SCOTAY, A Flexible Learning Path By Gwen Saando My name is Gwendolyne Saando, and I am a third-year practicum student with SCOTAY (Student Consultants on Teaching at York) program in the Teaching Commons. I am pursing my BA, Educational Studies and am privileged to be part of the welcoming “SCOTAY” Teaching Commons family. I didn’t […]
Facilitating Accessible Teaching and Learning by Moving Beyond the ‘Average’ Classroom “If a [student] can’t learn the way we teach, then maybe we should teach the way they learn.”–Ignacio Estrada By Ameera Ali This simple yet enlightening quote reflects a key principle which fundamentally guides my entire teaching praxis. Given that each classroom environment is […]
Reading for Teaching: Learning How to Slow Down with The Slow Professor By Scott McLaren “The Slow Professor is an attractively short book,” writes Stephan Collini in the book’s Forward, “but whatever you do, don’t read it too quickly. And don’t just read it: give it to friends, talk about it with people, try to do what […]
The World of Learning Within the Teaching Commons By N’Keyah Burton In August, when I checked the placement website to see where I was going to be working during the school year, I was confused about where the Teaching Commons was located. I remember thinking, Is it in the library? until I realized that it was not […]
The Launch of the First Generation Network By Sandra Cardinal What does it mean to be “first-gen”? We asked that question of students, alumni, staff and faculty when the office of the Vice Provost Academic sponsored First Generation Day on October 23rd, 2019. Here’s one response: “From a refugee to a university student. I am […]
How Much Study Time Is Enough? By Cathy Boyd-Withers As a Learning Skills Specialist at York, I frequently hear the question: “How much study time is enough?” Ask any professor, and the usual response is “2-3 hours per in-class hour every week”. Tell that to students and they nod – they’ve heard this before – […]
Reframing the Problem of Students Not Reading By Carolyn Steele The issue of students not completing, or even trying to complete course readings is, to my way of thinking, one of the most persistent and pressing issues facing university instructors in text-focused disciplines. For the first few years I taught, I was increasingly frustrated […]
Smartphone Accommodation Resource Toolbox (SmART)- Invitation to join our SmART team!! By Iris Epstein RN, PhD Are you teaching a course where practical knowledge, hands-on skills, and situated learning are central to your course design? Are you interested in exploring affordable, accessible options of smartphone video tools to connect with students in F2F, blended and/or e-learning […]
Resilience Revisited By Robin Sutherland-Harris Resilience (or resiliency) is having a moment. It seems everywhere we turn, from infrastructure to ecology, community development to business, we are encouraged to adopt or encourage resilient behaviours—in ourselves, and in our relationships, communities, and workplaces. Higher education is no exception. Many universities, including, for example, Stanford with its Resilience Project, support the development of resilience […]
The Coming Together of Global Colleagues to Generate Scholarship By Mandy Frake-Mistak Earlier this month I participated in an International Collaborative Writing Group in Atlanta, Georgia as part of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL). The International Collaborative Writing Group, heretofore referred to as ICWG, is a process modeled after […]