CUNY Learning Mindset Modules Group

As long as the failure isn’t the end of the road!

As I reflect on each prompt, I will also build in thoughts about how my syllabi and course design reflects a bigger part of the evolving mission in our School of Education. Our SOE has been working toward a vision of equity and advocacy in our practices for developing our teacher candidates, counselors and leadership candidates. My work has been…[Read more]

Dear Kevin,

Thanks for your reply. I relate to the word ” hounding”. My success rate with getting them to a low passing is very good. I truly understand that asynchronous courses are different. I teach those in summer school. Last summer I had to hound a few students in a short period, a 5 week course (that is actually four weeks in truth). Most…[Read more]

Thanks for sharing your experiences! I teach math and encounter so much mental resistance to engaging with math content – especially more abstract concepts! Many students tell me, “I’m just bad at math”. I think for students like these, overcoming their fears and getting motivated to learn is really half the battle. I often tell students on the…[Read more]

Wow, this hit me hard. I have definitely been avoiding the discussion surrounding AI, which is not going to benefit me in the long-term, or my future students! It’s challenging to realize that my approach towards AI has not reflected a growth mindset. Maybe you could share some resources for learning more?

Hi Elizabeth,

I like the idea of a warmup/icebreaker for each session throughout the semester! I would like to incorporate more of those fun activities as a way for students to get comfortable and connect with each other in my classes this semester.

It is very important in an asynchronous course to project a sense of warmth and receptiveness. I also believe that approachability is key. I did the exercise and broke most of the rules, using Snagit and making a video instead of an audio and going over the time limit (to 4 minutes). I mentioned a few things within the context of the overview…[Read more]

Dear Deborah,

I love that idea. I use it for another project, which is having my students create a children’s book.

I think this is one that could work with the collaborate feature, which I have not tried yet.

Best,
Liz

Most faculty aren’t professional actors and don’t have training in recording audio/video. So we have to cut ourselves some slack. (Full disclosure: that WAS my background, so the online transition was an easy one for me. I began it well before the pandemic.) That being said, we do “perform” in the classroom. And just like studies have shown that…[Read more]

Like you, Elizabeth, I took a lot of classes unrelated to my major thanks to the program I was in which allowed me to take whatever I wanted (UVA’s Echols Scholars program, somewhat similar to CUNY-BA). I wonder if learning for the sake of learning is a privilege of the privileged… If so (and I must admit, it seems likely), that’s rather…[Read more]

I like that you place the burden of motivation on both the student and the instructor, Miriam. There are good and bad apples in both groups! Ignoring, for a moment, the bad apples we’ll likely never reach (in both groups!), I appreciate the strategies you’re suggesting. I haven’t tried high volume videos in class, as I think a lot of students…[Read more]

Seth,

For me, it has been both through bringing it up in formal settings (when it connects in meetings) and informally. I find that when faculty complains about students, it is a good entry point. Start by empathizing and then sharing one strategy that helps you. Maybe then follow up with an email that has a resource. Encourage that professor and…[Read more]

Consider showing struggling, for real, with students. Put up a problem not based on the knowledge of the subject, but on other skills that might be challenging for all, such as logic or a Suduko. Let the students see they can figure some things out even before the teacher gets it. Then, have students discuss why this activity was useful. What did…[Read more]

You may also want to do warm-ups, homework, or test preparation by having students find errors in incorrect work from previous years. They can explain errors (in thinking or computation) and correct them. They can also clarify if it was a logical error or a silly error and “give advice” to the student as to how (or what) they could study better…[Read more]

Since I teach graduate students who are studying to be teachers, I usually ask them at the beginning of the course what brought them into teaching and why they really want to teach. This is usually a tipping point in which I ask them whether they are teaching or if they are not currently teach where they want to teach. If they are career changers…[Read more]

Dear Victoria,

I love the ‘response to inspiration’. Maybe I’ll bring that into my teaching of writing course?

Best,
Liz Klein

Dear Casandra,

I really like the idea of the 21st century connection to content and doing it via a Padlet. I love this idea of reinvention. I do this with a writing project and after they get over the initial hives from having read a short story and re-invent it, they have a blast.
Best,
Liz Klein

It wasn’t difficult to record myself, but I struggled when listening to the recording because I really dislike the sound of my recorded voice. To me, my voice sounded had an unusually nasal sound and the inflection sounded unnatural. At first, I thought of writing a few notes to use during the recording to keep myself focused, but then I decided t…[Read more]