Post a reading response to a book or article on teaching that you’ve found particularly interesting. A few recommendations:
- The Third Teacher by Cannon Design + VS Furniture + Bruce Mau Design. Abrams Books, 2010
- What Best College Teachers Do by Ken Bain, Harvard University Press, 2004
- Tools For Teaching by Barbara Gross Davis, Jossey-Bass, 1993
- Teach Like Your Hair Is On Fire by Rafe Esquith, Penguin Books, 2007
- resource of your choice? Please share!
March 22, 2023 at 11:25 am
“How to Speak,” Patrick Winston
I really like his quote that “slides are good when your purpose is exposing, but this [the board and chalk] is what I use when I am informing, teaching, lecturing.” Computers and technologies have made teachers’ life much easier. I remembered when I was an elementary student, most of my teachers used blackboard and chalk. And some of them had beautiful graphic skills. I saw math teachers who could draw a perfect circles and perfectly straight lines on the board without any tools, and Chinese teachers who could write beautiful calligraphical characters with chalk on the board. When I started high school, almost every teacher used a projector and slides. On the one hand, it is good that teachers do not need to spend extra time practicing their hands-on presentation skills on the board and so have more time on preparing the teaching materials. On the other hand, it is sad to see that everyone using slides tends to teach in similar styles and rhythms. I think that teaching with slides could easily turn out to be like dumping information on students.
March 21, 2023 at 9:22 am
Reading response to Patrick Winston:
I tried not to have my laptop open and take notes, in accordance with what he said, but I did it anyway.
How to start –
1. Empowerment promise (what they are going to know at the end)
I found this sort of interesting, in that I never know what people know at the beginning anyway. Part of being a good professor or instructor is being okay with sounding like an authority, which involves promising something that shouldn’t be promised, possibly.
Samples
2. Cycle (three times)
Yes, I agree with cycling. This is how good comedy works, like Seinfeld, for example, and I would say there is about a three-cycle repetition within a 22-minute episode of television. I’d say cycling three times is about the max I can take in one sitting.
3. Build a fence
4. Verbal punctuation (enumerating, providing numbers)
5. Ask a question (has to be balanced between hard and easy)
I love this, because I have this happen with my 202 students. I need to figure out questions that some people will want to weigh in on verbally, not because they are being pandered to, but if it’s just hard enough to warrant some sort of verbal reaction. I have another class, Professional Context, and I feel that one failure of that class is the fact that some of the questions asked in a large auditorium are too easy, but that students are too afraid to voice their opinions because they may be humiliated by the instructor. It’s had to ask the right level of question in a large audience.
Time and Place
11am? Well-lite, cased, populated
Board
Graphic, speed, point at it, use props
So, this is interesting because I find that students watch me when I’m physically drawing, it’s almost a case of them waiting to see how good it is, or if I’m going to mess up. Teaching drawing is a skill, for sure. I believe he is correct regarding the speed at which one draws is about the same speed at which they can process information. I find it sort of like linking up speeds, the speed which one can draw and the speed at which one can receive information.
Slides
Eliminate title, one language processor, forces people to read (40-50 point); eliminate junk, include air, only one complicated slide
Job talks – vision and done something, 5 minutes, identify problem and approach
Getting famous
Final slide –
Ite missa est
Salute audience, great fun,
I am thinking a lot about the power point slide thing. I agree with pretty much everything he said, except he wasn’t interested in putting any samples up that are beautiful.
I was thinking about this in relation to my presentations of my own work. I think I should probably write few or no words on anything ever again. It seems like the UO scholarship is directing us in that way and I’ve been resistant to it. It’s similar with color – I use color a lot and people find it distracting. I’m going switch to the “black and white” phase next and see how that works next.
March 3, 2022 at 9:42 pm
This is a response to ideas contained in What the Best College Teachers Do by Ken Bain because I’m currently reading it and I wish I had read it before this term. The ideas I’m discussing here are mainly his ideas (Best Teachers Plan Backwards (which is the best idea ever) and Student-Focused) but it’s really about how these ideas correlate to what I learned this term. I just finished up a 10-week stint trying to figure out how to teach students how to draw. Today I taught my last class. I had three classes of 12-15 students each, and I saw them 1-3 sessions per week for about 90 minutes. It was fairly intense. So here are my thoughts, and I apologize if I’m rambling.
The problem with me teaching something is that I didn’t know exactly what the students knew at the start of the term, or didn’t know, as the case may be. I didn’t know where they started from, and I really didn’t know where I wanted them to end up. I assumed they pretty much were like me, and probably knew some things, and didn’t know others, and so on.
I think about my own education as being this constantly changing shape, things I grasp onto for a while, and things I used to know but forgot, things I’m sure of, and things I’m not sure of, and so on. I’m in a constant state of flux, which makes it more difficult for me. To be honest, I don’t know if this makes be the best teacher. Students want teachers to be sure of things. I’m still figuring things out.
I assumed that introductory architecture students (I’m pretty sure they were all 19-year-olds) already knew how to draw, and sketch, and knew how to hold a pen and pencil and draw a straight line, or a good circle, and so on, because if they were in architecture, they likely knew how to draw by then, right? They would have done some drawing, and some design, taken a few art classes in high school, were interested in construction, probably had cool furniture layouts in their dorm rooms, whatever, right?
I have two teenage kids who can both draw very well. I don’t know how that happened, but it’s probably partly genetic or hereditary. They’re both very different than me, and different than each other, but all three of us can draw well. By “well” I mean we can see something and represent or copy it onto a page with a pencil or pen and the thing we create looks like the thing we see, or others see. So, this is a specific skill regarding representation of something. We all three have this.
So, I assumed that these students were like me, and/or my kids, and I was completely wrong, and I didn’t figure out that most of them didn’t know how to represent things well, much less use a drafting board, a ruler, or hold a pen. I think because of the pandemic, and because they’re always on their phones or laptops, they never learned how to physically draw. If I had known this about them, I could have helped them learn to do this. Instead, I was worried about them being bored, and I was constantly trying to get them to interact with me and with each other and to produce work. I didn’t give them enough credit.
I think I didn’t want to illuminate what they didn’t know. I think I had the idea that it would somehow be rude or disrespectful to assume they didn’t know these things. I was thinking about it in entirely the wrong way. I should have thought of it like an opportunity, and even if they didn’t know anything, and would admit that, it didn’t reflect poorly on them and instead we were all just going to get better at drawing together.
So if I was going to plan backwards, I would have said, I want them to each know about drafting tables, rulers, adjustable triangles, pens, pencils, smudging lines, crisp lines, shadows, the actual drawing of things. I would have made them physically watch me draw, and then watch them draw, one by one, and I would have set aside an initial block of time where I had a checklist, do they have a ruler, do they have pens, do they understand lineweights, let’s draw a straight line, let’s figure out how to use the triangle, etc. So that would have been planning backwards. Some of them still aren’t using their drafting tables. The reason it’s necessary is not because it is the only way to draw, but because it’s fast and efficient and it gives you the ability to create better work by quickly revising, and revising, and so on. Knowledge of the equipment and practice gives you tools to be a better designer.
The things I did well teaching them (because I hammered it into them) had to do with the difference between plans, sections and elevations. I tried to communicate with them in terms of how to prepare for critiques, and to get help from one another, and to do their work on an ongoing basis so it didn’t snowball. And to make sure to sleep, form bonds with studio mates, eat healthy, don’t procrastinate, etc. I feel pretty good about that. But that’s not planning backward. I should have been able to communicate a list of maybe 20 things that they could do at the beginning and that they could do better, that have to do with hand drawing.
The next thing I want to talk about has to do with expectations. I had a few eye-rollers early in the term, who probably shouldn’t be passing the class even till, but it was very difficult for me to try to explain abstract concepts to them when it was obvious they were making a statement that they didn’t agree with whatever the concept was. Because I hadn’t dealt with this before, I was unsure of myself. In the future, I’ll give them a certain level of response to their eye-rolling and not let it get to me. Explain, yes, it’s a difficult concept, morphing an orange into a building, but it’s a way of thinking about the composition of the building, and there is value in considering abstract concepts, and so on. And move on to the next student. What happened is I got flustered by students who didn’t appear to want to do the work, who complained, and then some of them secretly did a good job on the project and just wanted me to listen to them complain, and I gave a disproportionate amount of energy to those students. So in this sense, my treatment of each student was not as equitable as it should have been. I would try to do better with this next term.
The last idea, briefly, has to do with coming up with a systematic method for evaluating myself and the students. I was coached by Daisy Williams (the professor) who was always surprising me by informing me of how to evaluate work, how to grade artistic expression (which is difficult) based on a sensible rubric. I had no idea how to do this prior to this class. When I was in school, I just got A’s and I was focused on getting good grades and producing good work, but it was not in response to a rubric, it was just based on my idea that I was the best in the class. Now I’m laughing at myself, as I’m writing this. Just ten weeks ago, I thought my best students would get A’s and the next best would get B’s and so on. Now I know there is no reason why every student can’t get an A, or all of them could get C’s, etc. because the equitable way to grade students is based on their work, not their relationship to the other students in the class.
I’m wondering if I’m ever going to have the opportunity to teach a college level class again. I don’t know. I hope so. I believe that this class is more work for GE’s than any one I can imagine, yet I would do this again, because I now know how to think about it. Or at least I’m getting closer.
January 24, 2022 at 10:08 pm
In “How to Speak” by Patrick Winston, he outlines and explains that your success is based off your ability to speak, write, and the quality of your ideas in that specific order. I argue that it is most importantly based off your ability to communicate with others. He then outlines how to begin a talk. He suggests beginning with an empowerment promise explaining your reason for speaking and what the audience will learn after you conclude speaking. I enjoy this strategy and will definitely implement it, though I also feel as though he is setting only one avenue for learning. Learning should be a two-way street, so the speaker also has the opportunity to learn from the audience.
He mentions four key things to ensure a successful talk. The first is to cycle back to your main point at least three times so that you increase the probability that everyone understands the message. Second, he argues that you must build a fence around your idea so that the audience understands how it differs from other topics. Third, you must practice verbal punctuation by creating an outline so that if people lose focus, they can refer to the outline and get back on track. Lastly, to keep the audience engaged, ask a question but make sure it is not too easy and not too difficult. I hope to implement all these strategies except for the building a wall. I think this is an elitist and entitled way of looking at “owning” an idea. No one has ideas or revelations or contributions in a vacuum. Every idea now is derived from previously gained knowledge and insight. I also think connections between similar topics are important and by collaborating even more new ideas could be formed.
Winston refers to several tools required for success. The first is to choose a good time for the talk and a good location. He recommends speaking at 11 A.M. in a well-lit space and to scope out where you will be speaking beforehand. A chalk board helps viewers understand your content because it provides graphics, a target to focus on, and writing on the board happens at an appropriate speed for the viewers to follow along. He also recommends using props and claims that it helps with empathetic mirroring. He gives details about successful slideshows and advises not to read from slides, keep images simple and eliminate clutter. Lastly, he advises not to use laser pointers because then you turn your back on who you are speaking to. I enjoy the concepts of empathetic mirroring and the use of props. Engaging the audience’s senses will provide them with a more memorable and engaging learning experience.
Patrick Winston claims that you teach people how to think by providing them with stories and the tools to analyze them. He believes that to persuade and convince your audience, you must explain your vision and that you have successfully achieved something within the first five minutes of the talk. The vision must be a problem the audience cares about and details of your solution and approach. Outlining that you have done something must include the steps taken to achieve the solution to the problem. To become famous or to have your work remembered it must have the following characteristics: a symbol, a slogan, a surprise, a salient idea, and a story. I enjoy these 5 “s” characteristics to have your work remembered. I find the vision and story to be most important, and the story specifically must be compelling and empathetic.
Patrick Winston provides insight into successful ways to conclude a talk. He mentions that it is unmemorable to end a talk with questions or acknowledgements because you lose the opportunity to focus on your own work. He suggests the final slide should include your contributions. Lastly, he suggests that your final words can include a joke and a salute to your audience mentioning why it has been great to speak to them. I appreciated this advice, as usually I find people end with questions to the audience which does weaken the conclusion. I want to implement saluting the audience and summarizing the contributions.
January 24, 2022 at 10:47 am
In “How to Speak” by Patrick Winston, he outlines and explains that your success is based off your ability to speak, write, and the quality of your ideas in that specific order. He outlines how to begin a talk. He suggests beginning with an empowerment promise explaining your reason for speaking and what the audience will learn after you conclude speaking.
He mentions four key things to ensure a successful talk. The first is to cycle back to your main point at least three times so that you increase the probability that everyone understands the message. Second, he argues that you must build a fence around your idea so that the audience understands how it differs from other topics. Third, you must practice verbal punctuation by creating an outline so that if people lose focus, they can refer to the outline and get back on track. Lastly, to keep the audience engaged, ask a question but make sure it is not too easy and not too difficult.
Winston refers to several tools required for success. The first is to choose a good time for the talk and a good location. He recommends speaking at 11 A.M. in a well-lit space and to scope out where you will be speaking beforehand. A chalk board helps viewers understand your content because it provides graphics, a target to focus on, and writing on the board happens at an appropriate speed for the viewers to follow along. He also recommends using props and claims that it helps with empathetic mirroring. He gives details about successful slideshows and advises not to read from slides, keep images simple and eliminate clutter. Lastly, he advises not to use laser pointers because then you turn your back on who you are speaking to.
Patrick Winston claims that you teach people how to think by providing them with stories and the tools to analyze them. He believes that to persuade and convince your audience, you must explain your vision and that you have successfully achieved something within the first five minutes of the talk. The vision must be a problem the audience cares about and details of your solution and approach. Outlining that you have done something must include the steps taken to achieve the solution to the problem. To become famous or to have your work remembered it must have the following characteristics: a symbol, a slogan, a surprise, a salient idea, and a story.
Patrick Winston provides insight into successful ways to conclude a talk. He mentions that it is unmemorable to end a talk with questions or acknowledgements because you lose the opportunity to focus on your own work. He suggests the final slide should include your contributions. Lastly, he suggests that your final words can include a joke and a salute to your audience mentioning why it has been great to speak to them.
March 15, 2021 at 1:12 pm
Designing Your Life – Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
In Designing Your Life, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans propose that the same thinking that created the technology, products, and spaces that make our daily lives more productive, enjoyable, and pleasurable can be applied to our lives. Nearly everything we touch and interact with in the external world is the result of a design problem, so the book asks why not also treat one’s life as a design problem.
As a designer, I can agree with the sentiment of loving problems. There is something inherently so satisfying to tackling problems like puzzles, trying different solutions until a resolution appears. The harder the problem, the more rewarding it is finding the solution. As a designer, I also know the solution is never resolute, there may be and will be a better solution as some point. If this is easy for me to accept and work through when considering traditional design problems, it should also apply to my own life path. If I think about designing my life in the manner Burnett and Evans describe, treating it like a design problem, I have no choice but to acknowledge that life can’t be perfectly planned, there isn’t a singular solution with hard data to track and prove the correct path has been chosen. Accepting there is not a clear goal is so freeing, it is coming to terms with the notion that the ‘perfect life’ is not a static thing, or even a thing in general, but rather an experience. There are not universal steps to take, there will be growth and change, highs and lows, and notably surprises.
Finding the right problem is just as important as trying to solve problems. Gravity problems are ones that are not actionable, you get stuck because there is nothing you can do. Burnett and Evans use gravity here because you cannot change gravity, you have to accept it and reframe your problem to work around it. Sometimes a problem must be reframed for a solution to actionable and sometimes solutions have to be reframed for a problem to be solvable and not be an anchor holding us back. Problem solving requires brainstorming, improvising and prototyping, but most importantly it simply requires doing.
Along with reframing problems and solutions, the book frequently reframes dysfunctional beliefs, unfounded constraints that limit options. Instead of asking yourself “where am I going?” Burnett and Evans suggest establishing a compass that considers your Lifeview (ideas about the world and how it works) and Workview (what work means to you) to establish a true north. The idea is that your ideas and values should align to guide you forward. With big decisions and life choices you check in with your compass to ensure you are moving in the right direction even if you do not know exactly where you are going.
Burnett and Evans define a well-designed life as “a life that is generative – it is constantly creative, productive, changing, evolving, and there is always the possibility of surprise.” What they do convincingly well in Designing Your Life, beyond this definition, is break down how to work through the process of designing your life yourself. They note that a great life comes together by being curious, trying stuff, reframing problems, accepting it’s a process, and asking for help. They’ve taken something daunting and elusive and broken it down in a way that is easy to digest and believe. A well-designed life is a life well lived.
March 17, 2020 at 9:33 am
Reading Response: 147 Tips for Teaching Sustainability
I decided to talk of a different text than last time around by reading some segments of 147 Tips for Teaching Sustainability. Upon glossing over the table of contents I was drawn immediately to the portion of the book entitled: “Section 13: Effective Communication.” I, myself, have trouble communicating ideas to an audience in a constructive way from time to time.Though I have been told I have good energy and ability to keep an audience attentive, I have also been accused of “having no humility”, “rambling”, “using unnecessary big words” and many others. I figured this would be a good place to start for teaching as a whole and not just sustainability.
Of this section, the tips that resonated with me the most were the following:
101 – Emphasize Soft Skills and hard Science Equally
I share a similar outlook on this section as I do with architectural media (I guess you can consider verbal communication a form of media). You can be the best designer in the world or conduct ground-breaking research, but if you cannot express your ideas to non-scientists/designers, let alone professionals in your field, then your idea will mean nothing to anybody. “Discussions must pair with knowledge in order to make lasting changes”
103 – Share Like a Friend
This portion mentioned “talking at people” and this is a skill that I really take into consideration especially when I am teaching at the Freshman level. The book mentions this because it could lead to a more active participation and one that is genuine, especially when you know the one leading the discussion doesn’t think of themselves as above the rest. I say “especially” because when you’re a freshman you are not only new to a program that could potentially lead you to a future career, but you also are new to simply being in college. They want guidance and resources and not just someone to act as a superior. They want to be led, but also listened to as if I can learn something from them as well. I may know more about architecture, but they could know more about any given topic.
104 – Be Honest
This goes in line with “having no humility”. When I was told this, my heart sank as I really don’t take myself that seriously, so why am I perceived this way? I have a terrible tendency to present as a sales pitch when I have designed an object and not an active conversation. This leads me to not revealing flaws in my design with the end goal of pushing forward, but rather to express how great what I made is. The book exclaims “ Engage in meaningful conversation and share ideas with those in attendance while recognizing that there really are no ‘experts’”. It humbled me to realize I am not an expert on anything I have designed. If anybody was, then we wouldn’t need consultants or critics.
105 – Encourage Specificity
Lastly, this section was another piece I can relate with in teaching. The amount of times I have been critiquing a student or colleagues work and they are using excessive amounts of pronouns to describe their work is astounding. It is frequent that I listen to someone explain their project in a way such as: “I was thinking of making this out of this and connecting it here so that they can cross here” What is here? Who are they? What is this? What is the visceral experience outside of just my sense of sight? The author mentions an excellent quote from Walking on Water in regards to this exact point: “…we turn living wild trees into standardized two-by fours. We turn living fish into fish sticks. We turn living carrots into carrot sticks. But every carrot is different from every other carrot. Every fish is different from every other fish. Every tree is different from every other tree. Every student is different from every other student. Every place is different from every other place. If we are to remember what it is to be human beings, and if we are ever to hope to begin to live sustainably in place (which is the only way to live sustainably, we will have to remember that specificity is everything”.
March 17, 2020 at 9:31 am
I decided to talk of a different text than last time around by reading some segments of 147 Tips for Teaching Sustainability. Upon glossing over the table of contents I was drawn immediately to the portion of the book entitled: “Section 13: Effective Communication.” I, myself, have trouble communicating ideas to an audience in a constructive way from time to time.Though I have been told I have good energy and ability to keep an audience attentive, I have also been accused of “having no humility”, “rambling”, “using unnecessary big words” and many others. I figured this would be a good place to start for teaching as a whole and not just sustainability.
Of this section, the tips that resonated with me the most were the following:
101 – Emphasize Soft Skills and hard Science Equally
I share a similar outlook on this section as I do with architectural media (I guess you can consider verbal communication a form of media). You can be the best designer in the world or conduct ground-breaking research, but if you cannot express your ideas to non-scientists/designers, let alone professionals in your field, then your idea will mean nothing to anybody. “Discussions must pair with knowledge in order to make lasting changes”
103 – Share Like a Friend
This portion mentioned “talking at people” and this is a skill that I really take into consideration especially when I am teaching at the Freshman level. The book mentions this because it could lead to a more active participation and one that is genuine, especially when you know the one leading the discussion doesn’t think of themselves as above the rest. I say “especially” because when you’re a freshman you are not only new to a program that could potentially lead you to a future career, but you also are new to simply being in college. They want guidance and resources and not just someone to act as a superior. They want to be led, but also listened to as if I can learn something from them as well. I may know more about architecture, but they could know more about any given topic.
104 – Be Honest
This goes in line with “having no humility”. When I was told this, my heart sank as I really don’t take myself that seriously, so why am I perceived this way? I have a terrible tendency to present as a sales pitch when I have designed an object and not an active conversation. This leads me to not revealing flaws in my design with the end goal of pushing forward, but rather to express how great what I made is. The book exclaims “ Engage in meaningful conversation and share ideas with those in attendance while recognizing that there really are no ‘experts’”. It humbled me to realize I am not an expert on anything I have designed. If anybody was, then we wouldn’t need consultants or critics.
105 – Encourage Specificity
Lastly, this section was another piece I can relate with in teaching. The amount of times I have been critiquing a student or colleagues work and they are using excessive amounts of pronouns to describe their work is astounding. It is frequent that I listen to someone explain their project in a way such as: “I was thinking of making this out of this and connecting it here so that they can cross here” What is here? Who are they? What is this? What is the visceral experience outside of just my sense of sight? The author mentions an excellent quote from Walking on Water in regards to this exact point: “…we turn living wild trees into standardized two-by fours. We turn living fish into fish sticks. We turn living carrots into carrot sticks. But every carrot is different from every other carrot. Every fish is different from every other fish. Every tree is different from every other tree. Every student is different from every other student. Every place is different from every other place. If we are to remember what it is to be human beings, and if we are ever to hope to begin to live sustainably in place (which is the only way to live sustainably, we will have to remember that specificity is everything”.
November 24, 2019 at 9:29 pm
“147 Practical Tips for Teaching Sustainability – Connecting the Environment, the Economy, and Society” by William Timpson et al.
Sustainability is collective and contemporary. An approach to sustainability is not static but rather ever-changing. Issues, technology, and mindset simultaneously evolve around natural world and human societies. Thus, teaching sustainability requires both concrete fundamental and adaptive practical approaches.
The book starts with planting a seed of holistic thinking and systematic practicing. To think about sustainability holistically is interdisciplinary, interconnecting, and longevity. It also deals with perception that human and nature are inseparable. Linking environment into every dimension of daily life allow students to merge themselves into ecosystem and economy realms not just an alien topic far beyond reach.
Longevity learning is another key of practicing and teaching sustainability. Throughout the book, the authors discuss understanding history and planning for future. Revisiting historical events allow us to have holistic view of a circumstance in addition to evaluating its consequences and assessing a plan for future. By doing so, we repeat pattern of approaching sustainability which enable us to connect fragmented piece of information and come up with systematic lens. Additionally, sustainability and its leverage approach, capitalism, and wealth of a nation are all fascinatingly connect environmental factor to social well-being and economic fairness.
As for architecture school, “tip 35. Understand How Classroom Can Teach” is particularly important. Schools, universities, and public institution are asset and resource of a community that can demonstrate sustainability using “architecture as pedagogy” to students, educators, and a community. It is not only about how one design a building, but a life long relationship of building, place, and users.
One thing that educators must do is to encourage and energize students. Sustainability is a big issue which outcome might not be accomplished in a short time. Setting realistic goal and action plan make actors motivated in continuing their actions. Acknowledging chain of impact, appreciating small changes, giving hope and inspiration are also equally important.
The book provides multi-facet approaches. They are practical and resourceful not only in the field of built environment but sustainability as a discipline. These tips are rich in depth. They introduce many techniques, media, and modes of teaching that make educators to be creative, engaging, practical and innovating.
November 24, 2019 at 8:55 pm
147 Tips For Teaching Sustainability
By William M. Timpson, Brian Dunbar, Gaiilmarie Kimmel, Brett Bruyere, Peter Newman, Hillary Mizia, Daniel Birminham, & Renee Harmon.
This book gives educators the guidance and strategies to educate a wider range of people about how to apply sustainable practices in our everyday lives where we are regularly faced with reality and how to act swiftly and accurately in order to adapt to this changing world in a more sustainable way.
This book also teaches us that we need to work in a collaborative environment in order to reach a good approach of sustainability.
Teaching sustainability is a way of saving humans from extinction, and as they said in the book, learn to work as a community on local levels, which will later have much more global effects. Community effort has a bigger impact since everyone can pass on their individual knowledge. People could work in a more complex and interdisciplinary manner, where a group of different individuals with different points of views and knowledge, could work towards the same objective.
Another strong aspect about teaching sustainability is the challenges and new ways to incorporate this concept in a diversity type of population, in which it could be more difficult to understand.
That is why the book gives us a good set of tools to be able to teach this complex subject.
I find it useful how the book divides the topics and how each of them are related to each other in such a way that you need a diverse knowledge to be able to apply sustainability as a teaching subject.
The three main subjects and sub-subjects that I find strongest are the following:
Social:
Ethics, respect for nature, human beliefs
Values and The Sacred
Environmental:
See nature as your teacher, mimic natural systems when they need to be replaced by human adapted ecosystems.
Economic:
How we can benefit from a monetary system? By reducing our consumption?
Reducing consumption could reduce future cost that will have an impact on the overall cost of living. Find equilibrium.
What we need is not what we want.
Find the essentials in a comfortable way of living.
With all these tools, an educator will have a better guidance for teaching sustainability in a more positive way, where the future is what we make it and the final product is a better way of interacting with our surroundings in a changing world.
November 23, 2019 at 8:32 pm
147 Tips for tea teaching sustainability
Connecting the environment, the economy, and society
by William M. Timpson, Brian Dunbar, Gailmarie Kimmel, Brett Bruyere, Peter Newman, Hillary Mizia, Daniel Birmingham, Renee Harmon.
I can simply describe this book as being “Concise”, “Practical”, and “Innovative”! Mostly because these three words would hardly get along with each other when it comes to a complex topic as “Sustainability”. These 147 tips are not only sole strict instructions for a lecture or course to be “Just given”, but also the flow of chapters drags the reader’s mind from ambiguous spectrum of definitions for “Sustainability” to a dynamic stratification of sub-categories which develops a highly allusive approach to uncover the word “Sustainable”.
Beginning chapters start out the topic with general interconnections between 3 fundamental basis- environmental, economic, and social concept which provide a foundation for understanding the larger picture of sustainability. Bringing visual charts such as Eco-Sphere is substantially effective to ensure “sustainability” is holistically considered (rather than relying on abstract definitions).
In order to narrow down deeper into each aspect of sustainability, following later chapters, social and individual context of sustainability are precisely exemplified through “Economics consumption”, and “Personal responsibility & empowerment”. One practical solution to engage students into sustainable practice is to give them an assignment to unravel their role on their environment and how they can empower sustainability by small changes on their habitual behavior.
The rest of the book are effective methods to establish the concepts of environmental threats, social justice, and economic equities and fairness, role of business and sustainable goals. Amongst these instructions, “Learning through experience” section was so inspiring to me which mostly include engaging activities for students to get an insight to the subject. As an outcome, one creative assignment to bring theoretical knowledge into practice is to ask students to bring 5 memorable places which they perceived them more “sustainable”. Through a group assignment, they should pull out bullet points describing why that spot was sustainable and how they could even cluster those features within these headlines:
• Nature
• Energy
• Health
• Culture
• Economics
All in all, this book is full of practical tips for rethinking some of our most basic assumptions about sustainability followed by creative solutions. The main drawback, in my opinion, might be related to lack of real-world examples of successful movements toward achieving sustainable world which could be added by teacher while writing the syllabus.
March 17, 2019 at 6:40 pm
Reading Response
Topic – 147 Tips for Teaching Sustainability
Tanika Krishnan | ARCH 661
In a globalizing world of limited resources and unlimited ingenuity, colleges and universities play a vital role in preparing students to meet the sustainability challenges of the future. The imperatives of sustainability point not only to new course content but also to new ways of teaching that content. As a project with relevance across the disciplines, sustainability presents a valuable paradigm for rethinking pedagogy.
What is sustainability? What do we want to sustain? An important part of teaching sustainability issues involves keeping these questions always open and alive. Sustainability offers a novel framework for asking enduring philosophical questions: What is the good life? How do we create a better world? Thinking and teaching about sustainability are future-oriented projects, but the relevance of sustainability principles and practices must be articulated in the present. The scope of sustainability is frequently described as including three spheres – social, environmental, and economic. To use an accounting metaphor, sustainability projects must be evaluated according to a “triple bottom line” of social, environmental, and economic responsibility. Sustainability is at once an integrative discipline and a multidisciplinary project; it has statistical, scientific, and humanistic dimensions. With its focus on specific problems and particular solutions, sustainability suggests place-based and project-based approaches to student learning. Teaching towards sustainability also reminds us that pedagogy is a civic project; there are important ties between the classroom and community.
Teaching sustainability is both exciting and challenging because of the interdisciplinary nature of the problems at stake. When teaching these issues, instructors are often working outside their own areas of expertise. How do you bring new content knowledge into the classroom without overburdening yourself? Ways to build interdisciplinary classrooms include:
• Guest Speakers
• Cooperative Learning
• Place-Based and Project-Based Learning
• Field Trips
• Campus as Sustainability Classroom
• Classroom and Community
• Critical and creative thinking
Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking
What is creative thinking? What is critical thinking? We often view these terms as opposites that are poles apart and incompatible. We stereotype the creative thinker as wild and zany, thriving on off-the-wall, impractical ideas; in contrast, we envision the critical thinker as serious, deep, analytical, and impersonal. Consider instead a different view—that these two ways of thinking are complementary and equally important. They need to work together in harmony to address perceived dilemmas, paradoxes, opportunities, challenges, or concerns (Treffinger, Isaksen, & Stead-Dorval, 2006).
Critical thinking has been an important issue in education and has become quite the buzzword around schools. The Common Core State Standards specifically emphasize a thinking curriculum and thereby requires teachers to elevate their students’ mental workflow beyond just memorization—which is a really good step forward. Critical thinking is a skill that young minds will undeniably need and exercise well beyond their school years. Experts agree that in keeping up with the ever-changing technological advances, students will need to obtain, understand, and analyse information on a much more efficient scale. It is our job as educators to equip our students with the strategies and skills they need to think critically in order to cope with these tech problems and obstacles they face elsewhere.
March 17, 2019 at 6:01 pm
Reading Response for:147 Practical Tips for Teaching Sustainably by William M. Timpson, Brian Dunbar, Gailmarie Kimmel, Brett Bruyere, Peter Newman, Hillary Mizia, Daniel Birmingham, Renee Harmon.
This book suggests useful moves for organization different teaching styles and way to improve to cover broader aspect, which is important in improving the world. The author focuses on implementing systematic changes that improve health for current and future for stronger buildings, secure and thriving communities and providing opportunities by restoring and preserving the integrity of the life support system. The author promotes the three main elements: Content of learning, Context of learning and process of education through sustainability concept.
The highlight of this book was how the author made sustainability as big, complex and responsive issue and if affects us, regardless of our background, age, political affiliation, geographically or other characteristics. It requires cooperation and collaboration form ecologists, sociologists, business leaders and many others who have not worked together
There are 147 tips which talk about the practical approach to various teaching style. Tip 3 i.e., creating a common language was one of the highlights for me. To think about the topic it is important to provide common grounds on the topic as people think differently. It is important to understand each of these pieces as a stand-alone topic. As a result, providing a foundation for understanding the larger picture of the topic, we can move on to discuss topics that are more complex.
The organization of topics and ways to clarify the ideas and concept for those topics makes this book a strong and guiding principle to understand reference tool for anyone who wants to proceed towards teaching, leading profession.
February 24, 2019 at 11:44 am
147 Practical Tips for Teaching Sustainably by William M. Timpson, Brian Dunbar, Gailmarie Kimmel, Brett Bruyere, Peter Newman, Hillary Mizia, Daniel Birmingham, Renee Harmon
This book is dedicated to providing useful strategies, questions, and approaches to teaching that are centered around sustainability from a social, economic, and environmental level. This definition of sustainability carried throughout the entire book helps the reader view each tip through this lens. The authors emphasize and promote connectivity between these three elements when teaching as well as the value of open-ended ideas and questions. I appreciate this approach to their writing because it recognizes that there are different environmental and social influences on every individual and their way of learning or implementing ideas.
I appreciate the section on Critical and Creative Thinking, primarily Tip 124, Teach How to Think, Not What to Think. It is easy to fall at the mercy of having right or wrong answers. Design school has by far taught me the most about subjectivity and how right vs. wrong is not a productive evaluation of work. Allowing others to come up with their own conclusions and ideas by asking questions and resisting the urge to have a black and white answer is far more sustainable and productive.
The clarity of ideas in each of the tips makes this book a strong and easy to understand reference tool for anyone in a leadership role.
January 27, 2019 at 3:38 pm
“147 Practical Tips for Teaching Sustainability – Connecting the Environment, the Economy, and Society _ William Timpson, Brian Dunbar, Gailmarie Kimmel, Brett Bruyere, Peter Newman, Hillary Mizia, Daniel Birmingham, Renee Harmon”
The book ‘147 Practical Tips for Teaching Sustainability – Connecting the Environment, the Economy, and Society’ is a good and useful read for educators in the field, but also provides basic principles and tips that are transferable to general teaching. The book is broken down into several sections that cover various aspects including defining sustainability, historical perspectives and future possibilities, systems, synergy and visions, awareness and consciousness expansion, effective communication, cooperation and collaboration, community and a sense of place, critical and creative thinking, and supporting change.
What I especially resonated with was the section on critical and creative thinking, more specifically tip 128: Go beyond coverage for a deeper understanding. In two short paragraphs the tip briefly explains a method of challenging student to reflect on their learning rather than sticking with conventional practices which assess students based on content of texts or lectures. It is important for students to break from the preoccupation with content coverage. While this is still a necessary aspect of teaching and learning, it does not necessarily foster love for, genuine understanding, or critical thinking of the subject at hand.
This is not only reflected in students’ experience, but also teachers as well. I believe by making time at the end of a lesson for such a dialogue within the class to share ideas, something new will be learned. Especially for teachers teaching the same subjects over and over again, it would be refreshing to hear new students’ perspectives on how they relate topics to current events.
March 21, 2018 at 7:10 pm
Canon Design’s “The Third eacher: 79 ways You Can Use Design” is an experiential and theoretical record of what it is to teach. This is a record of successful teaching techniques and methods that could potentially speak to the novice teacher. After teaching my first quarter as a GE for structures I found this reading quite helpful in terms of how to reach the students on an inspirational level. One of the most important quotes that have resonated within me are “those experiences will be shaped by adults, by peers, and ultimately by places, by physical environments where she does here learning.” This spoke volumes to my teaching method as a sense of place, temperature, control (on an audible and sensible level).
This to me meant that the third teacher (beyond the teacher and peers themselves) is the controlled environment around them. As teachers we are given the infrastructure and told to teach there. But how can we enhance and improve such environments from what we are given? In Ed Allen in the “Notes to Myself” was more of an experiential record of teaching, where techniques and methods show successful ways of teaching. Pairing the two readings to optimize the environment can levitate teaching abilities. For example, providing some sort of connection to the outdoors will be helpful in a sense to heighten sensory feelings to keep the students more on taste. Undulating tones of voice and emphasis on words could also help heighten attention spans.
As teachers a main goal that we all share is the passion to help those who learn. In a sense we should by right know the subject topic. The least amount that we should be doing as teachers are providing a comfortable learning environment. Sometimes infrastructure prevents that from happening. Many times, I have taught in LA 100, where no light is available and noisy corridors prevent a perfect learning environment. This is where techniques from Ed Allen’s book come into play and have to be done at a higher scale. All in all, I have learned quite a bit on teaching and the setting for the environment.
February 19, 2018 at 4:01 pm
Review of “What the Best College Teachers Do” by Ken Bain, 2004, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Brief introduction:
This book is a work of more than fifteen years with a focus on the practices and thinking of the best teachers who have been successful in helping their students learn effectively. The intention of the book is not just to record what the best teachers do but also how they think by conceptualizing their practices.
Methods:
The research includes professors at two dozen institutions from open admission colleges to highly selective research universities. For the suggestions mentioned in the books, Bain conducted studies through observation in the classroom, laboratory, or studio, and videotaping. Additionally, the author also conducted many long conversations with many of the teachers and their students; looked at course materials, examples of student work and conducted small group analyses.
Bain has organized the chapters in terms of the six major questions surrounding successful Professors/teachers/instructors: (1) what do the best teachers know and understand? (2) how do they prepare to teach? (3) what do they expect of their students? (4) what do they do when they teach? (5) how do they treat the students? and (6) how do they check their progress and evaluate their efforts?
The section to follow is a discussion and response to the fifth chapter entitled “How do they conduct class?”
After studying how successful teachers conduct class, Bain came up with seven unifying principles required to run a class. In addition to the seven principles, the “craft of teaching in the classroom” through the ability of a “good talk” and “getting students to talk” becomes equally important.
1. Create a natural critical learning environment : the sense that everyone is working together addresses the challenge for students to tackle intriguing questions and tasks. Teachers need to raise questions and not simply give students answers and not be limited to allowing students to only listen and remember but engage them in intellectual activities of compare, apply, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize. Another important aspect is to organize the class into small groups and carefully craft assignments to charge those groups with working collaboratively outside of class to confront the intellectual problems and questions of the course.
2. Get the students’ attention and keep: the ability to consciously get students’ attention with some provocative act, question, or statement that students had not thought about.
3. Start with the students rather than the discipline : ask what important troublesome (from the discipline’s perspective) notions students are likely to hold and then designing instruction that challenges each one progressively, picking the order that will best help students to develop an integrated understanding of the whole.
4. Seek commitments: lay out the promises and plans of the course and not just try to become “drill sergeants.”
5. Help students learn outside of the class: plan the courses backwards by starting with what the students should be able to do by the end of the semester or term.
6. Engage students in disciplinary thinking: engage the students simultaneously in reasoning about the facts being presented.
7. Create diverse learning experiences: allow students to interact with each other also give chances to reflect independently or to hear someone else’s explanations.
Response—
The methods are well-thought and detail-oriented on how to effectively run a class in a way that students learn the most. Rather than base their teaching on strict rules, the book advises teachers to allow flexible techniques with the concern of the students and no themselves in mind.
The strategies being discussed, however, are most effective to certain class structures (like a mid-sized class with such subjects/fields that invite conversations) but not all. In other words, such subjects that are based on lectures/explanations and much work outside the class (e.g., Mathematics) and cannot afford to invite interactions, have not been addressed. While the approach of making teaching a student-centric occupation (i.e. concerned about making the students’ experience better) needs to be well-understood by the teachers, some subjects cannot stretch their limitations in terms of being student-centric or making sure that each student is being attentive. For example. the principles do not consider large classroom sizes, of say, more than 150 students inside a large lecture hall which is not appropriate or meant for student discussions among each other or teachers reaching out to the students.
December 13, 2017 at 3:37 pm
Rafe Esquith: “Teach Like your Hair’s on Fire”
I think it is really interesting that no matter what level your students are at, the experience of teaching really is the same across the board. Rafe talks about his fifth graders and I cannot help but compare his experience’s to that of my own this term. People of all ages inherently respond in positive ways to certain styles of teaching.
There were two main selections that I felt particularly strong about: “A broken trust should be avoided at all costs. Establish trust and be reliable.” This really struck a chord with me as a first time teaching assistant… This term was the first time I have tried teaching and actually leading discussion sections and while you have specific allotted time for class and section, I found it difficult to make time for my students. Juggling work and classes was hard enough but adding teaching on top of that and you’ve got a recipe for a disaster. But as Rafe points out if you can establish a trust with your students right away and be punctual and predictable, things will be easer and you will have less headaches. I tried to clear my mind of everything else I had to do when in section so I could give my full time and attention to my students, because they deserve it.
The second selection was: “Students do not mind a tough teacher, but they do not like an unfair one.” While I might not have been leading lectures in class, I still had a huge say in grades for papers and projects. One thing I found to be true was that even if a low grade was given, you have to stand by that and let the student know what he or she did to receive that grade. You will have a better dialog with that person and ultimately seem as though you are grading fair. Have reasons for why you graded the way you did and stand by them, because most of the time you will be working alongside the professor to make a rubric and grading scale that is fair and just.
Personally I think these are the two most important takeaways from his book, but that is not to say all the other information presented is not! I think you have to pick and choose what aspects and intentions are most important to show to your students and show them that you are invested in their education.
December 2, 2017 at 11:36 pm
Reading Response to The Third Teacher
The subtitle to this book is 79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching & Learning and indeed a lot of nice morsels for teaching inspiration, and especially educational facility design, are included. It was co-written by three design firms, O’Donnell Wicklund Pigozzi Peterson, Architects Inc, VS Furniture, and Bruce Mau Design, joining forces through a collaboration that mimics and was inspired by the unique energy that researchers have found to be fostered by collaborative learning environments.
The title “The Third Teacher” refers to the classroom environment and how critical it is to learning. It is broken into the following 9 chapters based on workshops ranging from the U.S. to Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany as follows: 1. Basic Needs; 2. Minds at Work; 3. Bodies in Motion; 4. Community Connections; 5. Sustainable Schools; 6. Realm of the Senses; 7. Learning for All; 8. Rewired Learning.
The subtitle is “79 ways you can use design to transform teaching and learning,” which comes through as 79 subsections with the following titles in bold (after which I’ve written a brief summary of each):
1. Everyone Can Be a Designer – everyone has ideas about their ideal learning environment: listen to them.
2. Do No Harm – Honor young ones to create safe learning environments for all types of children.
3. Cherish Children’s Spaces – We are good at cherishing young ones, but we need to apply that to the spaces in which they learn too.
4. Put Safety Before Study – Children need their basic needs taken care of before they can learn (e.g., Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs).
5. Think Small – Children are more vulnerable than adults to all sorts of hazards that could be present in the classroom (e.g., lead, radon), and they are less able to identify these hazards, as well as more susceptible to the effects of them.
6. Assign the Solution – Health and safety can become a classroom project that can produce real improvements to the learning environment (e.g., Asthma, IAQ).
7. Make Janitors Guardians – Provide training to cleaning staff so they can be empowered as part of the toxic hazard solution.
8. Design For Speech and Hearing – Children have smaller vocabularies than adults and a harder time filling in words they don’t hear clearly; sound-absorbent material in classrooms can help ensure audibility (e.g., furnishings).
9. Let the Sunshine In – Daylight in classrooms reduces absenteeism and improves test scores.
10. Shuffle the Deck – Change locations of regular activities so children explore new environments to stimulate their minds.
11. Make It New – Does your learning environment work for what we know today or was it designed for the knowledge of the past?
12. Support Great Teaching – Encourage new settings for the teacher aside from the top-down front-of-classroom model; teachers need great environments to do great teaching.
13. Build Neural Networks – Students of all ages can build new neural pathways, i.e., to learn they need challenges and challenging situations (including play spaces, etc).
14. Multiply Intelligences – Students need time and space to chose what they want to do, to find their way of learning which is different for every student.
15. Display Learning – Posting student work helps track progress and make visible what might otherwise just be on computers where not many can see it.
16. Emulate Museums – Evocative objects trigger questions and activate learning similar to how museums serve this function by inviting learning rather than requiring it.
17. Form Follows Function – Provide a relaxed atmosphere where teaching and learning shape the building–not vice versa.
18. Unite the Disciplines – Art and Science need each other; foster cross-pollination.
19. Bring the Outside In – Bring in the outdoors, through school design layout integrating outdoor spaces and elements such as landscape to each classroom.
20. Make Peace with Fidgeting – It is brain development so make the classroom work for it: physical activity promotes mental activity, and for some enables them to focus.
21. Decide on Dynamic – Invest in new classroom chairs that allow movement and are adjustable to body type, like we do for offices where people sit all day.
22. Swivel to Attention – Swiveling will allow students to move easier increasing attention.
23. Make Classrooms Agile – Being able to reconfigure classrooms will engage different types of learners.
24. Respect Fitness Facilities – These need to be nice spaces that are connected and visible from the classrooms as physical activity enhances learning.
25. Take the “Ground” Out of “Playground” – playgrounds can and should go anywhere and everywhere: on rooftops, atriums, etc.
26. Promote Healthy Play – Kids need playgrounds to build motor skills and foster creativity while burning calories too; these should be well-designed structures.
27. Naturalize Play Spaces – Kids need some complexity and richness in the environment such as long grasses and leafy plants to nurture imaginations.
28. Scale the Wall – Climbing builds motor skills and self-confidence, so install walls and structures that are climbable.
29. Free Choice – Give kids a say at school, from foods to classroom environment, especially as they are spending much more time there on average now.
30. Build Close to Home – Schools should be where the children are so they can walk and ride bikes and skateboards there.
31. Let Your Grassroots Show – establish a visible campaign for a new school in your community.
32. Build for Change – The built environment can create social change, so take courage and be inspired.
33. Move in Together – Consider co-locating schools with other community services for an enriching collaboration.
34. Imagine Like a Child – Visualize school spaces from a child’s perspective to transform the space.
35. Consult Widely and Early – Talk to all stakeholders from the beginning.
36. Roll Up Your Sleeves – Parents can and should pitch their skills into the design process.
37. Blaze the Way – Design the commute with walking and bicycle paths right from the places where students live.
38. Make Them Proud – Embrace the children’s diverse cultural backgrounds, so they know they are valued and because these are design opportunities, for example by hanging flags around the classroom.
39. Be a Good Neighbor – Great schools give neighbors parks and buildings to be proud of.
40. Build a Nest – Children need comfort like they need at home: cozy areas to play in small groups.
41. Leapfrog LEED – We must exceed LEED as we need to get even further.
42. Reveal How Stuff Works – Kids learning experience can be enriched by seeing the inner workings of the world.
43. Get Eco-Educated – Learn what counts the most: there are a wide variety of products schools consume.
44. Highlight the Site – Call attention to the particular special place a school is sited at with design and signage.
45. Attract Like Minds – Sustainable school buildings broadcast school philosophy.
46. Let Students Lead – Encourage student leadership in sustainability and empower them to do lead.
47. Rally the Results – The financial results of improvements can be used to make a case for green schools.
48. Do Your Homework – Align school goals with those of the families served to gain wide support for sustainability.
49. Get Out of The City – Immerse kids in the natural world in special places like rural buildings that teach about and are connected to that environment.
50. Slow the Pace – Alcoves and furniture in hallways discourage high-speed traffic, and give students places to pause.
51. Make Caterers Caretakers – Design the culinary spaces too (for real food preparation–not frozen/processed)!
52. Spend Now, Save Later – Healthy food pays off in the long run for consumer health and national health-care expense and systems.
53. Grow Your Own – Growing food is educational too.
54. Think Hands-On – Children need to touch and make things hands-on.
55. Trigger the Senses – All the senses trigger memories and help stimulate students to retain what they learn.
56. Design in Multiple Dimensions – Use color, light, and diverse materials in design.
57. Paint by Function – Use different colors for different areas.
58. Define the Learning Landscape – Use developmentally appropriate environmental experiences, such as by taking trips to the woods and nearby stores.
59. Slip Off Your Shoes – design safe spaces where socks and slippers can mentally prepare students for learning.
60. Open the Doors – Students need places to show their work, including artwork for an improved environment too.
61. Adopt a Young Mentor – Allow mentees into your professional life and office to share what design can do.
62. Put The Fun In Fundamentals – Employ playfulness and humor for a welcoming atmosphere.
63. Design With Words – employ the term “universal design,” making your designs work for all learners.
64. Recruit Difference – Develop a diverse design team for a stronger whole.
65. Get Accessibility Aware – Make learning environments truly inclusive.
66. Break Down Social Barriers – Integrate opportunities to play and playgrounds for kids with disabilities too.
67. Make It Feel Good – Engaging spaces foster a sense of belonging (especially important for those at risk).
68. Take It To The Top – Lobby politicians to create schools for all types of learners: implore them to consider Gross “Intellectual” Product.
69. Domesticate Classrooms – Equip learning spaces with kitchens, pantries, cupboards so they feel like homes.
70. Create a Movement – Engage in meaningful conversations about change.
71. Consult With Kids – Survey students and design spaces accordingly.
72. Put Theory Into Practice – Give students good spaces to test their ideas: labs, studios, workshops, etc.
73. Expand Virtually – Link into far away learning opportunities.
74. Embrace Purpose – Install technology to simulate real-world situations and problem solving opportunities, e.g., 3-D printers, Nasa training stations.
75. Plan For the Unknown – New tech brings new flexible design opportunities that anticipate the future.
76. Unleash Learning – Employ the technology in the classroom in a variety of ways for a variety of learning styles.
77. Bridge the Digital Divide – Give all students laptops and a place to be plugged in.
78. Dream Big and Be Brave – Don’t limit tomorrow’s possibilities by only thinking about today’s needs.
79. Add to This List – The ideas in this book are ingredients: add to them; grow new ones, and make change.
There is considerably more detail in each of the above points: a lot of historical perspective, quotes, and scientific facts and interview highlights provided between all of the above 79 sections and especially between the chapters. The whole book is organized as short and accessible bits of information, and from a wide range of notable, if not famous, sources. It makes it easy to read, by identifying and focusing in on the areas of greatest interest. It is formatted nicely too, making it a nicer read–good graphic design for a book about all types of design being able to improve learning for all.
The book is full of information that will help inform design decisions in a 21st century way for learning environments based on what we know today, and is a worthwhile read for any
March 8, 2017 at 9:52 am
“Dear Brand-New Teacher: A Letter to Rookies”
Love Teach
Having already read Ed Allen’s “Notes to Myself” multiple times, I wanted to find a reading that would give me some perspective on what it would be like to start off as a teacher sooner rather than later. While I am still a student, and will continue to be one in a different sense for years beyond graduation, I cannot imagine myself being in charge of a classroom because I associate myself with the students that I would be responsible for. I think it is important to remember that teachers and professors at all levels will still have some level of nervousness whether they admit it or not. Additionally, the reading mentions that there is no script that one can follow. This brings up the concept of having flexibility within a classroom setting that is extremely important to the success of the lesson that is being taught. Rarely will a lecture go as planned and follow the script, and you would not want it to. When things are set in stone, it does not allow for flexibility and free flowing thought. Exploration within a class setting should be a fun learning process with conversation that sparks interest. From the Teacher’s perspective, it seems you have to embrace the fact that every day will be different. Not every lesson will go perfectly, not every concept will be picked up immediately. There will be struggles that happen; but when success and learning occurs, that is what keeps you coming back for more day after day.
February 15, 2017 at 9:26 pm
“Dear Brand-New Teacher: A Letter to Rookies”
Love Teach
Having read Allen’s Notes to Myself last term, I wanted to find an article that touched upon similar themes but from a different perspective. This article does just that. Like Notes to Myself, it attempts to boil down the “secrets” of successful teaching into a few key points, in this case presented specifically to those who will be starting a teaching position for the first time. Of the topics discussed, the three that resonated the most were “nothing about teaching is one-size fits all”, “you have to constantly be on your toes”, and “authenticity matters.”
Before taking this class, I had imagined that teaching a specific course would require the development of a syllabus and a lesson plan for each day of the year or term. Aside from some minor tweaking based on prior classes, I felt that this course plan would be repeated every time the course would be taught. After all, it would be designed for that specific course and would cover all the necessary topics. However, based on the first point made in this article, this is not the case. Not only is every student different, but every year of students is different. How could a rigid/repeatable lesson plan be sufficient for each student each year? As highlighted by our class’s Myers Briggs personality test and LSI results, every student learns and retains information in different ways. Therefore, the content being covered in a course should remain relatively consistent, but the methods of delivery should vary based on the preferences and personalities of each individual class. In doing so, each student can get more out of the class and develop a larger passion for learning.
The second piece of advice that stood out to me, constantly being on your toes, is something that I have learned personally throughout my architectural education. Planning in advance is great, but it doesn’t cover unplanned conflicts and seems to disconnect you from the moment at hand, leaving you like a deer in headlights when an unforeseen scenario occurs. As a freshman at my undergraduate university, I had a tendency to over-rehearse my final presentations for studio. As a result, my presentations appeared to be more of a recital than a conversation and I found myself stumbling over unanticipated questions. As I grew, I quickly learned the importance of improvising. Not improvising in the sense of completely winging a presentation, but in the sense of becoming intimate with the main ideas being presented and allowing my formal presentation to feed off of the moment and individuals in the room. This is even more important from a teaching standpoint. Rather than allowing a conflict to disrupt a lesson and throw off the rest of the plan, you should allow yourself to take the lesson somewhere it wasn’t intended to go. After all, these tend to be the most memorable moments of a class and, if handled correctly, can become some of the most valuable. Even if it doesn’t lead to some revelation, it connects you with the students and shows your dedication to the class.
Lastly, “authenticity matters” is an extremely important piece of advice for teachers. As a student, I can always tell if a teacher really believes in/ is excited about a subject or lesson. In fact, as validated by our class’s discussion of memorable teachers, teachers who display authenticity and passion are often the ones we remember and appreciate the most. Rather than standing in front of a class and reading through the day’s lesson, a teacher should invest himself or herself in the subject and engage with the class. By creating assignments and lessons based off of existing passions, students will feed off of that passion and develop a higher interest themselves. What students desire the most, at least from my perspective, is an authentic connection with a teacher and subject, a connection that actually means something and inspires interest/action outside of the classroom.
November 20, 2016 at 11:07 pm
Reading Response
147 Practical Tips for Teaching Sustainability, Timpson et. Al.
Education is primarily about widening perception or vision of the world to enable corresponding well-informed action. Understanding sustainability requires both a broad and deep perception of the world driven by conscientious study and continuous education. Practical Tips for Teaching Sustainability acknowledges and builds on this truth. The 147 tips, organized in paragraphs are organized around proactive exercises or ideas that encourage intellectual and physical exploration and learning. One example presented that illustrates the importance of learning to widen perception is the single bottom line vs. the triple bottom line. The status quo system in society is based around a single financial bottom line. Broadening the perception of the bottom line from a one-dimensional entity to three enables more holistic answers to problems. Solutions that value the environment, social equity, and financial concerns are usually stronger and last longer. Education is paramount in widening the societal lens of understanding and action.
Linking sustainability and environmentalism to education in class in a way that makes sense to students should be a clear priority for teachers. Education can seem like a necessary evil, or a means to an ends for many students. Stressing the value of an ongoing learning process that only begins in college encourages students to personally invest in education and actively pursue learning after school. Some ideas to do this are to de-formalize education through grading methodologies or allow students more control over what they learn. Linking personal drive to learn and understand to the future of our planet is no easy task, but can be progressively built towards in smaller educational steps.
Inherent in widening perspective is observing and understanding the interconnectedness within systems at multiple scales. The reading describes how a multidisciplinary approach of study can most effectively identify and pick apart how large systems work to determine how they can be changed or influenced. Viewing the same global issue through an historical, social, and scientific perspective and comparing outcomes acknowledges the interconnected nature of all major and minor events and trends. Solutions to environmental and societal issues are exposed more fully by cross-referencing different viewpoints. Humility is essential to understand interconnectedness. It is what we can’t see and don’t yet know that will very likely impact a system the most. Answers will most likely not be found in the most obvious places, which is why thinking differently and innovatively is a necessity. Placing value where there usually is none makes sense in light of an interconnected understanding of larger systems.
In light of the complex reality of understanding interconnected systems, values centered on honoring and exploring difference and engaging what is societally ‘devalued’ are essential. For example, answers to waste and recycling may lie in the depths of the city sewage treatment plant through innovative nutrient processing designs. No stone can be left unturned or idea immediately ignored. A humble, methodical approach to problems should be encouraged through example and case study illustrations.
The complexity of teaching sustainability mirrors the topic itself. The 147 tips proposed by Timpson et. Al., are helpful, but most clearly applied when the concepts behind them are understood. Teaching students the value of self-education and ‘how to learn’ instead of teaching content only is necessary to keep pace with the changing global trends tied up with sustainability.
November 20, 2016 at 10:25 am
Rafe Esquith’s experience teaching in an intercity school in Los Angeles, is probably much different than any teaching experience I will have. However, there are valuable lessons about teaching that he shares in his book, “Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire” that are applicable to any level of teaching, whether it be as a GTF, peer, or future professor.
One of the ideas presented in the book that really struck me is the idea of teaching for “mastery.” This is also a teaching concept promoted by Salman Kahn, creator of the Kahn Academy and author of “The One World School House.” The idea of mastery focuses on students mastering a skill before moving on. Typically, a C or 70% is a passing grade in a subject. That means a student can be missing 30% of the knowledge that will serve as the foundation as the student moves on to more difficult concepts. This knowledge gap will only become more detrimental as a student continues through his or her education. The idea of mastery is that a student should continue working on a specific concept until they have scored a 90% of better, demonstrating critical understanding of the material. Rafe Esquith uses this practice in teaching his students grammar. They are not allowed to be done with a specific lesson until they have proved to master it. While it may seem harsh, his students quickly learn that if they do not want to have extra homework, they need to master the concepts quickly. The critical piece of success for this style of teaching is that the instructor needs to be available and willing to help the students until they reach the level of mastery. The difficulty here is that this almost allows requires extra time but in by the instructor. Students will likely not understand something fully on the first try, or first several tries. The best educators are available for their students and will be available until each students succeeds.
This concept of truly wanting students to master a subject and succeed is something I will keep in mind as I possibly pursue teaching in my future. Too often students are set up for failure in the educational system at an early age because they are not held accountable to master subjects. By making sure a student has mastered the current material before moving on, they will be set up for success as they take on more challenging material. The extra time and effort that is demonstrated by instructors in these situations also shows the students that the instructor is willing and available to help, building a strong student-teacher relationship.
November 8, 2016 at 8:49 pm
‘Notes to Myself’ by Edward Allen is not only an inspiring text for the novice teachers, but also an extraordinary tool for professionals, which brings fresh enthusiasm and passion in the hearts and minds of readers. This brief illustration on the philosophy of teaching is simple but mesmerizing. It beholds one’s attention from the very beginning and ease them into the conduct and psychology of this profession.
This was my first introduction to the act of teaching, reflected by a great teacher through his own experiences and beliefs. His journey from the opening of the book till the end portrays his passion and admiration for the teaching profession that includes his love for the content to be taught and respect for his students. Each topic in this book acts as a stepping stone towards acquiring a fundamental skill set in becoming a responsible and admired teacher, who can reach the minds and hearts of all the back benchers in the class. He defines certain characteristics of a good teacher through his text, as one who holds the attention of the class from the very first minute and maintains it till the end. One who respects the dignity of each student and appreciate their strength and helps them in their weaknesses. One who can divide a long monotonous lecture hour into a series of interesting learning activities and discussions. His clarity and understanding of the general psychology and attitude of students helped him develop a simple methodology with unpredictable modules for teaching that comprises of practical experience, group discussions and activities, guest lectures, and many more. The most memorable topic for me in this book is Allen’s opinion over the relationship between the technical aspects of design (supported by science, math and digital technology), and design itself. As architects, our first and foremost job is to develop a good design idea and implement technical details to it, not the other way around. Allen’s quote, ‘You do not teach building science. You teach design,’ touched my soul. This phrase has transformed by view and approach towards design and all the technical aspects related towards its execution.
I had many teachers in my life but there were very few who made an everlasting impression. Not only did they made the subject intersecting and easy to learn in their own distinct ways, but they also taught some valuable lessons of life which I can now clearly relate to this book. Teaching can be the greatest gift that you can give to someone, as it alters one’s life significantly. Teaching and learning are meant to be loved and enjoyed by both students and teachers. Without these feeling this experience loses its foundational meaning.
February 20, 2016 at 11:15 am
Libby Norris
I found that my own attitudes and experiences with architectural education strongly resonated with the opinions and findings stated in “Reconciling Lectures and Studios,” written by Mark Gelenter. Time and time again, in my first two terms of grad school, I have found myself amazed by the fact that many obscure and difficult concepts from undergrad that are now being presented at a higher level make much more sense. After reading this excerpt, it is clear that this new level of understanding I am experiencing relates to the learning process of the human brain and to the educational methods I am experiencing at Oregon.
When I was first introduced to technical course material such as that taught in “Structures” in my undergraduate program, I found this to be a very illusive subject. The material was dense and hard to relate into our design courses. I remember memorizing equation after equation and the related steps to find an answer, however I had no context for applying this into real world situations. While the class did integrate elements of design through projects, many of these were conceptual projects and did not involve deep understanding of structural content. I did well in my first structures course, but I remember thinking that I would have no need for such information in the rest of my education, and for the most part I was right. There was a large disconnect between the technical and design courses.
Now, I am currently taking Structures II (Wood and Steel) and am finding it to be a much different experience. Having already had a background in the topics, I feel that I am developing a deeper understanding of such difficult technical content. I think the reason I am finding greater success in learning this material in this course versus in my undergraduate course is due to two reasons; the integrated technical-design focus of this course, and more importantly, I am further along in the process of learning explained in Gelenter’s article. Professors for Structures II provide focus on providing content and examples through lecture and homework, but the overall goal of the course is to be able to use the information that is provided in order to design one’s own structures. The projects are design-based and require students to apply material used from class to an original design. This is an important part of the learning process, as it allows the brain to start to make connections between different information “files” and fit them together appropriately.
More importantly, though, is the fact that I am no longer learning the material for the first time. I was first introduced to these topics two years ago. No matter how smart an individual is, when presented with brand new information, the human brain will not have enough context to make sense of the information. As more opportunities are presented for the brain to use this information and see it in practice, the brain will be able to understand how the information can be utilized correctly. While educational methods that integrate the design and technical material in order to jump-start this process of intellectual understanding, true understanding takes time to occur. When I received my initial knowledge about structures, what I learned was filed away somewhere in my brain. Even though I did not necessarily use these equations and methods explicitly after the course, my brain would pick up information that related to such material in other classes and professional practice. The more I was able to give context to such foreign materials, the better my brain was able to make sense of the material. Now, coming back to structures two years later, I find that I am further along on the learning scale and I am gaining a deeper understanding of the applications of such technical material.
To me, this inherent style of learning that Gelenter describes promotes an architectural education of “4 +2 year” program. Allowing a student to be exposed to information in undergrad and then dive further into the same subjects in a graduate program fits with the human brain’s learning style. I am finding success with this method and it is fascinating to know the inner workings of the brain in relation to this type of learning.
November 29, 2015 at 2:26 pm
Book: “147 Practical Tips for Teaching Sustainability” by Timpson, Dunbar, Kimmel, Bruyere, Newman and Mizia
This book offers 147 quick pieces of advice on teaching. These 147 tips cover 16 different topics ranging from “Historical Perspectives” to “Ethics, Values and The Sacred”. These short quips are great for stimulating ideas on how to teach sustainable topics. However while this book is good at stimulating ideas, I found that after finishing the book there was a desire to try to include all the aspects into my teaching approach. However trying to include 147 ideas is a little more complicated than anticipated. Therefore this books seems like a good inspiration source for teachers, however it seems difficult to follow as a specific roadmap.
One of the teaching tips that stood out the strongest to me in this book were “Make It Rich and Keep It Wild” (pg. 49) For me one of the wonders of technical subjects is how they can connect one subject to another in a way that gives an understanding of the world around us. By enriching the classroom environment with a web of meaningful connections which gives the students a background to the material it can create a rich environment that is also “wild”. I take this term “wild” to mean an organic unveiling of knowledge which allows students to discover connection between seemingly different types of material.
Another of the teaching tips that I found stood out was “Design A Better World Together” (pg. 75) I found this mini lesson plan to be inspirational. It’s not enough to teach our students how to think creatively about solutions to the problems we face today, it is also important for them to have an idea of what kind of future they see for our world. In my opinion this helps them to take responsibility and have a stake in where we are going as a society and as a profession.
In conclusion, this is a good book for finding inspiration whether you are a new teacher looking at where to start or a long time teacher looking to find new inspiration for your classes. What each teacher takes out of this book may be different, however that is a good thing, it allows for it to be a tool to many people and allow them to take from it what is individually significant to them.
March 13, 2015 at 10:48 am
Mark Gelenter’s “Reconciling Lectures and Studios” Journal of Architectural Education, Winter 1988, P 46-52
I chose to read this article because this is a fascinating issue to me. My SBSE application touched on it and so did my Architecture in Schools lesson plan. There is a disparity between the way students are taught and the way students actually learn. In a lot of other programs it may not be noticed because the way students are evaluated on a subject is in line with the way students are being taught, therefore it all seems congruent. However in architecture, we have the wicked problem of design. There is no exact correct answer and it makes it obvious that students are seeming to struggle with applying the knowledge (both philosophical and technical) from lectures to their design projects.
I find it fascinating that this article was written when I was 2 years old. 27 years later I am sitting in graduate school considering a career in teaching and what I would do to improve upon what has come before me. I am sure that Mark Gelenter had the same thought, as I am sure many others have. However, very little seems to have changed, and I wonder “why?” I have the sense if I discover the reason of why it has not changed I can go to the source and change it, make a difference. There is this contradictory part of me that feels that this is a fruitless endeavor.
This article made me think about the student who tells the teacher how he or she could be clearer, more organized, write the assignment better, etc… I know that within our own graduate program I have heard people complain that they do not support ECS topics in studios. Part of me wants to make architectural education more fluid, especially for those humble, passionate students. However, when I think of some of the struggles I went through in my decisions to pursue an advanced degree in architecture and to make the most out of sometimes unideal situations within the educational system, I am proud of myself. There is a sense of accomplishment and also a sense of knowing that you want this more than anything because it is so difficult and I am still here. I do not want to take away that sense of self accomplishment from future generations by making it too easy for them.
I do however want to make my future students better designers then my generation will be. We have a chance to shape the fabric of society and lives. I think that by pushing students to integrate technical and philosophical ideas into their studio projects we may make steps in the right direction. However we have to be prepared as educators to give them the tools to do so. Excel spreadsheets to help them with difficult calculations, example worksheets to walk them through how to evaluate a shading device, and we have to hold them to execution of these tasks just as we would a midterm or final pin-up. They may flounder at first, but the second and third time they are asked to do it, the task will become easier and easier.
The key is we have to ask the students to do it a second and third and fourth time. We may not be able to get to the one on one learning model that Gelernter proposes and that seems so ideal. Architecture students are resilient, resourceful people who are used to searching for unclear answers. A little bit of repeated support in technical subjects can go a long way.
February 25, 2015 at 4:25 pm
“Teach like your hair’s on fire”
When looking at the title of the book, I felt that the author was bluffing and I was not quite interested in reading this book. However, all the other books suggested are not available and this is the only book in the list that I can get from the library.
After getting the book from the library, I just jumped into the prologue. The prologue tells a story of the author’s teaching experience which explains where does the title of the book come from. The story can be viewed as a milestone in the author’s teaching journey. Through this story, the author found meaning and passion for his career as a teacher. After reading this prologue, my preoccupation about the book’s title was removed.
“For that one moment, the only thing that mattered to me was that this girl should have a successful experiment.” The author used the phrase “into the zone” to describe the moment when he focused on helping the girl doing the experiment. At that moment, the author showed his caring and full attention to teaching.
The author wrote that “If I could care so much about teaching that I didn’t even realize that my hair was burning, I was moving in the right direction”. I think this can be applied to every disciplines. To achieve excellence, one must devote full commitment to the thing he or she is doing. “Teach like your hair is on fire” demonstrated an attitude of doing things with commitment and caring. As a student, I would say “learn like your hair is on fire” and as an architectural designer, I would say “design like your hair is on fire”.
At part one, the author discussed the importance of building trust with students. I can’t agree more with the title “replace fear with trust”. Unfortunately, there are still many teachers using fear as a mean to teach in the primary school. I can understand that it is hard to control the class and build trust with students. To build trust, the teacher has to be dependable, reasonable and a role model. As the author said, there are no shortcuts to true excellence.
At part one, the author also talked about Lawrence Kohlberg’s Six Stages of Moral Development. It was interesting to see how the author used experiences from his class to explain the Six stages. The author deemed the sixth stage as the highest standard for moral education. The author used Morgan Freeman’s character of Red in The Shawshank Redemption explaining the sixth stage. I envied that students in the author’s class could watch this movie at such a young age.
Generally, I felt that the book was quite good. I will introduce this book to my friends who are teachers in the primary school.
January 20, 2015 at 8:16 pm
In “Teaching Large Classes” Dana Johnson, a geology professor at the University of Oregon, offers insight for preparing and presenting successful lectures to large classes. Teaching effectively to large classes is especially important at the university level. Johnson opens the article by summarizing her general approach and philosophy of teaching to large classes. She stresses the importance of showing compassion, even in a large auditorium style class. In her own classroom, she makes it a point to engage in small talk with students who sit near the front of the room before the class begins. Not only does this help develop relationships with a few students, it also shows all of the students that you are friendly and approachable. Johnson also makes it a point to invite students to visit her office anytime. She believes restricting contact to office hours makes teachers seem unapproachable and narrows the amount of communication between teachers and students. Furthermore, Johnson suggests the importance of saying hello to students you recognize around campus. It is important to recognize the same compassionate actions that make a small classroom successful are applicable in larger class settings. While you may not be able to make small talk or acknowledge every student, engaging with a few students each class period makes a tremendous difference on the overall environment of the course.
Johnson, Dana. “Teaching Large Classes.” 1 Jan. 1994. Web. 20 Jan. 2015.
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