Energized by the SoTL community

A response to the Three Keys of SoTL Activity
created by Julie White (@JulieSLC)

Number of views: 350


I really appreciated the diversity of voices in this video which helped illustrate the differing ways that we can connect as professionals, with SoTL. My top 3 key characteristics/motivations include:

  • That SoTL comes from asking interesting questions that come directly from our experiences teaching or challenges our students have with learning or a combination of both (Nancy Chick). I find this to be a really empowering statement, one that allows me to take control of investigating improvements in my classroom.
  • That SoTL is a reflective practice that has to have a focus on student learning (Joanna Renc-Rae). The fact this is focused on making direct improvements to learning resonates strongly with me.
  • That SoTL is undertaken by faculty bringing their habits and skills as scholars to their work as teachers (Pat Hutchings). This is such an important premise as it recognizes we are more than people who simply deliver content. Again, this is empowering educators who strive for more and want to do more.

I am really interested by looking at the motivations of other faculty and seeing the variety of responses they have in terms of their own takeaways. I think this is a big part of the beauty of SoTL as there are so many different types of teachers, teaching so many different subjects and to so many different types of students. The fact that we can all come together in the tent of SoTL and learn from one another is fantastic!

Example for "Energized by the SoTL community":
https://bank.ecampusontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/sotl.png