Creative Teaching

I Love Empowering Students Through Creative Assignments!

Teaching Philosophy / Creative Teaching / Faculty Development / Classes I Teach / About Me
Presentations / Student Success Projects / OER Textbooks / Hobbies / Professional Growth / Mentoring

I am always seeking new and impactful ways to help students learn. I seek out interactive experiences and real world applications.

Learning about Public Speaking at the Farmer's Market

Public Speaking Honors students took a field trip to the Fayetteville Farmer's Market to listen to speakers share on political and social topics at the Farmer's Market. The spent a couple of hours listening to speeches and then wrote reflective pieces about their experiences.

Presenting Speeches
at Ramay Junior High

Public Speaking Honors students spoke at Ramay Junior High. Students worked in teams to researched the topic, what you need to know now to help you become success in college, then made presentations and led discussions at the local junior high school.

Taking on the
Marshmallow Challenge

Communication in a Diverse World students participate in the marshmallow challenge. Based on the Global Challenge by Tom Wujec. I have done this activity with classes of 20 and classes of 150.

In my portfolio class, I have students write a six word story.

Since, I always do my own assignments to test them out, I worked along. Here is my six words story.

I Don't Even See the Box.

I am a very creative person who tends to "think outside the box." I am able to do so many creative learning projects for my students because I don't feel boxed in my traditional approaches to teaching. I feel comfortable writing solid learning objectives for my classes and then creating meaningful ways for my students to learn. I don't "think outside the box" because I don't even see the box.

Networking Event as a Final "Exam"

I believe one of the most important things that I can teach my student is to be confident communicators. In every class that I teach I incorporate an element of networking. In the Navigating Your Personal and Professional Growth Course, their final exam consists of them going into a room with university professionals and engaging in meaningful small talk for 45 minutes.

Educating Fayetteville High School Seniors About College

Public Speaking Honors students spoke to groups of 100 students on the topic of transitioning to college. The "real world experience caused students to research harder and practice more becaue they realized that their words had influence. Because of this, students have something to report on their resume and they have confidence moving forward.

Presenting Toast Speeches
on Location

Advanced Public Speaking students meet at a restaurant and deliver their toast speech (with sparking grape juice). The noisy atmosphere and the realistic environment enhances the learning and the enjoyment. It made it a capstone activity to remember.

Sharing Family Food

On the last day of class in Nonverbal Communication, each student has to make food that is important to their family. They bring enough for everyone to share and we break bread together. As we eat, we share family stories about food. It is a powerful way to anchor how important and symbolic food can be.

Celebrating Accomplishments

Advanced Public Speaking students voted on best speaker, most improved speaker, and most memorable speaker. On the last day of class, we celebrated those achievements.

Empowering Students to Use their Voices for Others

Public Speaking Honors student researched bullying and then created an educational seminar for students at McNair Middle School. Each speech team, spoke to over 100 students.

Creating Community

I work hard to help students make friends in class. We take group photos after the awards speech and after the final toast speech. Creating community is always one of my goals.

High Impact Practices

According to the American Association of Colleges and Universities, "Students involved in high-impact practices (HIPs) enjoy higher levels of learning success." I intentionally incorporate high-impact practices in my courses and speak on the topic to encourage others to do the same. Our campus has HIP events and HIP mini-conferences and I regularly contribute to the work that I am doing. I am a member of the HIP Collaborative on our campus and I participated in the year-long ePortfolio Institute.

The video below was one that I created for a virtual (during the pandemic) High Impact Practices Conference on our campus. It tells of the creative way that I connected my students to the community.

Connecting Learning to Real Life

Public Speaking Honors students went to Dave Adams Jewelry to watch how an alloy is made. This prepared them for how demonstrations speeches work in the "real world."

Read more about it in this University News article.

Studying in Ireland

When the university study abroad office asked me to help create a course that would help study abroad be accessible for all students, I was excited to create a course Intercultural Communication in Ireland.

Watch a Slideshare about our program.

Teaching Mature Adults to Tell Their Stories

I volunteered to teach a class on "Telling Your Story" to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Arkansas.

Designing Creative Music Videos

I teach a unit on interpersonal relationships. We look at a model of how relationships dissolve. I created this playlist of breakupsongs and students have to work in groups to decide how each corresponds to part of the theoretical model.

Providing Custom Tutorials

Students can get intimidated by the technology when building an ePortfolio. Other tutorials that I have found are very technical and can feel frightening to those with little tech experiences, Because of this, I made short tutorials.
At the end of each of my shorts, I say, "It's that easy!"

Involving Students with Community Organizations

I engage my students to volunteer to help the scouts earn their communication badge. Students help them on computer projects and coach them on their speeches. My students learn to help others and the scouts learn about communication.
Its a win-win

Providing Mentorship Opportutnies

For several years, I taught Boy Scout University at the University of Arkansas. Scouts came from all over the state and worked all day to complete their communication badge. In addition to giving numerous speeches, they had to conduct an interview. I asked my student athletes, cheerleaders, and other high profile students to come to class and be interviewed.

I also engage my students to volunteer to help the scouts on the computer and to coach them on their speeches. My students learn to help others and the scouts learn about communication.
Its a win-win

Cheering on My Students

I go to events to support my students.

I attend their plays, watch their sports, go to international events, listen to their band play downtown. I am their biggest cheerleader. In this photo, I am attending the African Student Association Banquet.

Unmasked!

I took group photos of my students the day we finally got to take off our masks!

I sent them the photo to share with their families. I take photos in my classes to create a sense of belonging!

ePortfolios

I am part of an initiative to promote ePortfolios at the University of Arkansas. One part of that is to lead a team at the national ePortfolio institute put on by the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

news.uark.edu/articles/62937/u-of-a-team-accepted-into-institute-on-eportfolios

2023 Institute on ePortfolios | AAC&U (aacu.org)

Video For Students

"Don't grow comfortable in shallow water." This quote was given to me by a student in a speech. Making videos certainly make me uncomfortable but I wanted my students to see that I took a quote and that I turned it into a mosaic. You can see the wave panel behind me. I wanted my Public Speaking Honors students to know that their words could make a difference in someone's life. The key to public speaking is not in perfect performance, the key is to unlock your own story and realize that it has the potential to change change the lives of other. Don't grow comfortable in shallow water.

I Messed Up --- Big Time
But in the end, I got it right

This photo of my Communication in a Diverse World Honors class is taken as a memento of one of my most embarrassing moments. I was at home when I got the text, "We are here waiting to take our final, where are you?" Fear and panic pulsed through my veins when I realized I entered the final exam on the wrong day of my calendar. In twenty years of teaching, I had never been late for an exam, let alone missed one. I texted them that I would be there in 15 minutes and I told my husband "Quick, take me to campus I'm late for a test."

I thought my heart would beat out of my chest as we rushed to campus. I imagined angry students, I imagined being fired, and I imagined my career ruined. I texted my students that I was on my way and than we all were going to have a good story to tell. I encouraged them to use the time for a little extra study. I held my breath before going into the building fearing their wrath when I walked into the room late. When I got there, I heard laughing. They had taken it upon themselves to play hang man using terms from the upcoming test.

I came in the classroom and apologized and then I decided to make it a teaching moment. I told them that no one is perfect, especially me. I told them that it is not that we make mistakes, but how we recover from them that matters the most.

In that class, we had been talking about resilience and grit, and that I was showing them the way to overcome the embarrassment of failure and to learn from mistakes. I asked them if we could all take a photo together so they would have a photo to share from their Freshman year of when the teacher was late to a test and I would have a photo to share of the time I learned to forgive myself.

Funny thing is that more of those students have emailed me and stopped by to say, "hi" than any other class. I think it is because my imperfection made me approachable and my vulnerability to admitting that I made a mistake gave them permission to be imperfect too.

I messed up big time, but in the end, I got it right.

Note From a Student in That "Messed Up" Class

You were the first class I took in college- so a lot of my expectations were to be set by your course. Although I presented myself with a cheesy smile and was covered in Razorback gear, I was totally nervous. We all were, naturally. College is scary when you're hours away from any friends or family. I was recently reminded of a phrase you told us during the first week: "Live in the now, be where you're at."

I believe that college has allowed me to find myself, and a lot of that is indebted to you. During your first week of actual lectures, you asked the class how you were aware that you had gained your attention mid-lecture. The entire class was silent. I looked at you and put two fingers on my chin and rotated my head to signify my answer as "the audience will tilt their head in interest." I did this very subtly, afraid that my answer would be wrong. You then turned to my side of the classroom and copied the exact motion that I had just done, followed by a roar of realization from the class. Oddly enough, that was the moment your quote clicked. I am at a prestigious school surrounded by professors, such as yourself, who actively want to see me succeed. I have nothing to be afraid of- as my not speaking out was the only "wrong answer" I could get. Even if I was nowhere near the right solution, there was nothing to be ashamed of as I was on pace with it. I needed to be where I am at, and take advantage of the resources in front of me.

When in mid-November Mullins library hosted an "Americans and the Holocaust" panel discussion, I thought of your quote and how it applied to me right then and there. I had been offered to play video games and get Whataburger with my friends, but that wouldn't be living in the now. Living in the NOW would be to go to a powerful, heart-touching experience that I may only have the opportunity to see once in my life. I attended the event and was moved by the testimonies of victims and researchers- something I will remember forever.

I have countless other stories of friends I've made, places I've been, and lessons I've learned by living in the now. I am taking advantage of enrichment opportunities I would've never thought possible- all of which tie back to my 8:35am communication class. I don't believe "thank you" is enough, but I hoped it would land in your heart somewhere.