Building a safe space for classroom discussion can bring big payoffs. How can we ensure that every student is enfranchised in a learning community based in active engagement, confidence, and an authentic sense of belonging?
I attempted to address the lack of interpersonal connection in my online classes by incorporating Skype meetings with students. As I came to know the students better, I found myself thinking differently about them.
We have been teaching a BLA learning community focused on the embodied nature of learning a new language and public speaking. The BMCC community is invited to join our learning community for a Dance Day event on November 7!
Online learning can be a great, interactive experience if the discussions are interesting! We've identified five categories of discussion prompts that can help faculty create online discussions that students want to participate in.
CETLS recently hosted a session at which faculty shared their experiences with COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning), an opportunity for classes at BMCC to connect with other classes around the world.
For two years before joining the faculty at BMCC, I taught college courses in six medium- and maximum-security prisons through the New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons (NJ-STEP) consortium of Rutgers University-Newark. I hope that some of the lessons I learned may help those teaching at BMCC.
Integrating visual arts, music, dance and theater into my early childhood teacher education curriculum at BMCC has provided my students with opportunities to discover and create, to deeply notice and question, to expand imagination and construct meaning through authentic and collaborative learning experiences.
I believe we all have a growth mindset in at least one area of our lives, and we just need to be reminded of that mindset so we can apply it to other areas. From the first day, I make many small changes in my classroom to help promote growth mindset and help my students see themselves as capable.
Zines — self-published, small circulation booklets or magazines — engage students in creative activism, teach about history, enable learners to produce their own resources, and build community in the classroom.
