DYNAMIC TEACHING

I have always understood that being an instructor is as much about teaching and it is about learning. Often, I found myself thinking about something I read somewhere: "when you stop learning, you should stop teaching." So, every semester I would tweak my materials or change them completely. Sometimes, I would change the textbook or the number of summative assessments. Other times, I would assessments from in-class to take-home or allow students to use their notes or work in groups while taking quizzes.

Before making many of those changes, I wish I would have been more thoughtful and intentional. Changing our materials or the way we teach often requires a daunting amount of work or time. Sometimes, I tried something new and hoped it would work by improving my students' learning experience and outcomes. Those changes were often made without student feedback.

One of our first activities in this class was to use FlipGrid to record a video for our ice-breaker. This immediately put me out of my comfort zone but I am so glad I learned about this tool. It sparked many ideas about using it in my online classes to increase student engagement and instructor presence. This class gave me an opportunity to reflect on my teaching practices.

I realize that I can be a dynamic instructor without having to change all my teaching materials. In my face-to-face classes, the dynamic interactions happen more naturally but my online classes feel static because I make everything available before the course start date so I feel it wouldn't be right to change anything during the term. As I understand it now, there are many strategies I can use to make my course dynamic without having to revamp everything. This is a comforting thought.

I credit this class with reinforcing my belief that just having the legally required regular and effective contact is not enough. I need to develop social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence in my online classes. Also, as a humanized, dynamic, and equity-minded instructor, I need to bring my students' feedback and needs into my course design and pedagogical practices.

My next teaching online teaching opportunity will take place this fall during the COVID-19 pandemic. If there was ever a critical time to be a dynamic online instructor, it's now.

Two practices that were challenging to me as a math instructor were rubrics and student-generated content. The fact that they were challenging to me is indicative that these are two aspects I can work and improve on. This fall, I plan to have more required discussion as a way to build a stronger online community. I will also weigh participation more heavily than in past terms. I learned that rubrics are a way to set students up for success because they have a clearer understanding of what's expected of them. As such, I plan to include rubrics in discussion assignments. This should also make my grading more efficient.

In terms of creativity during COVID-19, I look toward student-generated content as something that I want to add to my practices. My plan is to provide my students with alternative opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge, beyond the traditional summative math tests. Academic honesty is one of my concerns as a plan all of my tests to be take-home during the fall. SGC is an option that can support my students in demonstrating their knowledge in a different manner and also gives me an opportunity to asses the depth of their understanding.

I am also excited to put revamp my announcement and student communication. Students benefit from and appreciate authentic and dynamic communication. In addition to pre-made announcements, I plan to send instructor and resource videos, nudges, and recap messages to summarize or clarify diverse aspects of the class if and when they occur. I want students to know that I am paying attention and I see them.