Hort 698 - Horticulture Teaching Practicum

Course Syllabus (Spring, 2007)

Instructors	Dr. Richard Gladon 222 Horticulture 294-1957 Dr. Jeff Iles 106 Horticulture 294-3718	Dr. William Graves 008 Horticulture 294-0034
Class Meeting Times:	Wednesday (4:10 – 5:00 p.m.) 110 Horticulture Hall

About HORT 698

Horticulture Teaching Practicum is open to all graduate students in the Department of Horticulture and is recommended for both beginning and advanced students who are seriously contemplating an academic career.

The Practicum is designed to (1) foster the development of graduate students as future horticulture/plant science teachers, and (2) facilitate, augment, and enhance their efforts and skills as teaching assistants in our undergraduate program. Topics covered and exercises assigned are intended to build upon the individual experiences of graduate students and resources provided by the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (http://www.celt.iastate.edu). Each class period will focus on a specific theme, however, the schedule is flexible enough to allow impromptu discussions of current issues. The course grade (Satisfactory/Fail) will be based on attendance and participation points. Students must accumulate a minimum of 85 points to earn a grade of "Satisfactory."

Attendance	2 points/15 weeks	30 points
Participation	0-5 points¹/15 weeks	75 points
TOTAL		105 points

¹No participation=0 points; excellent participation=5 points.

Our Expectations

Graduate students enrolled in HORT 698 are expected to (1) attend and participate actively in all weekly sessions, and (2) come prepared for each meeting (read assigned articles/complete other activities).

Topics

January 10 – Introduction and Orientation

January 17 – Teaching Assistants – "A Creative Invention"

Readings:

On Being a Graduate Teaching Assistant (M. DeCesare)
Those Who Can, Teach (T. Greene)
When Students Teach Students: A Graduate Student's Perspective (P. Price)
The Seven Deadly Comments that Get in the Way of Learning About Teaching (M. Svinicki)
The Nine and a Half Commandments of Good Teaching (R. Ferguson)

Exercise:

Reflect back on your experiences as a student and recall your favorite teaching assistant. What was it about their approach that inspired you and assisted you in learning? Type out a short summary (no more than one page; in the format of "bulleted" points or phrases) that captures the essence of your experience/reflection and bring it to class on January 17.

January 24 – Setting an Appropriate Tone

Readings:

The First Day of Class (B. Davis)
Constructing a Classroom Presence (V. Carlson)
A Way to Learn Names (D. Howle)
Using the Syllabus to Lay Down the Law (M. Singham)
Today's Syllabus Fulfills Three Roles (J. Parkes and M. Harris)
Syllabus Quiz Reduces Misunderstandings Down the Road (P. Raymark and P. Connor-Green)
Critical Connections for the First Day of Class (J. Kreizinger)
Hey, Dude! (J.R. Egan)

Exercise:

Design a syllabus for a class you plan to teach (or have taught) or describe how you would manage a class without the "benefit" of a syllabus. Be prepared to discuss in class on January 24.

January 31 – Lessons Learned

Readings:

Lessons from Teaching Failures (M. Druger)
Disastrous Teaching Experience at New Institution Teaches Many Lessons (J. Tolosa)
What I Learned about Teaching from Observing Stand-up Comedians (R. Greinke)
Annoying Behavior Can Impede Learning (W. Miley and S. Gonsalves)
Translating "Ideal" Professor Characteristics into Practices (L. Epting, et al.)
Four Types of Unethical Behavior to Avoid (T. Kuther)

Exercise:

It's time for true confessions. Come to class on January 31 and be prepared to discuss teaching lessons (things to do or not to do) you've learned the "hard way."

February 7 – Lectures Don't Have to be "Lectures"

Readings:

Improving Lectures (W. Cashin) 10 Worthwhile Considerations for Improving Lectures (L. Conin-Jones)
Improving Instructors' Speaking Skills (N. Goulden)
Enter: The (Well-designed) Lecture (J. Cox and J. Rogers)
Bored and Ignored or Gained and Maintained: Role of Attention in Beginning Class (B. Davis)
Top-of-hour Break Renews Attention Span (W. Chaney)
What Defines Effective Chemistry Laboratory Instruction? Teaching Assistant and Student Perspectives (D. Herrington and M. Nakhleh)

Exercise:

Before we meet on February 8, "sit-in" on a lecture or laboratory period (outside the Department of Horticulture) and be prepared to discuss what "worked/didn't work" for the instructor. Make sure you've reviewed the readings before you make your classroom/laboratory observations. If you have difficulty identifying a class/instructor to observe, you may ask one of us for assistance.

February 14 – Encouraging Participation

Readings

Helping Graduate Teaching Assistants Lead Discussions with Undergraduate Students (M. Jensen et al.)
Students Get the First Word (B. Meseske)
A Participation Rubric (A. Chapnick)
Student Recommendations for Encouraging Participation (E. Dallimore et al.)
Better Classroom Discussions Are a Collective Skill (J. Hollander)
Student Engagement in Courses (M. Briggs et al.)
Putting the Participation Puzzle Together (R. Weaver and Q. Jiang)
To Call or Not to Call: That Continues to Be the Question (E. Dallimore et al.)
Is There a Place for Games in the College Classroom? (S. Ayotte)
Roll the Dice and Students Participate (K. Swope)

Exercise

We've all seen it. Some students willingly participate in class discussions while others rarely, and sometimes never, contribute. Should you make an extra effort to "draw" the silent students out, or simply ignore them? What are your individual strategies for fostering trust in the classroom that will lead to thoughtful and engaging discussions? Be prepared to discuss in class.

February 21 – What? I Have to Motivate Them Too?!

Readings

Student Expectations for College Courses: An Update (W. Miley and S. Gonsalves)
Motivating Students: 8 Simple Rules for Teachers (L. Becker and K. Schneider)
Creating a Motivational Learning Environment in Large, Introductory Science Courses (M. Druger)
Motivating the Unmotivated (R. Luce)
What Agriculture Students Say Motivates Them to Learn (K. Mankin)

Exercise

At some time during your life, something or someone has had a motivational influence on you. For this class period, come prepared to discuss what motivates you, and how you might employ these same motivational tactics in the classroom. Do you think other students are motivated by the same things that motivate you? Why/why not?

February 28 – PowerPoint…Tool or Crutch?

Readings

12 Commandments for PowerPoint (S. Buchholz and J. Ullman)
PowerPoint Does Not Make You a Speaker (D. Paradi)
What Annoys Audiences About PowerPoint Presentations? (D. Paradi)
How to Avoid Death by PowerPoint (D. Paradi)
Ten Secrets for Using PowerPoint Effectively (D. Paradi)

Exercise

Break up into teams of two and prepare a PowerPoint presentation on any topic of your choosing, and violate as many "principles of good PowerPoint presentations" as you can. You will give your presentation in class and we're expecting a terrible performance!

March 7 – Dealing with "Challenging" Students

Readings

When New Teachers Meet the Classroom Terrorist (V. Carlson)
High-maintenance Students: A Conceptual Exploration and Implications (L. Burke)
Let's Sue (E. Strand)

Exercise

The reading assignments for today describe several types of "challenging" students you may have already come to know. We will discuss each of these articles in class, and as always, your own experiences relative to this topic are important, instructive, and would be a welcome addition to the discussion.

March 21 – Do We Have to Come to Class?

Readings

Should We Require Attendance? (K. Rocca)
Being There: A Perspective on Class Attendance (M. Druger)
Can Hybrid Course Formats Increase Attendance in Undergraduate Environmental Science Courses? (S. Riffell and D. Sibley)
How Do We "Dis" Students?: A Model of (Dis)respectful Business Instructor Behavior (E. Buttner)

Exercise

Be prepared to discuss your best ideas for encouraging attendance in your class. Feel free to "harvest" ideas from fellow TA's and faculty on the ISU campus and elsewhere.

March 28 – Can We Really Prevent Cheating?

Readings

Cheating: Are We Part of the Problem? (P. Johnson)
Cheating: Can We Be Part of the Solution? A Response to Johnson (R. Dawson)
How to Prevent Paper Recycling (S. Broskoske)
Designing Assignments to Minimize Cyber-cheating (A. Sterngold)
Anti-plagiarism Strategies for Research Papers (R. Harris)
How Dumb Do They Think We Are? (J. Malesic)

Exercise

If you caught (or strongly suspected) someone (of) cheating in your class, what would you do? Are you aware of academic misconduct policies in place at ISU? You might want to check them out before coming to class on March 28.

April 4 – Have You Tried These?

Readings

Reading Assignments: Can We Persuade Students They Matter? (J. Sappington et al.)
A Fair and Reasonable Approach to Deadlines and Late Penalties (A. Chapnick)
Quizzes Boost Comprehension, Confidence (S. Warnock)
Grade "Insurance" in Large Enrollment Classes (J. Peploski)
Providing Notes: A Research Update (M. Vandehey et al.)
Fill-in-the-blank Lecture Notes: Advantages (D. DiBattista)
Creating Effective Handouts (T. Sakraida and P. Draus)
A Thorny Problem: Student Deceptions (K. Eifler)
An Easier Solution to a Thorny Problem: Trusting Students (H. Lee)
Using Student Lecture Reviews as an Extra Credit Option (E. Hester)

Exercise

Now it's your turn. Come to class prepared to discuss an innovative, unusual, or under-used teaching technique that you've successfully used or have witnessed someone else using.

April 11 – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly…When Students Evaluate

Readings

Improving Our Teaching: Practice Makes Perfect (M. Druger)
Finding the "Deliberate Negatives" in Our Student Evaluations (R. Dornsife)
Students, Faculty Perceive Student Evaluations Differently (J. Sojka et al.)
Teacher Rating Versus Backgrounds of Enrollees (A. Burger)
Student Perception of the Student Evaluation of Instruction Form as a Tool for Assessing Instructor's Teaching Effectiveness (S. Rahnema)
Increasing the Teaching Skills of Teaching Assistants Through Feedback from Observation of Classroom Performance (B. Fowler)
Evaluation Anticipation (J. Lemuel)

Exercise

Sometimes, we can be our own harshest critics. So, in that vein, evaluate your performance in the classroom/laboratory. What do you do well and where could you improve? We'll discuss your self-evaluation in class.

April 18 – What is a Teacher?

Readings

A Brief Statement of My Teaching Philosophy (M. Glaser)
An Eloquent, Insightful Teaching Philosophy Statement (B. Licklider)
A Teaching-Learning Trinity: Foundation to My Teaching Philosophy (S. Thien)

Exercise

So, what is your teaching philosophy? No more than 1 page please.

April 25 – Can We Really Make a Difference?

Readings

College Teachers "Making a Difference" – A Research Review (N. Knobloch)
Granting Respect: A Professional Necessity (L. Grabau)
Respecting Students: Are We Ready for This? (L. Grabau)
A Less Structured, More Learning-Centered Environment (V. Ramsey and D. Fitzgibbons)
The Power of Putting the Students at the Center of Learning (H. Johnson)
Engaging Students in the Learning Process: What Faculty Can Do? (A. Mann)
It All Depends: A Perspective on Science Teaching at All Levels (M. Druger)
Education for Life: A Perspective on Teaching Introductory College Science (M. Druger)

Exercise

Think about a teacher that "made a difference" in your life. How'd he/she do that? Don't miss this final discussion.

Please address any special needs or special accommodations with one of the instructors at the beginning of the semester or as soon as you become aware of your needs. Those seeking accommodations based on disabilities should obtain a Student Academic Accommodation Request (SAAR) form from the Disability Resources (DR) office (515/294-6624). DR is located on the main floor of the Student Services Building, Room 1076.