How Learning Happens: Direct Instruction By Nidhi Sachdeva The final video in this series looks at the importance of direct instruction in learning and teaching. You will learn 10 golden principles of direct instruction outlined by Barack Rosenshine. About the Author Nidhi Sachdeva is a contract faculty in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics […]
Pedagogy that Aids Transition: A Roundtable Conversation With Alexis Blair-Hamilton, Yasaman Delaviz, and Lynda van Dreumel; Hosted by Brian Nairn This blog post focuses on pedagogy that aids transition from secondary to post-secondary education. Please watch our short conversation below. For more information on pedagogy that aids transition, please feel free to email Yasaman Delaviz […]
How Learning Happens: Role of Prior Knowledge By Nidhi Sachdeva This microlearning video focusses on the role of prior knowledge. David Ausubel wrote, "The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows." It is extremely important for educators to know what the learner already knows about the topic in discussion i.e. domain […]
Reflecting on Your Practice By The Teaching Commons As we accelerate through another semester, it is all too easy to get caught in the weekly routine that comes with teaching. The purpose of this blog post is to encourage you to pause, step back, and reflect on your own teaching practice. Often as instructors we […]
How Learning Happens: Dual Coding Theory By Nidhi Sachdeva A picture speaks a thousand words. Have you ever wondered why we enjoy well narrated videos more than just long plain texts loaded with information? Or why infographics (if done well) continue to be an efficient way of communicating large amounts of content? That’s because human […]
How Learning Happens: Depth of Processing Information By Nidhi Sachdeva Last week I introduced a new video series called "How Learning Happens" based on a recent book from 2020 called How Learning Happens by Paul A. Kirscher and Carl Hendrick. This video series is intended to address the gap between theory and practice with respect […]
How Learning Happens: Cognitive Load and Problem Solving By Nidhi Sachdeva Much too often educational research based in cognitive learning theories remains in academic journals and as a result the gap between research and classroom practice continues to widen. However, the principles of these learning theories and evidence-based research can provide a solid foundation to […]
Teaching in Focus Conference – Celebrating 10-ish Years By Brian Nairn As Spring approaches (yes, I went there) that can only mean one thing for the York community…the return of the annual Teaching in Focus (TiF [with one “f”]) Conference. Launching back in 2013, this year’s conference will mark the 10th-ish year of TiF – […]
Building Flexibility with Face-to-Face Teaching By Brian Nairn As we slowly yet surely increase our on-campus teaching presence, this latest wave of the pandemic has only reinforced what we have already learned: remaining flexible, even in face-to-face classes, is essential. It is clear by now that we should not be assuming one way or another […]
Getting Ready for In-Person Teaching and Learning By Drs. Ameera Ali, Natalie Neill, and Robin Sutherland-Harris Please note that this blog originally dates from January 2022, and as such, contains references to on-campus masking requirements that are now out-of-date. You can find updated information at York University’s Better Together site. On December 21st, the Teaching […]