Let's Talk Teaching

Learn about a new summer reading program for faculty, staff, and graduate students at Illinois State University. In this brief bonus episode, Claire and Jim discuss how this new initiative, in partnership with Milner Library, challenges participants to move a little out of their comfort zones to explore new aspects of teaching and student learning.

As we continue to explore How Learning Works, Dr. Julie-Ann McFann joins Jim to talk about learning, leaping, and... Wile E. Coyote. Learn how concept or mind maps can help students organize their experiences for deep, critical thinking.

Students’ prior knowledge-- what they bring to the classroom from their other learning experiences-- can be the proverbial double-edged sword. This week, Claire and Jim dive into the book How Learning Works and the first of the seven research-based principles it describes. Learn why “knowing” is not enough, and how we as teachers need to activate the knowledge students bring with them before we ca...

We’re back in 2018 to talk teaching, learning, and Fulbright awards with Dr. Erin Mikulec. She’s offering a new workshop series at CTLT that explores the many Fulbright teaching and research options available to faculty. In addition to previewing the workshops, Jim and Erin explore her experiences with the Study Abroad program her recent, award-winning scholarship in the field of teaching and lear...

What do our students need to acquire knowledge and make new meaning in our disciplines? What kind of literacies do they bring to the learning space that we must understand in order to guide them on their educational journey? In this episode, we discuss the theme of the 2018 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium, Expanding Notions of Literacy. Claire, Dana, and Jim sit down and explore just...

Claire has wrapped up teaching her eight week Learning in Communities course. We reflect on what she learned teaching freshmen for the first time in a decade, what worked, and what she'd change. We also explore her one bad day teaching the class, when a conversation went "off the rails."

Illinois State's 2017 Homecoming theme is "Building a Legacy." In this special bonus episode, Claire and Jim discuss what teaching legacies they are a part of, whose shoulders they stand on, and what advice they'd give to their younger teaching selves.

Take the pain out of evaluating the subjective elements of your students’ learning. In this episode, we explore the advantages of developing and using rubrics. What makes a rubric more than a checklist? And how can rubrics help us gut-check out teaching, to make sure we’re really focusing on what’s important to students? Dr. Julie-Ann McFann, CTLT’s Program Team leader, joins us to talk rubric con...

This week, we catch up with CTLT Director Dr. Claire Lamonica, who is back in the classroom for the first time in years. She's teaching a special half-semester course called Learning in Communities, so her "midterm" has already come and gone. We discuss how well her expectations matched with the reality of teaching freshman after 12 years, what she found unexpected about their behavior, and how sh...

There’s no way to truly learn about teaching, about the effectiveness of various practices, or about how behaviors and attitudes of students shift as they learn, without a foundation of scholarship. Dr. Jennifer Friberg joins Jim to discuss her role as the Cross Endowed Chair in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, a position unique to Illinois State. Jen and Jim make the connection between s...

You don’t need to be an English teacher to use collaborative writing to help your students learn. Claire (who happens to be an English teacher) and Jim (who happens to not be one) discuss how this style of group work translates across the disciplines. They explore how it can help students achieve deep and unique types of learning. Claire highlights different types of collaborative writing, their p...

We present our seventh in-depth look at the 7 Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education with a discussion about meeting the needs of diverse learners. Claire and Jim (and Jim's obnoxious summer cold) begin with the problem of categorizing students as "visual" or "auditory" learners-- tired old concepts with little utility. They explore alternatives, and look for ways to make at least...

We’re back for the new academic year with a conversation about course design. CTLT's Director, Dr. Claire Lamonica, is teaching a class of freshman for the first time in more than a decade. We discuss her expectations, her concerns, and how she’s building her unique course. We also explore the importance of “letting go” when we find ourselves using the need to cover course content as an excuse to...

Read the syllabus, get out early… right? Wrong! We challenge common assumptions (made by both faculty and students) about what should happen on the first day of class. Discover how to set expectations, establish the culture of your class, and lay the groundwork for an enthusiastic and productive semester. As the new academic year begins, we present a repeat our very first episode, with some timely...

By embracing a few best practices, you can make sure your online content is enhanced for use by all students. This week, we sit down with Jen Bethmann, Illinois State's new Web Accessibility Coordinator, to explore some simple techniques to format our online media with maximum accessibility. Find out what you should be doing to your web pages and online documents to make them readable by those usi...

Most teachers will tell you that group work, done well, is important to student success. But just how do you pull it off? We're back after a brief break to kick off our summer season talking about cooperative learning. Claire and Jim explore the differences between cooperation and collaboration in the classroom. Claire shares her experience designing group-related learning activities, and she give...

Spring has just about sprung its last. As we wrap up the end another semester, it's a great time to look forward to a summer of some meaningful "me" time. Claire and Jim discuss the benefits of summer professional development in general and some of the highlights of CTLT's Summer Institute in particular. Explore some of the philosophies behind course design, helping students write, and thriving de...

“Reflection” is one of those terms you read a lot about when it comes to teaching and learning. It’s also one of those concepts that sounds natural but can be surprisingly hard to apply in practice. Claire and Jim unearth examples of how it can be used, practically, in teaching, and how it can help students truly master course content. They discuss probing questions, exam wrappers, rubrics, and mo...

Culture, globalization, mentoring, and life-long learning: We talk this week with Dr. John Baldwin, a professor in the School of Communication and the 2016 Outstanding University Teaching Award winner for tenured faculty. John shares his insights on those topics and more, as he and Jim explore the link between students’ self-identities and learning. They also discuss the importance of modeling pos...

It's the episode we've put off doing for far, far too long! Claire and Jim explore the need to provide prompt feedback in our teaching... and why that's a challenge for many of us. These two confessed procrastinators highlight ways encourage students to provide meaningful feedback to their peers and themselves. Find out how study groups, rubrics, and self-evaluations all play a role in supporting...

Hit the road with Meg Gregory, who just completed her Ph. D. while teaching at several institutions, including Illinois State, this semester. Meg shares her perspectives on the diverse students she encounters while teaching across Illinois and reflects on how she's had to adapt her teaching to meet the needs of these different populations.

ReggieNet, Illinois State University's customized learning management system, received a significant upgrade over the spring break of 2017. CTLT's Charles Bristow, one of the instructional designers who helps faculty use ReggieNet, joins us to talk about new features.

It’s mid-semester, and some students may be having an “ah-ha” (or an “uh-oh”) moment in regards to their grades. There’s help for struggling students through the Julia N. Visor Center, part of Illinois State’s University College. We talk with Pamm Ambrose, an associate director with the College, who highlights their foundational approach to helping students achieve. We also talk about some common...

We sit down with Tracy Mainieri, Asst. Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Recreation and recent Teaching Initiative Award winner. Tracy discusses her experience creating a teaching portfolio and the process changed her take on teaching. We also explore ways to encourage students to reach for that "wow" factor in their projects and how summer camp taught her valuable lessons about teaching.

Communicating high expectations to students requires both clarity and empathy. It can sometimes be a difficult juggling act. We explore ways to incorporate one of the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education into your teaching. Discover some of the pitfalls and the great promise in rethinking how you challenge students to excel in their learning. Claire and Jim also discuss wa...