Answering the Call: New Motivation for Excellence in Teaching

Keynote Flower Darby
flowerdarby.com

If you've been feeling overwhelmed or stressed recently, you need to listen to Flower Darby's motivational presentation! Flower reminds us that YOU are what make a college education valuable- your guidance, your feedback, your expertise, and your connections.

"Students just want to know their instructor is present and engaged," says Scott Robinson from Portland State University. Here are two ways Flower suggests you engage with your students:

1) Make more of an effort to show your students who you are outside of the classroom. You can start with an introductory video or slide including photos of your family, hobbies, and pets, for example, to show your students you are a REAL person with REAL interests (just like them!)
2) Show your students you care about them and they will become more engaged in the material. As the title of a 2019 article stated, "I don't care what you know until I know you care." Try creating a slide with multiple pictures and asking students to identify with one of the images to describe their weekend or how they're feeling about the upcoming exam, for instance. Not only does this activity show your students you care about their mental health, it also encourages them to check in with themselves.

Flower was invited to keynote the kick-off event for our third Teaching & Learning Academy (TLA) cohort. She has over 24 years of experience as an instructor, teaching topics ranging from Pilates to Technology. She is the author, with James M. Lang, of "Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes," and she's also a columnist for the Chronicle of Higher Education. Getting access to hear and interact with expert speakers like Flower Darby is a key reason why our TLA alumni report thoroughly enjoying the program.

Watch the recording for more teaching tips, recommended reading, and personal stories from Flower's own experiences as a teacher!

Видео Answering the Call: New Motivation for Excellence in Teaching канала ACC Teaching & Learning Excellence