College of
Medicine.
The award was established in 2001 to
honour the memory of Dr. Sylvia Wallace,
College of Pharmacy and Nutrition. Dr.
Wallace was Associate Vice-President
(Academic) at the University of
Saskatchewan and a recipient of the
University’s Master Teacher Award. It
recognizes exceptional competence in
teaching - including superior command
of the subject area, skills at organizing
and developing class materials, and the
capacity to motivate and inspire students.
Past recipients include Jack Coggins
(History), Marcus Rayner (English), Wendy
Schissel (Women’s and Gender Studies),
Carolyn Brooks (Sociology), Michael
Kennedy (English), Bonnie Nicholson
(Music), and Warren Noonan (Educational
Administration).
their own conclusions about the “truth”
on hot topics. I try to motivate students
by simulating “real life” experiences and
presenting “real life” issues from them
to grapple with. I work hard to make
each class session relevant, interesting,
interactive, and stimulating for students.
Some of the many activities that take
place in P.TH 490.3 include: structured
controversies; interprofessional learning
opportunities and assignments with
students from other programs; site visits
to community agencies and physical
therapy practices; concept maps; small
group case studies; on-line discussions;
and group presentations.
I believe that the different clinical
internships in a variety of practice
settings are the most important
experiential learning that takes place
for each student in the physical therapy
program. Consequently, I work hard to
obtain and arrange the “most perfect mix”
of clinical experience for every physical
therapy student, because I believe
strongly that these clinical experiences
profoundly shape the professional
competencies and identity of each
student. It is very rewarding when
students stop by my office or drop me
an email message; sharing stories of
their wonderful learning experiences
from ‘clinicals.’
As a practicing physical therapist, I really
loved the “teamwork” among health care
professionals when working together
to deliver effective patient care. I
passionately believe that health science
students cannot learn how to be good
The students in my class are expected
interprofessional health team members
to actively interact with the material.
without the chance to “practice” these
Peggy Proctor’s Reflective
I do not believe that students are really
teamwork skills during their professional
Statement of Teaching
learning if they sit quietly in their seat
training. I have put a great deal of energy
and listen to someone else talk, talk, talk
and effort into collaborating with other
Philosophy
. . . Learning is not a one-way valve.
instructors across campus to create new
I believe students must be encouraged
interprofessional learning opportunities
“We don’t receive wisdom; we must
and challenged to consider the material,
for health science students. This takes
discover it for ourselves after a journey
manipulate it, discuss it, reflect upon
a great deal more time and energy than
that no one can take for us or spare us.”
it, play with it, and “internalize” what it
simply “doing your own thing” but the
Marcel Proust
means to them.
rewards are tremendous. I am proud of
French novelist
the contribution that my colleagues and
1871-1922
There is no final exam requirement for my I have made in advancing interprofessional learning for collaborative patientThis quote by Marcel Proust helps capture course, so there are many assignments
completed and marked during the
centered care at the University of
the essence of my teaching philosophy.
term in order to arrive at a final mark for
Saskatchewan by creating, organizing
I believe that experiential learning is
each student. I give feedback on their
and promoting opportunities for over
the most powerful form of learning. My
work by offering many comments, by
4,000 health science students since 1998.
goal is to constantly develop learning
making my evaluation process fair and
opportunities where students are
transparent (providing the marking
I am fortunate to work with wonderful
encouraged to examine their own
scheme in advance), and by inviting draft faculty colleagues at the School of
thoughts and feelings and arrive at
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
17
www.usask.ca/gmcte
Physical Therapy and in other Health
Science programs, where I feel valued and
respected as a member of the teaching
team. I have had the opportunity to help
create many innovative, cooperative
and reflective learning materials to
support and enhance multiple curricula.
Examples include an Aboriginal storytelling assignment, a problem-based
learning module exploring concepts
of Aboriginal health and healing, a
second problem-based learning module
on HIV/AIDS, and the Interdisciplinary
Population Health Project. Through these
projects, I have also been able to work
collaboratively with new colleagues from
the Aboriginal community, communitybased organizations and community
activists. These relationships are very
important to me, and have had a
powerful impact on my teaching.
As a health care professional, I know
that evidence-based practice is a very
important concept, and that practitioners
must make clinical decisions based
on best available evidence. I believe
that evidence-based practice is equally
important in teaching, learning and
adult education. Over the past ten years,
I have actively engaged in research on
interprofessional education (both process
and outcomes). I have disseminated and
absorbed knowledge on teaching and
learning by attending and presenting
at various local, provincial and national
educational conferences, and by
publishing in this area.
I have learned that the role of teacher is
a very powerful position. You contribute
directly to the sense of success or
failure in your students. Each student
is dependent on you to present the
appropriate material, do it well, make
it fun, and prepare him or her for the
“real world” that they are about to
enter. And each of them has their own
unique learning style, needs, personality,
and interests. This is an awesome
responsibility for the teacher to assume.
I feel very honoured and privileged to
be serving such an important role in the
formative preparation of future health
care providers.
In closing, I must say that my multiple
roles at the University of Saskatchewan
are extremely challenging, fun, and
rewarding. I feel very fortunate to work
with, and learn from, such wonderful
students and colleagues everyday.
Community Service-Learning
Update
What about this increased programming?
Well, remember that Geography 130
class we mentioned the last Bridges?
About 70 of those students opted for
the CSL program. Alternative Reading
Community service-learning (CSL) has
Week, in partnership with the College of
increased programming on campus and
Arts and Science and building from the
a heightened presence in University
previous contributions of Student and
documents. We at the University
Enrolment Services Division, sent out 21
Learning Centre share in this.
enthusiastic students during the midterm break to serve with organizations,
This term, we concluded our pilot series
focusing on poverty awareness and
of sessions for instructors, and potential
our core neighbourhoods. Also during
instructors, of CSL programming. This
conclusion, though, is just the beginning: that February break, Winter One-day
brought another 19 students out for
starting explorations of what CSL
a day. Students are enjoying these
means to different academic units;
discussing current international academic experiences and the hands-on learning.
The community partners welcome the
programming and the potential for an
increased global CSL focus; and assessing students’ contributions. We contribute to
student learning and the positive impact
how co-curricular CSL programs can
of our institution on its internal and
be incorporated into existing courses.
Building on this momentum, CSL-focused surrounding communities.
workshops and TEAs will continue to be
So, what now? We’re building experience
offered. On May 7th, for example, we
host, in partnership with St. Thomas More in the planning and delivery of
programming, both curricular and coCollege, a CSL workshop for faculty.
18
curricular, and are very much looking
forward to contributing to the growth of
CSL on our campus. Now is a great time
to build on existing partnerships, and
build new partnerships for the upcoming
academic year. As CSL is prominently
featured in many recent planning
documents, CSL is likely to grow quickly
in many different units around campus.
If you would like to discuss what you or
your department would like to do… if
you’re looking for information or even a
sounding board for your ideas… if you
want to collaborate on new or shift the
focus of existing programming, let us
know (service-learning@usask.ca). We
would love to hear from you!
Phaedra Hitchings
Program Coordinator
University Learning Centre
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
When Did Learning Become
Such a Burden?
I have recently rediscovered my love for
learning, in the most basic sense of the
word: simply discovering something I was
unaware of before, making the unknown
known. This can be in the form of actual
“fact,” something written in history, or the
ever fluctuating opinions and arguments
of other individuals. I originally thought
I had merely regained my love for
reading, but upon further examination
(foreshadowing pun intended), I have
realized that it goes much deeper than
that, for it is a detrimental mistake
to even consider reading as the only
worthwhile method of learning.
“Of course,” beams the ever obedient
student, “the lecture portion of any class
is just as important as the text.”
Ah yes, but that cheery response has
nothing to do with the 10% Participation
Mark does it? The loss of grade due to
failing presence perhaps? The overall
nonverbal-chastisement received for
missing class? No…of course not.
Don’t get my cynical tone wrong; I’m
not attempting to undermine academic
procedures. Rather, I see importance in
understanding why we learn. Fear not,
I will stray as far away as possible from
the idea of Man’s Insatiable Thirst for
Knowledge (deliberate anachronism).
However, many current incentives
for learning somewhat depress me.
University is the often-accepted next
step in life after high school, and that
in itself has its positives and negatives.
Any argument claiming the attendance
of university as more negative than
positive would, I believe, fall through in
seconds. We, as constantly progressing
humans, need to take part in some
form of active learning, study, and skill
development in order to combat a very
devastating ignorance, which can lead
to societal stagnancy, or something
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3
even more harmful. On the other hand,
how beneficial is an education indirectly
“forced” on an individual, leaving one
with more uncertainties than a clear
direction? To cop out on my own
question, I will just say it is certainly a
difficult issue.
To backtrack a tad, the “burden” of
learning I speak of directly correlates
to the constant stress (the most
overwhelming during final exams)
of a University student, the need for
intoxicants as an escape (why do you
think pub-crawls are so successful?),
three months and ~$500 holding its
value in one number, and the harrowing
presence of an ubiquitous sense of guilt.
Boy, do I ever pick out University’s best
traits.
Worry not; I am not intending to
discourage all students, for I am right
along there with them.
The point I am cumbersomely trying
to make is that there can be no loss in
learning. Although not always tangibly
beneficial, everything BUT the grade
coming out of a class is what holds the
true value. I understand everyone has
her or his own reasons for everything;
therefore a remunerative scholarship
or promising career may be the goals
for which to strive. I cannot deny that
success feels good. But understanding
success’s many forms is important,
especially in a University setting.
And I guess here is where I plug the
University Learning Centre. Every student
at the U of S has made a conscious
decision to be here, and that itself is at
the foundation of what allows the ULC
to exist. We understand that university
is more difficult than anyone ever hopes
and that it extends well beyond the
lecture hall. We are willing and wanting
to help any student that is willing to help
19
her or himself, trying to help everyone
find success in her or his own way. We
try to lessen that overpowering burden
learning seems to pile on us.
So whether it is Harlequin’s latest
romance, Paramount’s latest film, your
last attended class, or a tiring debate
with a good friend, your life is forever
being enriched. Try to enjoy it. Of course,
it could be argued that such is not the
case upon reading this poorly structured
opinion of mine. But I do thank you for
your time and patience, and keep tuning
in to all things educational.
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL)
Jonathan Aspenlieder
What is PAL?
The PAL Program, Peer Assisted
Learning, is a new initiative in the
ULC to create a welcoming and safe
collaborative learning environment
where U of S students, “Peer Mentors,” take a lead role in helping other
students learn. Peer Mentors are academically successful students with effective learning strategies, who want
to teach and help other students.
Peer Mentors also have a passion for
learning, with a desire to learn from
PAL work experiences and from other
U of S students.
Many thanks to Jonatha Aspenlieder
for sharing this article with Bridges.
Jonathan is an undergraduate student in his third year. His major is
Linguistics.
www.usask.ca/gmcte
“Loving to Learn” Contest
The first “Loving to Learn Day” contest at
the U of S was on February 15th this year.
It was an opportunity for everyone and
anyone to share their reflections about
their love of learning. First established
at the University of Waterloo in 2006,
this year the University of Saskatchewan
held our first annual “Loving to Learn
Day” celebration open to everyone in the
Saskatoon area whether or not they were
directly connected to the U of S.
into the role of servant, to be gentle and
supportive without words, to rely almost
soley on body language, and thus, to
become a builder of dignity. I think this
role could be called “being” as opposed
to doing. We escalate the power of our
presence as we rest our tongues. “
High School Winner
other people view things, and learning
to do new things, gives experience and
We invited people to write a paragraph
perspective to think increasingly critically
describing the one thing they had been
and knowledgably. A formal education
most glad to learn over the past year, and opens the doors of choice. Education will
why. We had a great response and are
not necessarily get the individual a salary
pleased to share the top four winning
that is higher than the average oil patch
entries with you in Bridges. All of the
worker. But education does increase the
entries are on our website at
chances of working at something one
www.usask.ca/ulc/lovingtolearn.
enjoys; otherwise why would one bother
to jump through all the hoops and often
sleepless nights to obtain the job that
University Winner
requires university experience, unless
the job was exactly what they wanted? I
“I love to learn because - Learning
provides individuals with confidence and love to learn because I want to give back
a sense of value. With as much knowledge to the community as much as possible
and learning increases understanding of
as possible, whether derived simply
others. Understanding others is critical to
from life or school, people are confident
experience successful relationships, and
they, too, can give back to community,
to avoid misunderstandings. Education in
or simply take part in intelligent
short, makes life more rewarding. “
conversations or rationalizations.
Education keeps people from making
Community Winner
bad decisions that may be harmful to
them or others. Learning is a process
that begins from day one. Upon our first
“ In just the past three weeks I have
days on earth we begin to differentiate a gained a huge insight that, for reasons I
meaningless array of sounds into words
cannot explain, has heretofore escaped
to make sense of them. We learn how
me. I came to this insight in, what was for
water boils, and how to read road maps,
me, a most unlikely setting. I volunteered
to what makes our partners tick. A great
to work in a food bank with no
deal of education happens at home.
expectations or goals other than a vague
Education may be seen as an array of
notion that I should try to do something
life experiences, opportunity, and the
useful. My job was to act as a shopping
way we received these experiences and
guide with each client as we undertook
opportunities, period. University is a tool a tour inside a ring of tables laden with
to help people understand that there
small bags of rice and flour, toothpaste,
are other ways in seeing things than
and other items. Milk was only available
their own. At university we learn ways
to families with children. I came to
in which other people view the same
realize that this experience provided
situation. By learning more about how
a remarkable opportunity to fully step
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“ One thing I really want to learn from my
family about the past year is how to take
good care of your family, show concern,
love and care for everyone. I want to see
my children happy, healthy and more
successful than I, for they are my future.
I want to teach them how to be good in
society. I want my children to learn good
things from me. I would like to finish a
degree program in University since I love
learning so much. I want to learn how
to be a lawyer. ’’Learning is better than
silver and gold.’’ Education is the key to
our future so handle it with care. I love
learning. “
Elementary School Winner
“I love to learn because learning different
things helps you get a good job and can
really help you out through life. I really
love learning about history and things
that happened in the past whether its
world history or community history. I also
like reading and the things you learn just
by reading. I think it’s really cool if you can
just pick up a book and just start reading
and then end up learning something
really important just by picking up a
book. Some of my favourite subjects are...
math, science, and spelling/grammar. I
think learning grammar is very important
because if you are always using slang you
will start writing that way too. I think it’s
interesting that if you know what 2 times
4 is you will also know what 4 times 2 is.
That is just bits and pieces of why I love
to learn.”
Bridges,Vol. 6, No. 3