In Langara’s Advanced Teaching Seminar, Langara instructors write a fictional story in the first person, highlighting, “some kind of ‘problem’, or challenge, or dilemma, or puzzlement” they have experienced in their teaching practice. The “story will, at some level, be a partial description of the landscape of good teaching (even if the teaching in the story itself isn’t – on the face of it – seen as ‘good’). A story is a snapshot of what good-and-improving teachers sometimes experience in their practice.” Woven informally into each story are the concepts and phrases pulled from various assigned course readings (see references).

For more information about the Advanced Teaching Seminar or to inquire about registering, e-mail Carolyn Wing, Educational Development Coordinator at TCDC (tcdc@langara.ca).

      B means Bold

BCAP (Business Computer Applications) is a course that teaches students the functions of Microsoft Office software. The course outline (BCAP course outline 2005) required the students to purchase a $130 Microsoft Office textbook and explore the chapters on Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint tools; the textbook was a good reference though the publication was outdated. Technology plays an important part of education and business; however, current and accurate references online seemed like a better investment than purchasing a $130 textbook.          

While reviewing the course outcomes, evaluation tools and rubrics, I was reminded I want to leave the students with tools and techniques they can apply in the working world, and I want to teach with this in mind.

Having taught the BCAP course once with the textbook, I knew I wanted to explore another way to show how these software tools could be used in the context of business. I knew the students understood that B means Bold and they were ready for answers to why, where and how they could explore uses for Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint software tools.

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Registration Open Now for the next session of Langara’s Advanced Teaching Seminar!

If you are an experienced Langara instructor interested in exploring the practice of teaching and in reflecting deeply on your own pedagogy, then Langara’s Advanced Teaching Seminar will be of interest to you.

The Advanced Teaching Seminar (ATS) was piloted through 2015-17 as an initiative of the Learning and Teaching APAG. It will be hosted this year by TCDC and is now seeking interested faculty.

What are the benefits? What will you gain by joining the ATS? Here is one participant’s personal reflection:

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Langarans Reflect on Pedagogy

In Langara’s Advanced Teaching Seminar, Langara instructors write a fictional story in the first person, highlighting, “some kind of ‘problem’, or challenge, or dilemma, or puzzlement” they have experienced in their teaching practice. The “story will, at some level, be a partial description of the landscape of good teaching (even if the teaching in the story itself isn’t – on the face of it – seen as ‘good’). A story is a snapshot of what good-and-improving teachers sometimes experience in their practice.” Woven informally into each story are the concepts and phrases pulled from various assigned course readings (see references).

For more information about the Advanced Teaching Seminar or to inquire about registering, e-mail Carolyn Wing, Educational Development Coordinator at TCDC (tcdc@langara.ca).

               Melissa’s Mea Culpa

In the summer of 2017 I was given the opportunity to return to SFU and teach one of my most favourite classes – CRIM 315: Restorative Justice. First, a bit of history. This course was taught to me in my undergrad by an amazing professor who gave me the opportunity to connect my head to my heart, to explore intellectual honesty, exemplified “walking her talk”, and who was teaching about being vulnerable (CoP Document) before Brene Brown made it famous. The late Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Elliott taught with her full heart and through her story-telling (Course Description), created a safe space for students to explore the intricacies of an incredibly complex justice system.

I then moved on to graduate school and under Liz’s supervision, became one of the teaching assistants for restorative justice. On two separate occasions, . . .

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Langarans Reflect on Pedagogy

In Langara’s Advanced Teaching Seminar, Langara instructors write a fictional story in the first person, highlighting, “some kind of ‘problem’, or challenge, or dilemma, or puzzlement” they have experienced in their teaching practice. The “story will, at some level, be a partial description of the landscape of good teaching (even if the teaching in the story itself isn’t – on the face of it – seen as ‘good’). A story is a snapshot of what good-and-improving teachers sometimes experience in their practice.” Woven informally into each story are the concepts and phrases pulled from various assigned course readings (see references).
For more information about the Advanced Teaching Seminar or to inquire about registering, e-mail Carolyn Wing, Educational Development Coordinator at TCDC (tcdc@langara.ca).

Every Discipline had a Telos. 

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In Langara’s Advanced Teaching Seminar, Langara instructors write a fictional story in the first person, highlighting, “some kind of ‘problem’, or challenge, or dilemma, or puzzlement”^[1] they have experienced in their teaching practice. The “story will, at some level, be a partial description of the landscape of good teaching (even if the teaching in the story itself isn’t – on the face of it – seen as ‘good’).  A story is a snapshot of what good-and-improving teachers sometimes experience in their practice.”^[2] Woven informally into each story are the concepts and phrases pulled from various assigned course readings (see references). 

For more information about the Advanced Teaching Seminar or to inquire about registering, e-mail Carolyn Wing, Educational Development Coordinator at TCDC (tcdc@langara.ca).

[1] Musson, 2017.
[2] Musson, 2017.

Our first submission: Richard’s CSI Story…….

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