At the end of the semester, my students have the opportunity to make a presentation to the rest of the first year seminars, as a means of sharing what they have learned in the course. We call this event “Extravaganza”,… Read More »
Author Archives: mgettings
Big Lessons for First-Year Students
IF Blog Posting Nov 2010
After passing the midway point of my first year seminar this fall, I have had a chance to pause and reflect. Last fall I taught an IF course for the first time, and doing this… Read More »
My IF course v. 2.0
Well, I’m back to teaching an IF-course, and for some reason, the same one I taught last year, a first-year seminar. Last fall wasn’t a complete failure, but I did a lot of re-tooling midstream, given that things didn’t always… Read More »
A Sense of Relief
Now that it’s been well over a month since my last post, it’s hard to know how to sum up all the things that have happened. I’ll start at the conclusion: Thursday was the last day of my IF course. … Read More »
Posted in Education Tagged art, creativity, educational implications, pedagogy, student success, student-centered discussion Leave a comment
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Discussions, Round Two
Since my last post, several things have happened. My students finished their first round of discussions, so everyone has tried their hand at facilitating. It went reasonably well, although I’m changing some small things to make the next round better. … Read More »
Posted in Education Tagged art, Classroom Discussions, first year seminar, pedagogy, student success, student-centered discussion Leave a comment
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What Next?
After reading Maria’s recent post about what she will do next with her IF class now that they are not in their original groups, I realize that I feel I’m at a bit of a crossroads with my class as… Read More »
Posted in Education Tagged Classroom Discussions, educational implications, facilitation, pedagogy, student-centered discussion Leave a comment
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Syllabus Overhaul
This week is a short week in my IF class, Art: I Know It When I See It. We had only one class meeting, since it’s fall break, so I had to make the most of it. First, I’ve already… Read More »
Posted in Education Tagged art, Classroom Discussions, educational implications, facilitation, pedagogy Leave a comment
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Unexpected Hurdles
This week in my IF-supported course, I struggled with getting my small groups underway. Our class took a day-long trip to Washington, DC last weekend, and we toured the National Gallery of Art, and several other Smithsonian museums. It was… Read More »
Posted in Education Tagged art, challenges, Classroom Discussions, facilitation, student-centered discussion Leave a comment
Two Hurdles
After teaching a first year seminar using the IF method for a second time, I’m reflecting on the usefulness of student-centered discussion for this population of students. My classes have faced two hurdles which have been very difficult to clear:… Read More »
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