Every semester the Committee on Teaching sponsors several discussions of issues related to teaching at Oberlin. These are casual discussions occurring at noon, and everyone is invited to bring a brown bag lunch to eat while talking. The Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences provides beverages.Brown Bag Pedagogy discussions give Oberlin faculty an opportunity to share ideas about teaching across disciplines, generations, philosophies, etc. Often the discussions provide an opportunity to swap practical suggestions, as well as to examine the pedagogical values held by the institution at large.
Usually someone takes notes, so that faculty unable to attend the meeting can later read about what was said at the meeting.
BBP Discussions 2006-2007
October 26, 2006: Leading Discussions. What makes for productive discussion sections? Jen Bryan will start the discussion.
What DOES that "B" mean? Thoughts on Grading, Learning and Communications
A recent article by Alfie Kohn appearing in the Chronicle of Higher Education (which is linked below), in raising (and dismissing) the notion of grade "inflation," suggests a number of important themes about grading that are useful to think about as this "Season of Grading" draws near. What, for example, is the relation between "grade orientation" and "learning orientation" in our classrooms? Kohn further asks: "What unexamined assumptions keep traditional grading in place? How can professors minimize the salience of grades in their classrooms, so long as grades must still be given? And: If the artificial inducement of grades disappeared, what sort of teaching strategies might elicit authentic interest in a course?" To these questions, which suggest a very defined view of grading, we would add another set of questions: How (and what) do we communicate through grades? Does the "B" I give have the same meaning across the disciplines? Does my student know what a "B" means? Am I using grades to motivate, and, if so, what message do the grades that I give send? What is the relationship between the communicative purposes of interim grades vs. the message sent by the final course grade? Alfie Kohn's article Graph charting grades and SAT scores at OberlinNovember 1, 2002: Using Film, Video, DVD, and Other Visual Media in Class
Our discussion will explore the use of visual media (film, DVD, video,clips, documentaries, etc.) in the classroom. Many of us use different kinds (and amounts) of filmic materials integrated into our lectures or discussions. What is similar and what different about using films as texts in various teaching contexts? For those of us untrained in cinema studies, what are the issues to be aware of when presenting films or documentaries in class? And how do you find time for a feature length film in your 50-minute class?
October 10, 2002: Advising Dilemmas: What to Suggest? "L___ is earnest, works hard, but can't seem to get satisfactory (by her standards) grades. She is clearly getting discouraged and losing motivation. She asks you for suggestions as to how to do better; what kind of advice is appropriate?" What would you say? Please join the Committee on Teaching at its next Brown Bag Pedagogy session when we will discuss advising dilemmas. What questions do you have about advising and what have been your experiences that you can share with others? What do we suggest to students who don't show for meetings? Who can't wake up in the morning? Who are reluctant to take natural sciences or math? Who seem to need help in areas that are beyond our competence? September 27, 2002: Getting Started The school year has started, students are wondering what's going to be on the midterm, when they are supposed sign the honor code, and whether they are really supposed to read everything assigned. Faculty are trying to figure out how they can read all those papers, what IS happening with copyrights, and how we can do our research and writing at the same time. Have any questions about all of this? Whether you're just starting to teach at Oberlin or have been here 25 years, please come to the first "Brown Bag Pedagogy" meeting of the year sponsored by the Committee on Teaching (COT). Our lunch sessions give faculty a chance talk to other faculty about what works, and what doesn't, in the classroom. Our first session this year will introduce COT to new and junior faculty, and help more seasoned teachers get situated at the start of the school year.
Grading Practices and How to Assess Student Work (Sept. 20, 2001)Mid-Semester Assessment (October 11, 2001)
Mid-semester Evaluations (See Section I.B.)Marc Blecher: Mid-Semester Evaluations
Team Teaching (March 13, 2002)
Resources on Team TeachingGrading as a Teaching Strategy (April 11, 2002)
Resources on Grading Practices
Collaborative Learning (September 28, 2000)Brian Alegant's Collaborative Exercises in Upper-Level Music Theory CourseEve Sandberg's Venues for Collaborative Learning in the Classroom
Mark Braford's Neuroanatomy Problems and Instructions for Self-Study of Cranial Nerves in Teams
Mid-Course Assessments (October 11, 2000)
Juggling: Balancing Teaching and Scholarship/Artistic Production (Nov. 19, 2000)
Creating First Year Courses (Nov. 29, 2000)
Academically Based Community Service (Thursday, February 8, 2001)
Useful links on Service LearningCarol Lasser's links (courses that have service learning components and other materials on service learning):
"Oberlin History as American History [Hist-268, Fall 2000]"
High School Partnership Guidelines
"A Nation of Joiners: Voluntarism and Social Movements in America [Hist-269, Fall 1999]"
Guidlines for Mutual Responsibility in Service-Learning Placements
Effective Lecturing -- Notes from the Classroom (Wednesday, February 28, 2001)
Bill Hood, "Some Thoughts on Giving a Classroom Lecture"Useful links on Effective Lecturing
Discussion Sections: What Works for You? (Thursday, March 15, 2001)
Useful links on Effective Discussion SectionsJan Thornton, Learning Group Discussions (This is a handout that Jan uses in some of her courses. This handout was modified and extracted, much of it verbatim, from ones written by Dr. Craig Nelson and by Dr. Judith Hansen of Indiana University. Both of those versions rely heavily on ideas from William Faucett Hill, 1969, Learning Through Discussion, Sage Publications.
Evaluating Discussion Sections (Handout used by Jan Thornton as one way to assess discussion sections)
Collaborative Learning Discussion (Thursday, February 18, 1999)Student Academic Workloads Thursday, Oct. 7, 1999
Teaching First Year Students--Turning Novice Learners into Experts (Thursday, November 11, 1999)
What's Special About First Year Seminars? (Thursday, Feb. 17, 2000)
First-Year Course Design (Thursday, March 16, 2000)
