Make your course more effective with IRA and the Ws

Posted on November 4, 2014 by igalindo

Effective teaching in the online environment calls for following sound pedagogy, often, the same as those practiced in the classroom. After all, in a real sense learning is learning, regardless of where it happens. Whether you are teaching a dedicated online course, using a hybrid format, or using a LMS course site to support the classroom learning experience, it’s helpful to follow learner-focused instructional practices when setting up your online course site. One such practice is induction–and, you can never overdo it.

When I was in parish ministry our staff met weekly to do worship planning. In addition to reviewing text, sermon topic, music, hymns, and other components of the worship service we would always ask and decide on the question, “how will we enter the room?” That is, how and when would the worship leaders (choir, pastoral staff, etc.) enter the worship space so as to lead the congregation into the worship experience. We wanted to “set” the tone, affect, and focus of the worship experience from the beginning to create expectancy, and help the congregants know how and what to pay attention to. Continue reading →

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Authentic Spirituality

Posted on November 3, 2014 by igalindo

A review of Barry Callen’s book, Authentic Spirituality, at the Along the Journey blogsite. “… beyond dead orthodoxy to the authentic Christian faith of the heart…”

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Create Better Online Discussion Questions

Posted on October 31, 2014 by igalindo

Using a hybrid format for a course often means increasing the use of the online discussion forum as a primary pedagogy. This can enhance the learning experience, deepen comprehension, and offer a means for more immediate application of knowledge. It is sometimes difficult, however, to hone the skill of asking the best KIND of questions for the online environment. Too often we tend to revert to rudimentary “comprehension” questions that may be necessary in a classroom concepts-acquisition pedagogy, but not very optimal in the online environment. As always, a helpful question to ask when designing every component of your course is: “What pedagogical function does this serve?”

Here is a great short piece by Stephanie Maher Palenque, MA and Meredith DeCosta on “The Art and Science of Successful Online Discussions.” Their major points can make a great checklist for reviewing your online discussion forum questions. Do your questions merely solicit basic comprehension, or do they move the students to deeper learning?

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Getting good at it

Posted on October 29, 2014 by igalindo

I was engaged in a conversation about on-line learning recently, with someone who has never taken an online course nor taught in that context. I must confess that some of those conversations were interesting at one time. But after teaching on-line courses for fourteen years now I find myself weary of addressing the same rudimentary questions from the uninformed. My impatience usually is with those who are quick to dismiss online learning without having done the responsible work of investigating it. My interest in talking further wanes when it becomes evident that they have thought as little about the pedagogy of the classroom courses they teach. Continue reading →

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Understanding the impact of entering students

Posted on October 23, 2014 by igalindo

Post on understanding and interpreting the impact of entering students.

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High Impact Pedagogy

Posted on October 1, 2014 by igalindo

New post at the Wabash Center’s blog for theological school deans: Does your curriculum use high-impact pedagogy?

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Aesthetics and Pedagogy in Online Learning

Posted on September 29, 2014 by igalindo

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The online environment is a visual medium. Whether you are teaching a dedicated online course, using a hybrid format, or using your online course site (Moodle or Blackboard) as a resource and enrichment component of your classroom course, “style” and design matters. Make your course site beautiful.

One way to integrate aesthetic components into your Moodle course site is to incorporate art. Art can serve several pedagogical functions:

  • Introduce an affective element to your course
  • Provide a visual metaphor for a complex concept
  • Illustrate a concept, experience, or event
  • Depict a historical character, a historic event, or a narrative (e.g., a biblical passage)
  • Provide an example of an interpretation of an experience, a biblical passage, an emotion, or a concept
  • Provide an element of wonder
  • Provide a visual prompt to aid in recall and retention
  • Reinforce facts about a person or event with a visual placeholder related to a historical context
  • Reinforce facts about a place with a visual placeholder related to a geographical context
  • Serve as part of an induction exercise.

When using graphics and design elements be sure there is a specific pedagogical or design FUNCTION the image will provide for the student learning experience. Posting images of puppies or fluffy kittens adds no pedagogical value and merely confuses your students (unless you’re teaching about puppies and kittens, of course).

Here’s a great resource site for art and historical images: the Smarthistory from the Khan Academy is a leading open educational resource for art history. Their high-quality art history content is made freely available to educators. The site offers more than 600 videos and hundreds of articles in addition to hundreds of images.

The site itself is a great example of elegant visual design for an online learning experience.

Israel Galindo is Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning at the Columbia Theological Seminary. Formerly, he was Dean at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. He is the author of the bestseller, The Hidden Lives of Congregations (Alban), Perspectives on Congregational Leadership (Educational Consultants), and A Family Genogram Workbook (Educational Consultants), with Elaine Boomer and Don Reagan.

His books on Christian education include The Craft of Christian Teaching (Judson), How to be the Best Christian Study Group Leader (Judson), Planning for Christian Education Formation (Chalice), and A Christian Educator’s Book of Lists (S&H).

Galindo contributes to the Wabash Center’s blog for theological school deans

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Using Instructional Prompts for Online Learning

Posted on September 23, 2014 by igalindo

prompts
The greatest potential of the online learning environment is its capacity to foster high levels of interactive learning that leads to “deep understanding.” The instructor’s role is critical to making this happen. The manner and frequency of the instructor’s response to students in the discussion forums is what tends to determine the quality of the learning experience.
Continue reading →

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Using announcements in the online environment

Posted on September 22, 2014 by igalindo

I’ve found that instructors new to the online environment sometimes are not too clear about functionality of various pedagogical actions on the LMS platforms. Teacher behavior that has become intuitive in the classroom environment become a challenge when one tries to figure out “Where do I put this on my course site?” It is often helpful to (1) identify the pedagogical teacher action, and, (2) answer the question, “What function does this serve in the teaching-learning process?”

One common challenge for novice online instructors is the question of what constitutes an “announcement” (in Blackboard it’s called “Announcements” and it can have it’s own navigation menu button. In Moodle, it’s called the “News forum” whose function is “General news and announcements”). When what constitutes an announcement is not clear in the mind of the instructor, things get put on the News forum section that don’t belong, resulting in confusion for the learner.

ammounce

Here are the pedagogical FUNCTIONS of announcements that are appropriate for you to place in the Bb Announcements “News forum” section:

  • Direct traffic (“start here,” announcing who may move ahead in the course and who may not)
  • Give timely direction (when to begin a reading assignment; when to end a discussion; directing students to address a particular student post or question)
  • Updates (point to new additional readings, note changes in schedule)
  • Prompts for “next steps” (provide induction transitions–ending one week’s-session and starting the next)
  • Reminders of due dates and assignments (especially as the course draws to a close)
  • Community news (announce seminary community events).

The rule for announcements: Anything that is current, timely, and has a short shelf life.

In contrast, the following are NOT announcements:

  • Anything that’s a “set” component of your course (e.g. messages about your course expectations, norms and culture)
  • Anything on your syllabus that carries over from one iteration of the course to the next
  • Bibliographies
  • Extended mid-course corrections to class culture issues
  • Rants
  • Communications that are not “didactic”.

Israel Galindo is Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning at the Columbia Theological Seminary. Formerly, he was Dean at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. He is the author of the bestseller, The Hidden Lives of Congregations (Alban), Perspectives on Congregational Leadership (Educational Consultants), and A Family Genogram Workbook (Educational Consultants), with Elaine Boomer and Don Reagan.

His books on Christian education include The Craft of Christian Teaching (Judson), How to be the Best Christian Study Group Leader (Judson), Planning for Christian Education Formation (Chalice), and A Christian Educator’s Book of Lists (S&H).

Galindo contributes to the Wabash Center’s blog for theological school deans.

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It’s not that complicated

Posted on September 18, 2014 by igalindo

Dear professors, it’s not that complicated.
notcomplicated2
(Click image to enlarge)

Israel Galindo is Associate Dean, Lifelong Learning at the Columbia Theological Seminary. Formerly he was Dean at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. Galindo serves on the Advisory Committee of the Wabash Center and is available as consultant through the Center in the areas of curriculum development and assessment, leadership, and teaching and learning in theological education. He writes for the “Along the Journey” blog of the Columbia Theological Seminary.

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