TCDC is pleased to offer an Innovative Educators series of webinars on active learning. These webinars will take an active learning approach, so participants can expect to watch and listen and also to share ideas with the presenter and each other. Case studies will be presented, but participants are encouraged to think about and work on a course that is relevant to them during the webinar. A discussion period will follow the webinar for faculty to share thoughts, questions, and effective practices. Faculty are not required to register for all webinars. Each webinar in this series is a stand-alone presentation. Can’t make it to the group webinar session? Please contact tcdc@langara.ca for details on how to access remotely.
- Backwards Design (Tuesday February 19, from 10:00 am -11:45 am)
In the Active Learning paradigm, the primary roles of the teacher are to carefully articulate learning outcomes, design opportunities for students to practice the skills necessary to become proficient in (or master) those outcomes, and to offer meaningful feedback to students as they learn. Active learning, then, depends on every aspect of a course working together in an intentional way. Backwards design uses carefully articulated course learning outcomes as the basis to create a course that includes the necessary opportunities for practice, assessment, and feedback that will foster real learning and student success. Register here. - A Formative and Summative Assessment and Approach (Tuesday February 26th, from 10:00 am – 11:45 am)
Participants in this webinar will consider several approaches to formative and summative assessments with a focus on formats that fit within an active learning approach to teaching and learning. The webinar will present about 10 active learning formative assessment frameworks that can be modified and used as in-class and/or out-of-class work. These assignment types can be modified for use in courses across the disciplines from humanities and social sciences to STEM. Register Here - How to Improve Critical Thinking, Motivation and Engagement (Thursday February 28, from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm)
Research clearly shows that pedagogical strategies encouraging students to reflect, analyze, process and discuss course concepts lead to increased motivation, learning, critical thinking and engagement. This webinar offers practical, easy-to-implement strategies including assessment techniques and assignments that promote individual engagement with course material, questioning techniques that enliven classroom discussions, feedback strategies that encourage active listening, instructional strategies to motivate critical thinking, group and pair activities that prompt interaction, and cooperative learning approaches to promote problem-solving. Register here. - Strengths-Based Education to Increase Student Engagement (Tuesday March 26, 10:00 am- 11:30 am)
Decades of research show that going down the path of weakness fixing is the path of more resistance. Have you ever been told to “just keep trying” to do something that you are clearly not good at? Writing? Math? Public speaking? Being emotionally aware of people? A strengths-based education approach turns this idea on its head: you will get more return on your investment as an educator and/or student if you focus on what you have a natural talent for and what energizes and motivates you. Register here.
