Basically I have refused to take the "go easy on students and you'll be popular" compact. An A in one of my classes represents excellence in all or almost all of the assessments in a class.
I have worked hard to provide an educational product that is open-ended in some of its dimensions while meeting a minimal set of learning goals. This balance is mentioned on each and every syllabus.
I try to challenge students in each and every class and maintain high standards.
I am willing to provide support to students on request. I do this structurally by providing vocabulary assistants, bare-bones outlines of textbook chapters, basic outlines of many class sessions and, when needed, clinics to build skills required for class.
Teaching has had and continues to have its high points and its lows.
One keeps looking for the diamonds in the rough and trying to be part of their growth....
Recent fun: Presenting conference papers on my class projects on coal ash, e-waste, and geographies of toxic and hazardous waste
Other stuff: I've continued to incorporate technology into class with full use of electronic companions to class, asynchronous delivery of training videos for basic GIS and computer mapping; Census Data explorations; and Superfund/TRI research.
I've continued to present on my classroom teaching techniques at regional and national conferences -- see the CV for examples.
In 2010 I received the Saint Michael's Teaching Award -- if you want to read a copy of the citation, CLICK HERE -- that seems like an eon ago!
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