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I always thought that teaching was an inherently performative activity. Therefore, I assumed that to be considered a good teacher you must conform to be an actor and entertainer in the classroom. These assumptions were built by watching both teachers a…

It was interesting to me that the article “On Banning Things in Classrooms” by Jon Warner was part of the reading materials for this week on Digital Pedagogy. Although I think that this discussion is more related to traditional pedagogical

As I continue to think about my teaching philosophy and pedagogical practices, I analyzed the differences between Case-based Teaching and Problem-based learning. There are multifarious ways to teach and learn, and I know this because I have engaged as a learner outside of these aforementioned styles. Case-based learning includes teaching using case studies from real-world …

Continue reading “Case-based Teaching vs Problem-based Learning: What’s the Difference?”

“There is nothing outside the text”, as French philosopher Jacques Derrida provocatively put it. The world is a text and hence the practice of learning is pervasive without any particular model mandated. Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown in many ways try to get at the same destination when they proposed a new culture of […]

Over my years of teaching, one thing has always been a pet peeve of mine: laptops, phones, smart watches… etc. As someone who doesn’t necessarily believe that controlling every little thing students do is necessary for a good learning environment, … Continue reading →

In my education as a teacher, I have learned the importance of active learning and problem based learning in the classroom. I also reflect in my time as a student, and in retrospective I learned the most when I was challenged with applying my knowledge in to a problem or a case study. This is …

Continue reading “Applying problem based learning in a large class”

In 1944, Clive Staples Lewis published The Abolition of Man which later became one of his most popular non-fiction writings. In the opening chapter of the book, Lewis expresses his frustration over an English textbook intended for grade school students.

This week’s readings talked about critical pedagogy and brought forth a lot of different ideas and thoughts. For me, especially, the readings hit home in the sense that they made me look at some different aspects of my own teaching that may or may not need to be changed. (Freire) spoke about the ‘banking system …

Continue reading “Week 12 (Critical Pedagogy)”

Introduction: In this blog post we are going to address the issue of use of technology in the class, be it digital devices or educational tools. A thorough analysis of the pros and cons of different technologies will be done and discussed with respect to our personal experiences in academia. As a team we felt …

Continue reading “Group blog post: personal and group experiences on banning technology in the classroom”

I remember the first day I was called “Hoca” by a student in 2014 (Hoca (or Hodja) is the way students call teachers, instructors, and professors in Turkey) when I was an undergraduate TA. I felt myself in a very important position, on a very important mission. As a teacher’s daughter who had been referred […]

I believe we all have filters through which we interpret and make sense of the world. But sometimes — these filters fail us and when that happens, we fail to make positive, meaningful connections with others. When writing about interpersonal experiences, I like to position my sociocultural identities. What I mean by position is, I …

Continue reading “How Are Humans “Programmed to Learn” Microaggressions?”

  Being a subject matter expert does not guarantee that the person can successfully transfer that knowledge to someone else and is no benchmark for being a great teacher. Great teachers have the ability to impart knowledge to their students in a manner that leaves an impression on their hearts and minds for life. My …

Continue reading “Voice of Enlightenment: Reflections On My Inner Teaching Self”

In continuing my quest to show people how vast the communication discipline is, I present case-based learning. Before I start, it should be noted that not all communication classes use case-based learning, and sometimes it is not appropriate. However, even communication undergraduate studies are not centered around memorization and tests, but rather focus on how …

Continue reading “Communication: A Haven for Case-Based Learning”

For this week, we are focusing on inclusive teaching and how to make every student feel comfortable in your classroom. To me, inclusive teaching means that every student of mine feels comfortable participating in class, standing in front of the class to give a speech, and feels comfortable to sit in my class knowing that …

Continue reading “Inclusive Teaching: Sometimes you need to have that challenging conversation”

The year 2020 has been rather interesting in the grand scheme of education. With a global pandemic on the rise,…

Like Sarah Deel, I also came from a liberal arts college that put a strong emphasis on teaching. In fact, it was the impact my professors had on me as such great teachers that led me to want to become part of academia. In a letter I wrote during my sen…

As we discussed during the class learning is a process of connecting between what is already known or understood and new information. Merriam Webster defines learning as “gaining knowledge or understanding of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience”. So, learning happens when people use their experience to deal with new situation, develop their …

Continue reading “Post #1 The Psychology of How People Learn”

The first time I taught here at Virginia Tech, I was in charge of two lectures for a large class of 300 students. Back then, I had little teaching experience, and I decided to use the course instructor’s teaching style to deliver the material. I tried to follow his unstructured, figure-less and serious way of …

Continue reading “Finding my true teaching self: my past journey and my future path”

  Introduction:In this blog post we are going to address the issue of use of technology in the class, be it digital devices or educational tools. A thorough analysis of the pros and cons of different technologies will be done and discussed wi…

Paulo Freire’s chapter, “Teaching is a Human Act,” from the book, Pedagogy of Freedom, provided me with a wonderful perspective of embracing an open-minded, authentic presentation of one’s true self when serving the role of a teacher. Freire writes, “I cannot be a teacher without exposing who I am. Without revealing, either reluctantly or withContinue reading “Teaching is a human act: Enhancing openness”

This Semester I am taking a class on Contemporary Pedagogy from the Graduate School at Virginia Tech. Part of my work will be to do blog posts about contemporary education and my experiences in education overall. The topic of this week is about discovering my teaching person. This topic reminds me of the Harry PotterContinue reading “Discovering my Teaching Self”

This week I am going to reflect on the concepts of problem-based learning (PBL) and case-based learning (CBL). PBL is defined as an “active learning pedagogical approach” that concerns producing and resolving a “challenging open-ended problem.”[1] This pedagogical approach is contrasted to more traditional classroom orientations, such as the lecture form in which the Professor, …

Continue reading “Thinking about ‘Teamwork’ in the Classroom”

The readings for this week’s topic made me think deeply about the teaching journey, particularly about it being a choice of how we carry our teaching practices. When we choose democratic, open-minded practices, there is always a risk involved. I reflected on the acceptance of students evaluation and how I think I should be committed … Continue reading Reflection on Critical Pedagogy →

This week’s topics centered around the idea of Inclusive Pedagogy, a term I was previously unfamiliar with. However, after reading more I really like that it’s a all hands on deck, community effort. Both the students and instructor have to work together to ensure that inclusive pedagogy is possible and actively implemented. While I really […]

Reading about teaching voice made me reflect on the years I’ve spent so far as a student. There have been a few teachers that stand out in my memory– each one unique not only in the subjects they taught but in how they taught. After reading the pieces from Deel and Fowler, I realize thatContinue reading “Discovering My Authentic Teaching Self”

After reading “Decoding Digital Pedagogy, pt. 1: Beyond the LMS,” Morris’ statement “not every teacher is a pedagogue,…pedagogy is a scholarship unto itself,…[and] pedagogy is also different from the study of education” immediately grabbed my attention because a research interest I intended to take up at the onset of my doctoral studies was pedagogy. In …

Continue reading “A Glance At Digital Pedagogy”

This week’s readings concern an issue I continuously grapple with, which is how to create a space for cultivating critical thinking and, simultaneously, how to make it inclusive for all students. I want to put into conversation Brian Arao and Kristi Clemens reflections on the problems with safe spaces with Paulo Freire’s provocation that there …

Continue reading “What Constitutes the ‘Classroom’?”

Inclusivity is vital more now than ever. A learning environment should be a safe space. My intent as an educator is to create a learning environment characterized by a positive outlook. I, too, am concerned about our world and our society, and am deeply disturbed by what I see. However, I have made the personal … Continue reading How To Adopt Inclusive Pedagogy?

As we begin to study case, problem, and project-based learning (PBL), I can’t help but reminisce about my freshman year at VT. All Engineering freshmen enter under a generic major, “General Engineering,” and must pass a sequence of freshman-level courses to declare a specific major such as mechanical or electrical engineering. Two courses in the … Continue reading Reflections on My Freshman Engineering Course and PBL

This week in Contemporary Pedagogy, we discussed and wrote a group blog post via Zoom and Google Docs. Here is the resulting post.   The Trial and Error of Digital Pedagogy Group post by Chris Clements, Austin Garren, Jazmin Jurkiewicz, Andrew Knight, Malle Schilling, and Brittany Shaughnessy   What do we mean by digital pedagogy? …

Continue reading “The Trial and Error of Digital Pedagogy- Group Blog Post”

I really enjoyed this week’s readings on inclusive pedagogy because I think it is something that we all have to consider as teachers, especially when it comes to implicit biases. We all have grown up with unique experiences, and those views without a doubt shape the way we teach. Understanding how we can be self-aware …

Continue reading “Inclusive Pedagogy”

I am addicted to my smartphone. And it’s making me depressed, destroying my creativity, ruining my attention span, and straining my in-person relationships. I’d venture to say that you are probably addicted to your smartphone, too. How do you feel about that? Is it negatively impacting your life? Recently, I’ve been trying to work on […]

If everybody blindly conforms to some role pushed upon them and accepts whatever narrative that is thrown their way, there would not be enough motivation for anyone to push the boundaries of science and philosophy. Living in a world that … Continue reading →

For this blog post, I read about Paulo Freire’s “Banking” concept. This is basically where students are viewed as receptacles that teachers fill with knowledge. The students are expected to listen to the teacher and absorb all of the information the teacher gives them, and the teacher is expected to “deposit” this information. Freire views …

Continue reading “Blog Post 5: Is the “Banking” Model of Education All Bad?”

At the time of writing this post, I have not taught a college class before, however, I am on my third semester as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA). I believe that the journey of realizing someone’s authentic teaching self is a process that could start way before they formally become a teacher. I have always practiced … Continue reading Finding My Authentic Teaching Self →

When I think of this topic, I am hearkened (such a lofty word, no?) to my time as a Master’s student and taking my first ever class on multiculturalism. In all my undergraduate years, I cannot recall a single class that discussed cultural, racial and ethnic inclusivity in the classroom or how to attend toContinue reading “Inclusive Pedagogy”

Problem-Based Learning is at a very important position, especially in Engineering programs. In this blog, I am going to talk about a Senior Project course at my former department (Industrial Engineering) to draw the importance of factors that are impacting the success of the course. I was on the committee of that course for three […]

I think we have a fundamental problem in education. Much of this problem comes down to one fundamental idea: the misalignment between how we teach and how students learn. If you were to choose a random class on campus and walk into one of the lectures, chances are you would find the instructor standing at […]

I compare myself a lot to other people. That was the environment I grew up in. In Malaysia,  rankings of students after a big strings of exams were posted on the board for all to see. You, your friends, your peers, your teachers, your parents, and everyone in the school WILL know where you rank …

Continue reading “Not to Compare, I Remind Myself”

Cased-Based learning (CBL) is a method in which students can develop their skills, analytical thinking and reflective judgments by reading and discussing the complex and real-life scenarios. In CBL, students are often provided with some examples related to the lecture notes and discuss within a small group so that they can communicate and exchange theirContinue reading “GRAD 5114 Post 3: Cased-Based Pedagogy”

Sarah Deel’s narrative on finding her true teaching voice provided a wonderful journey through her first experiences teaching and helped me think back to my first year (last year) and how much I have continued to adapt my own teaching style. As a public speaking teacher, we are given a weekly script and overview ofContinue reading “Discovering my authentic teaching self”

I always try to have a keen eye to learn the engaging behaviors that I observe in the teaching styles of other people. However, I have my own philosophy and do not believe in blindly imitating anyone to build my … Continue reading →

The readings this week, like many readings I have encountered over the years, confirmed my opinions on our education systems. The systems that see students as consumers and “to be taught”. The systems that aim to “process” these students to make sure they have a role in this society. The systems that constantly reproducing the …

Continue reading “Realizing Critical Pedagogies”

This blog post is a collaboration between Emily Burns, Jonilda Bahja, Sam Silknetter, Logan Perry, and HokieInstructor. In a post from Hybrid Pedagogy, author Sean Michael Morris writes that “just as the pedagogue will enter a room and rearrange the … Continue reading →

After having read a number of my peers’ posts and having read several different perspectives on Critical Pedagogy, I thought I wanted to spend my writing time this week thinking through a concrete application for Critical Pedagogical theory. I generally find that I’m unhappy with the work I am doing when I don’t have a […]

In this blog post we are going to address the issue of the use of technology in the class, be it digital devices or educational tools. A thorough analysis of the pros and cons of different technologies will be done and discussed with respect to our personal experiences in academia. As a team, we felt …

Continue reading “Digital Pedagogy & the use of technology in the class”

“Teachers who do not take their own education seriously, who do not study, who make little effort to keep abreast of events have no moral authority to coordinates the activities of the classroom” – Paulo Freire This week, I found

Group post by Chris Clements, Austin Garren, Jazmin Jurkiewicz, Andrew Knight, Malle Schilling, and Brittany Shaughnessy What do we mean by digital pedagogy? Digital pedagogy presents a unique set of issues that one may not think of when first stepping foot in the classroom. Digital pedagogy hosts a myriad of definitions for different people. As …

Continue reading “The Trial and Error of Digital Pedagogy”

By my calculations, between the years of 2011 and 2020, I have participated in at least 61 classes at three different institutions of higher education. I’ve taken courses ranging from “Existentialist Philosophy” and “Islam and Christian Theology” to “Finite Element Methods” and “Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering.” To say that I’ve been exposed to several different teaching […]