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The power of nonverbals
Entertainers are known to be able to “read the room.” The same can be said for public speaking. Yet, do we think the same about educators? I believe that having my undergraduate degrees in education and journalism (from the Diederich College of Communication) afforded me the perfect mix of reading and adjusting to the room.…
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Contract grading and the role of professionalism
When you ask educators what one of the worst parts of their jobs is, they will usually respond with “grading.” While it doesn’t have to be the worst part of our jobs, it certainly can be. And for those of us in professions-focused departments, schools, and colleges, grading doesn’t seem to reflect the professional expectations…
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Building from the bare bones: Skeleton notes and lesson structure
Scaffolding learning for students is one of the best ways to get students from where they start to the place we want them to be at the end of a lesson, unit, or class. A way to do this is to use skeleton notes, also known as guided notes, to give students a structure for…
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“Explain Your Choice”: Metacognition as a form of reflection with student work
I’ve spent all my teaching career working with students on production skills–writing, design, audio, video, photo, social media, and others. And throughout the last decade+, I’ve wrestled with how best to (1) have students reflect thoughtfully on their production work, (2) integrate more metacognitive practices into my classroom, and (3) find more opportunities for students…
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Integrating classroom interactivity with Pear Deck
Finding the right classroom tech is difficult, especially when so many schools provide different types of access or have varying resources–and many have none. This post reflects on accessible educational technology (with premium trial and option) and easy to integrate into your classrooms using either Microsoft or Google. For transparency, I use the Google-based platform,…
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Who Do You Want to Be? Setting up your classroom for culture-focused learning
Changing first-day questions can help elevate classroom culture for the remainder of the term. We all know that the first week of classes is commonly and comically referred to as “syllabus week.” It stems from the likely time spent reading the syllabus as a class, or what is more likely: to the class. There is…
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Utilize classroom creeds for student agency and respect
One of the most critical shifts in education can and should be giving students the power to empower one another. Developing a class creed can be done at the beginning of any term, and you won’t regret it. All too often, our syllabi represent one voice–our own. If you stretch that slightly, it also represents…
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Learning more about students with four corners
Sometimes I want students to share more of themselves with the class, but I also acknowledge that doing this may be difficult if we focus on individual call-and-response. This activity gives you the opportunity and flexibility to get to know your students in a way that will help them feel seen yet still part of…
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Constructing strong and sustainable objectives
One of the building blocks of curriculum design is the objective or the outcomes and goals instructors want to achieve by the conclusion of a course or an individual lesson. Objectives can also be tied to department-, school-, college-, or university-wide goals and outcomes. This post will first provide a brief primer to Bloom’s Taxonomy,…
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Implementing gratitude and practicing grace
I am certainly someone who has no problem reaching into a bag of elementary teacher tricks to build engagement in class. In fact, I love to find a time or two in the term when I can get students to roll up their sleeves and have a little hands-on fun with the content. One of…
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Patrick R. Johnson, Ph.D., MJE 