I have experimented with a variety of innovative teaching methods in terms of both the methodological and technological aspects of innovation. While it is difficult to entirely separate the two, I will first discuss some more technology-oriented measures. I made reference to one group activity in the earlier narrative: students engaging in hypothetical urban planning, reinforced by the progressive revelation of GIS (geographic information systems) layers (roads, zoning, etc.). This activity helped students to connect the real world with their on-paper plans. Another specific way that I have used technology to bring concepts to life in class was in the context of a lecture about the history of urban renewal in U.S. cities. This was a time of great disruption and extensive change. Telling the students that is one thing - they understand the abstract concept of those things. I decided that in addition to telling them, I would also use technology (GIS) to show them what it actually looked like in our city. I collected historic aerial photographs of Tampa from several sources dating back to the 1930s. I then georeferenced the photographs, making them spatially relevant over a specific area. I then composed a collection of slides that depicted neighborhood changes through time - 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and so on. When I presented this material, the class let out an audible gasp at the scale of bulldozing that took place in the 50s and 60s to make way for I-275 and I-4. The preparation and GIS work necessitated a significant time investment, but the payoff made it all worthwhile. These slides are viewable below, under the “Tampa from Above” link.
In terms of methodological innovation, I have gleaned a wealth of ideas and best practices from my prior professional development activities, much of which is already incorporated into my course design. These principles are outlined in my philosophy and narrative, and I will provide a specific example here as well. In my year of experience as an instructor (and several years as a grading TA), I have found that undergraduates often struggle with writing assignments, especially assignments that require research. Oftentimes content mastery is less of an issue than students’ ability to effectively communicate their knowledge. With that in mind, I recently designed a flexible and adaptive writing assignment for my Political Geography course. First, students complete three online ‘discussion’ assignments; (1) a topic proposal; (2) an annotated bibliography; and (3) the introductory section of their paper. At each stage, students receive feedback from their classmates and from me, with helpful suggestions about ways to narrow their subject, tips for finding sources, interesting things to think about while researching, and so on. Ultimately, this amounts to a collaborative exercise in knowledge creation that demystifies the research process. The design also gives an introduction to the common experience of modern tech-driven, project-oriented teamwork. The feedback on this design has been very positive, leading me to think of it as the “group-work without the groan” design. Some materials associated with this assignment design can be viewed below under the “Collaborative Writing Assignment - “ links.