Upcoming Meeting March 31st: The spring rain moistens things silently

Dear friends,

We will be meeting this week, March 31st, to finish West Meets East: Classroom Organization, Management, and Discipline; and Lessons Learned. Though we're not teaching at the K-12 level, I found this book to be quite interesting. Knowing a bit about where our students are coming from helps me understand how we might better adapt our teaching to fit their needs.

Some of the challenges of the classrooms are:

• class size
• classroom arrangement
• limited class time
• extra space

I was inspired by the fact that many of the teachers described these challenges as opportunities to create highly focused lessons (p. 120).

Q: What from this week's reading inspired you?

In Chapter 5, Grant et. al share "lessons from the West" and "lessons from the East." 

Q: Were you shocked by any of the lessons?

I found it most interesting that the Chinese teachers were ok with some students not understanding them. In that situation, students relied upon their peers to help them decode the information (p. 129).

Q: On pages 132-133, Grant et. al presented the idea of the student watch cards. Have you ever incorporated this into a university classroom? Would you do so? Why? Why not?

My favorite part of chapter 5 is Figure 5.4: Classroom Management Versus Relationship Building. This is such an important distinction I have discovered in teaching (and in parenting). On page 145, Grant et. al note"

“Building a caring, respectful relationship full of trust allows students to feel comfortable taking risks and pushing beyond their comfort zones to achieve more than they might have thought possible.”

Lessons Learned 

I found the comparisons of Cultural Dimensions on page 152 most interesting. I'm saddened by the U.S.'s low measure in long-term orientation (LTO). This is something I feel often in the U.S.

I was intrigued by collaborative lesson planning Chinese teachers use. I would like to see us do this more frequently in the U.S.

Q: What was the biggest lesson you learned by reading this book?
Q: Which lesson seems the most important takeaway from this book?
Q: What surprised you most in reading this book?

Closing with a Metaphor and Reflection

Let's each close with a metaphor as Grant et. al did in Chapter 6. Choose a metaphor that describes how you think about teaching.

Q: How would you complete the following sentence? Teaching is __________.

As we move on to read Bill Condon's Faculty Development and Student Learning I think it's a good time to reflect upon the ways West Meets East has changed us and/or how our experiences studying, teaching, or working abroad have changed us.

Q: How have you changed as a result of studying, teaching, or working abroad? What lesson will you always carry with you from this experience?

Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be held in two weeks. We'll meet on April 14th to discuss the introduction and first chapter of Bill Condon's Faculty Development and Student Learning, then again on April 21st. Condon's reading is denser than Grant et. al.