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Hello %$firstname$%! We’re so pleased to offer you an article from our lead associate coach, Professor Emerita of Sociology and long-time faculty developer, Susanne Morgan. If anyone is an expert on teaching, Susanne is it! Warmly, Gina |
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Teach Faster; Write More!
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Teaching Takes Time that You Could Use for Writing It is easy to spend time on teaching and teaching prep. But how much time should be spent on these activities? It’s easy to let teaching take up way too much of your time. Let’s look at it from the point of view of Stephen Covey’s Time Matrix, which you can find in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The elegant chart he created has been filled in below with examples from academic life. He makes a distinction between important work, which has no short-term deadline but really matters for you in the long run, and urgent work, which usually involves other people tapping their feet and waiting for you to produce something by a certain date. ![]()
Writing is extremely important – you MUST finish your dissertation to get your degree, you MUST publish enough in order to get tenure, you MUST write enough additional articles and books to get promotions or a better job. But (here is the important point,) writing is not nearly as urgent as teaching. Writing long projects typically falls in that “important but not urgent” corner, and in our daily activities it is often squeezed out by activities that are “important and urgent” and, sadly, ones that are “urgent but not important.” How to save time on grading What would you think if you knew that the leading book on grading, Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment in College …
Do you want to waste your time and your students time? Well, you ARE wasting their time if you give assignments that do not measure student progress toward these goals.
So the best teachers make grading as efficient and effective as they can. How to save time on class prep What would you think if you knew that the leading expert on faculty success ….
His research found that successful new teachers use “…simple, effective strategies.... to work efficiently….” They prepare for classes in brief, regular sessions. They spend only 2 hours preparing for each one hour in class, unlike their peers who spend 4 hours for each class hour. They report short, more frequent, planning sessions (e.g. break the 2 hours of prep into 2 one-hour sessions), so that ideas about the class float in their heads between sessions. To learn from successful faculty, remember that good content knowledge is not the same as good teaching. You probably already know the content very well. Why waste your time learning even more? Your primary goal is student learning, and you should plan each class period around a limited set of learning goals for the students. For each class, begin with the two or three main objectives of the class period, and then recall what assignments you’ve planned to measure learning in that area. Then think, “How can I help students to succeed on that assignment?” There is the core of your class plan. What combination of lecture, student interaction, and student feedback will help the students learn that material? Sure, you do not feel ready. But when you let go of telling the students everything you know about the topic, you notice when they are confused or inactive. When you focus on today’s main learning goals, you will end class with a direction for the next class. Start today to save time on teaching! You can use that precious time for your important, but not urgent, writing project! Resources: Web resources IDEA Center: theideacenter.org. The Knowledge Base includes very brief articles on many aspects of teaching. Especially relevant to this article are:
Boice, Robert. (2000). Advice for new faculty members: Nihil nimus. Needham Heights MA: Allyn and Bacon. **Warning: Shameless Plug Alert: |
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David Emblidge
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![]() David then transitioned to trade books for general readers, founding Berkshire House, a press that was eventually sold to WW Norton, one of America’s best publishers. Later, he ran David Emblidge -- Book Producer, a book-packaging firm, creating series for major publishing houses, and then served as Editor in Chief at The Mountaineers Books, in Seattle. Currently, David is a tenured Associate Professor in the Writing, Literature and Publishing Dept. at Emerson College, in Boston. He gives publishing courses in the MA in Publishing program. His publishing workshops have been presented at the Univ. of Virginia, Univ. of Massachusetts – Boston, and twice for the Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley (St. Lawrence Univ., Clarkson Univ., SUNY Potsdam). David offered a series of tele-classes about academic publishing via AcademicLadder.com. Various publishers – scholarly and trade – have published work by David Emblidge: Oxford University Press, Da Capo Press, Stackpole Books, Watson-Guptill, and others. He has published many articles in literary and scholarly journals, and in 2007 his essay “The Palmer Method: Penmanship and the Tenor of Our Time,” won the McGinnis Prize for best nonfiction in Southwest Review. He is now completing a book manuscript about American Bookstores and has launched another, Great Snafus in American Publishing. His personal web site is davidemblidge.com. David has space in a busy schedule for just a few manuscript development consultations. If you are interested in discussing how he can help you advance your book from concept to completion to contract and publication, you may contact him at: demblidge2@gmail.com |
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Whatever you want to teach, be brief. Horace The true aim of every one who aspires to be a teacher should be, not to impart his own opinions, but to kindle minds. F. W. Robertson We learn by teaching. James Howell Never try to teach a pig to sing....it wastes your time and annoys the pig. Anonymous
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Do a friend or a colleague a favor, while helping yourself. Know someone who could benefit from the Writing Club? This is your chance to give them the opportunity to try the Club and get $10 off, while getting a $10 refund of your own. This applies to both current members and those who have never been a member -- so find a buddy and sign up together. |
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![]() Overwhelmed with the responsibilities of being a junior professor, or worried about getting tenured? Write us about individual coaching or our writing/time management groups . Stay tuned to this newsletter, which will give you hints, reminders and practical suggestions for staying on track and creating the career you deserve. And check out the writing/time management groups on our website The University List is Growing!Wondering who signs up for the Academic Writing Club? You may be surprised at the length and scope of the list of universities represented by our members. Check it out here: http://academicwritingclub.com/universitylistIs your university on this list yet? If it's not, and you've been a member of the Academic Writing Club, let me know and I'll add it. If you haven't been a member, join us for the next session! Are you on an academic listserv?If you feel that this article was helpful to you, why not let your listserv know? Just pass along the link to signup for this newsletter:http://www.academicladder.com/ezines I really appreciate your support - we grow and will be able to bring you more of these offerings by your passing on the news about Academic Ladder. ResourcesTake an online assessmentWould you like to assess your progress on your dissertation or on the climb to tenure? Check out the assessments on the website . What is the Academic Writing Club? Find out here What is Tenure Coaching? Find out here What is Dissertation Coaching? Find out here Like our Newsletter?Forward it to a colleague or friend in need. Maybe one of our hints, essays and reminders will help them out of a slump, give them a boost, jolt them into action or make their day. They can sign up at the websiteAcademicLadder.com is read by people from all over the world, including Denmark, Romania, Great Britain, Australia, Japan, Spain, Germany, Italy, South Africa, India, Singapore, Luxembourg, Israel, China, New Zealand, Canada, and Indonesia. Your Subscription DetailsTo change your email address OR remove yourself instantly and automatically from this newsletter subscription, use the links at the bottom of this page. This ezine was sent to <$name$> at <$email$> by request.The Academic Ladder is published by Gina J. Hiatt, Ph.D. Email: info@academicladder.com © 2012 Gina J. Hiatt, Ph.D. All rights reserved |