Activity #6: Thought Vectors and Nuggets
Patch four: Check, Check 1-2, Checking in with Students by Mary Overholt
How many times have you, as a teacher, stood at the front of the classroom and asked: “any questions?” And how many of those times have you been met with blank stares, and silence? Have you, like me, resorted to a “Ferris Bueller” reference: “Anyone…? Anyone…? Bueller…? Bueller…?” only to be met, yet again, with blank stares from the much-younger-than-you-even-think-they-are, born in the post-Bueller era, students in the room?
I didn’t realize this patch resonated with me so much until I read a few others and couldn’t feel the same connection I felt when I read this one. While I do not teach in the conventional sense, my work as an Academic Advisor allows me to meet with students on a daily basis. Our one on one meetings involve teaching (academic regulations, degree requirements, holistic advising etc.). I also give registration and orientation workshops on a regular basis. The line that got to me was the “Any questions? […] Anyone….? Anyone….? […] only to be met, yet again, with blank stares”. While this is not an everyday occurrence, it does happen. It’s a moment of awkwardness that makes me question the effectiveness of the way I explained things. Meetings and presentations are always more enjoyable when students are engaged, when they ask questions. The blank stares are sometimes disconcerting and you’re left with a feeling of not having fully accomplished your work. This patch made me feel as though I am not alone and I appreciated the strategies to invoke some form of engagement from the students.
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