ITLC Professional Learning Newsletter
October 2022
Spotlight: Cody Miller, Associate Professor of Education Social Science, Business, and Education Division
Dr. Cody Miller has been with RSCC for 11 years and in addition to teaching Education courses she is currently serving as Interim Dean of Student Academic Services.
What is your perspective on the importance of PL in academia?
“I think Professional Learning is important so that I can stay current on teaching trends, gain fresh ideas, and learn from my colleagues. As classroom practices change and I get new students, adapting and being flexible is key. Professional Learning certainly helps me be a better educator.”
How do you use Professional Learning?
“I enjoy learning from my colleagues. I like to hear the teaching wisdom from veteran colleagues and get classroom inspiration from newer educators."
What is a PL strategy you have implemented?
“I personally like the book recommendations that give practical teaching techniques. I love to read books that teach or inspire me.”
The RSCC Professional Learning (PL) Website is now LIVE!!! Check It Out Today
Classroom Challenge: Chalk Talk by Krystie Anderson, Humanities
Overview:
A “Chalk Talk” is a simple activity that can be done during class (on the board) or online (on a collaborative note-taking app). Whichever format you use, the purpose remains the same: students are participating in a collaborative brainstorming session on a specific topic or question.
Purpose:
Chalk Talks are helpful to do when students are still forming ideas for research papers and projects, but you can use them whenever you want students to map out their thought process for each other. At the end of the activity, invite students to take a picture of the board, so they can refer to the ideas as they’re working on their research.
Example:
This image was taken during one of my Composition I classes.
Students were thinking about The Creepy Line, a documentary we had recently watched, while considering potential research topics for their upcoming essay.
Everyone wrote down topic ideas, asked questions, and made connections between those different topics and ideas.
The finished Chalk Talk captured what they were interested in, but it also made clear how many of the topics and questions were connected, revelations that may not have been discovered if students were brainstorming topic ideas alone.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Will Durant
Upcoming Opportunities
October
- ITLC Workshop: Teaching with Blooms, Oct. 25th 2pm
- TASSR (Oct. 5-7)
- IUPUI Assessment Institute (Oct. 9-11)
- NISOD October Connections & Conversations (Oct. 11th)
- NISOD Fall Virtual Conference (Oct. 19-21)
- CTAT - Camtasia Tips, Tricks, and Advanced Features (Oct. 25th 11am & Oct. 26th 2pm)
- Teaching Professor Online Conference
- (Synchronous Oct. 25-28; Asynchronous Oct. 29-Dec. 31)
November
- NISOD November Connections & Conversations (Nov. 8th)
- ITLC Workshop: QEP Mentor Workshop (Nov. 10th 3:30pm)
- CTAT - Setting Up and Using Rubrics in Your Course (Nov. 15th 11am & Nov. 16th 2pm)
On Demand
Plan Ahead
- TBR Hip Ambassadors Connection Calls
- NISOD Connections & Conversations
- Southwest Winter Recharge (Jan 9th & 10th)
- DREAM (Feb. 14 -17th)
Reading Recommendations: Fear Edition
As educators and humans, we are often racked with fear concerning our jobs. For this edition we wanted to explore the common themes of fear through the work of the International Teacher Development Institute iTDI.pro.
- Teaching and Fear
- Myths About Teaching
- Challenges in Teaching
- Burnout and Mental Health
- How to Unwind
- Failure
- Difficult Students
- Culture Issues
Connect with Us
Interested in more PL or being highlighted in our newsletter? Click Here
Contact Jessica Dalton-Carriger (dcarrigerjn@roanestate.edu