On a Dusty Bus in Taiwan
In the early 1970s, one of my teachers, the venerable sociologist Wolfram Eberhard,
and I were in Taiwan together.
He kindly took it upon himself to show me around, and on our many long bus
rides, he'd ask endless questions about my opinions on this theory or
that book. I was then a beginning grad student and could not imagine that my
answers held much interest for him. But he was listening to me as intently as
if he had never before heard of these topics. I thought then and I think now
that his ability to listen as if hearing what is said for the first time was
a great gift, and I have tried to emulate that ability in my teaching. As a
result, I am almost always engaged by what my students say. In some ways, that
insight on a dusty bus in Taiwan was one of the most important lessons about
teaching.
Ann Waltner
History, Asian Languages and Literature
Can Freshman Do Research?
Last fall, I advertised for an undergraduate research assistant.
One student who responded, I'll call her Kavita, was a first semester
freshman - new not only to the U, but to the guaranteed-admissions program that
the School of Nursing started just this year. The idea behind the program is
to engage promising students in nursing early on in their college education.
Kavita's enthusiastic contributions to our team clearly showed the advantages
of involving freshmen and sophomores in the research mission of the University.
Kavita's RA position is an integral part of my NIH-funded clinical trial,
and it offers many learning opportunities for her as well. Specifically, the
research involves interacting with patients who have the sensitive health problem
of fecal incontinence. This topic has not always captured students' interest,
but Kavita has been fulfilling her responsibilities with great care and success.
She seems to enjoy the position and senses she is doing something significant.
My willingness to mentor undergraduate students and help them undertake important
roles in real research is based on experiences with students like Kavita. I've
witnessed their professional growth and increasing excellence in research, and
every day it convinces me they will become the next leaders to advance nursing
science.
Donna Bliss
Nursing
Student Helps Teacher
I was using a homemade apparatus consisting of light bulbs, dimmer switches,
and an ammeter to demonstrate visual thresholds to my general psychology course.
Later, one of my students, an Electrical Engineering major, took an interest
in my crude efforts at engineering and mentioned that he was looking for a senior
design project. Our conversation resulted in an Undergraduate Research Opportunity
project that we undertook together, one that created a new, state of the art
apparatus for my class.
Thomas Brothen
Post-Secondary Teaching and Learning
What is this Novel About?
I was teaching a course called The Novel, and the day's assignment was
Rasselas, an eighteenth-century cautionary tale written in an off-putting form
and stuffy language.
A student came up after class with a look on his face that had trouble written
all over it.
"I hated this book," he said. "Last night, I couldn't
understand why anyone would make us read this crap. It didn't make any
sense to me, and I threw it across the room, I was so mad."
Luckily, I was ready with my handy dandy speech about the importance of stretching
our minds by reading unfamiliar literature, from another time, another culture,
and so on. But before I could begin my song and dance, he continued.
"Now that we've discussed Rasselas, though, I've changed
my mind. I think I know why you assigned it, and I understand a lot better what
it's about. It's about me."
Joel Weinsheimer
English
Slave Money
Connecting students to communities of color through research projects and community-based
learning keeps teaching alive for me.
I've reveled, for example, in students researching the University's
investments and determining whether any of them are linked to companies that
profited from slavery. This issue is currently reflected in JP Morgan's
admission that its origins lie in mortgaging 13,000 slaves for start-up capital.
Students are always amazed at the concrete reality of who actually benefited
from slavery -- not just the southern planters. The realization leads to the
issue of reparations for African Americans. Many white students initially resist
the idea of reparations; but whether they eventually accept it or not, they
learn a good deal about the issue. It's a hot topic that keeps us alive
and engaged in the classroom.
Rose Brewer
Afro-American & African Studies
We Have Ignition!
Last semester I was pretty frustrated by my students' seemingly impenetrable
detachment. Yes, they were showing up, completing the work as directed, and
yet there was no energy, no passion.
One day, at the end of my rope, I set aside the plan for the day. Instead,
I wrote William Butler Yeats' beautiful truth on the board: "Education
is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." I then asked
students, "What does this mean to you? What does filling a pail or lighting
a fire look like in education? Which better represents your hopes and goals
as a learner?" As we worked our way through this conceptual framework,
I could feel the energy in the room growing; students were getting excited as
they began to see a new possibility for their learning. Truly, the "fire"
was beginning to burn and I could sense it. This discussion literally turned
the semester around for me and, at different paces, for my students.
Amy Lee
Post-Secondary Teaching and Learning
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