Teaching and Learning News

Jamie Mulholland traces his interest in mathematics back to his parents.

“Their perceptions of math were that you just really need it to get through life, no matter what you’re going to do,” he says. They taught him that “it’s not about formulas, it’s not about arithmetic, it’s just a way of thinking, a way to solve problems – having confidence in your ability to solve problems.”

Now he is spreading that gospel with great success as a lecturer in Mathematics. In the video interview posted above, he talks about his love for teaching and the epiphany he had as a teaching assistant standing in front of a class for the first time: “It was partway through the lecture that I realized this is what I love doing – talking about mathematics, helping other people to see why I love mathematics and why they should open up their minds and their hearts to love it too.”

Clearly he is very good at what he does: in February he was one of three faculty members to receive a 2011 SFU Excellence in Teaching Award. What makes him a great teacher? Undoubtedly part of the answer is to be found in his teaching philosophy. He quotes the Hungarian mathematician George Pólya, who said, “Mathematics is not a spectator sport.”

“And this is the philosophy that I take,” says Mulholland. “[My students] can’t just passively sit by and watch me present. They need to be engaged. They need to be working through mathematics on their own. They need to be doing the math, not me. I don’t need to be doing the math; I need to be assisting them with their pursuits in math.”

Watch this video on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScfOAOTG6Fk&feature=player_embedded

Visit Jamie Mulholland’s faculty profile page: www.math.sfu.ca/people/staff/faculty/jamie_mulholland

Visit Jamie Mulholland’s personal website: www.sfu.ca/~jtmulhol/

Congratulations to the Teaching and Learning Centre on winning a Leo Award for best one-hour documentary program for “From C to C: Chinese Canadian Stories of Migration!” The Leo Awards are British Columbia’s most prestigious film and television awards.

The film, produced and directed by the TLC’s Jordan Paterson, profiles Chinese-Canadians to present a detailed picture of the discrimination suffered by Chinese migrants to Canada during the first half of the 20th century.

Take a look at the video below and head to the project’s website for additional information, photographs, and interviews.

The full documentary will air on CBC on Saturday, July 16 at 5:00 pm. Don’t miss it!

From C to C: Chinese Canadian Stories of Migration

Filmed on location in BC and throughout China’s Guandong province, “From C to C” outlines the injustices faced by Chinese migrants during the last century and the effects of migration on the families and communities of migrants. The film contrasts these histories with the views and experiences of contemporary Chinese Canadian youth, allowing for reflection on the meaning of exclusion for those who experienced it, as well as for those who did not. By calling attention to the diverse and transnational nature of contemporary Chinese Canadian identities, the film promotes an inclusive vision of Canada that values members of all communities as global, rather than solely national, citizens.

Made in partnership with S.U.C.C.E.S.S., “From C to C” is a community-based documentary that is part of a larger educational project that aims to raise awareness about contemporary social justice issues by reflecting on, and comparing, the experiences of migrants between Canada and China since the early 20th century.

For more information about the project, please visit: http://www.sfu.ca/fromctoc/ or find us on Facebook.

SFU News release on Leo Award: http://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stories/tlc-documentary-wins-leo.html.

Share your thoughts and feedback with us in the comments section, or submit your own stories about Chinese migration to Canada at the “From C to C: Chinese Canadian Stories of Migration” website.

With names like “Marshmallow Death Blaster”, it’s no wonder that these grade nine and ten girls are having fun participating in the “Girls Exploring Physics” workshops. Started by Physics faculty members Sarah Johnson, Pat Mooney, Barbara Frisken, Jenifer Thewalt and Nancy Forde, these free workshops aim to encourage more girls to continue taking physics beyond high school and into university. As Johnson says, “the main goal is to keep girls excited about physics.”

Using hands-on experiential education techniques, the girls get the chance to work on two projects: “Exploring Physics Through Candy” and “LED’s: Lighting for Efficiency and Drama”. They learn what kind of options are available to physics grads and have the opportunity to talk to women physics professors and students.

The video team at the Teaching and Learning Centre paid a visit to the most recent workshop to check out their work. Watch the video below to learn more.

Contact

For more information about the “Girls Exploring Physics” workshops, please email Sarah Johnson, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics at SFU, or visit the website at http://www.physics.sfu.ca/about/outreach/gep.

The Art of Teaching: Best Practices from a Master Educator – A brown bag lunch series:

In a new feature pilot project this summer, the Teaching and Learning Centre will be hosting screenings of the acclaimed films “The Art of Teaching: Best Practices from a Master Educator”. In each 30-minute episode, award-winning Professor Patrick N. Allitt:

We will feature three lectures selected out of the 24 in the series:

The Teacher’s Persona

This episode focuses on the importance of developing an individual, consistent, and professional persona as an instructor. It suggests that creating a personal identity in the classroom facilitates the development of an appropriate relationship and suitable rapport with your students. This discussion also considers the use of humour, friendliness, and discipline in a professional context and provides advice on establishing your own voice.

Dynamic Lecturing

In this film, the narrator discusses what it takes to present effectively. The primary lesson centres on the importance of bringing passion and commitment to your teaching, and recognizing that there is an element of performance in everything we present to our students. Instructors are always competing for their students’ attention and are expected to be enthusiastically engaged with their subjects. Tips are offered for maintaining enthusiasm and emphasizing one key point per lecture.

Managing the Challenges of Teaching

This episode presents real-world methods of combatting the various challenges that are part of teaching, including stress, large class sizes, time management, and first-time teaching. The focus here is on professionalism and a willingness to reflect on your own teaching styles and habits in an effort to make the most of your students’ learning experiences.

These events are a brown bag lunches. Please bring your lunch, enjoy the show, and participate in a discussion moderated by TLC Educational Consultants.

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Fifty students participating in Introduction to Contemporary Popular Dance Forms: Modern and Traditional Bhangra surprise unsuspecting Canucks fans by performing a flash mob outside Rogers Area on April 7. Flash mobs are “brief, surprise performances performed in everyday spaces, usually in crowded, urban areas” (Muse, 2010). Raakhi Sinha and Gurpreet Sian, the course instructors, chose to stage a flash mob as the course final performance to pair popular culture with Bhangra, an increasingly popular dance style.

Dancing a final exam in the streets

The performance begins with a dance sequence created and choreographed  by a group of the students in the course as part of an earlier assignment. The flash mob culminates in a large-group sequence created by the course instructors that combines traditional Bhangra movements and modern stunts.

When Sinha and Sian announced that the class would be performing two flash mobs in downtown Vancouver as the final exam, the students were immediately on-board. On April 7, at the Rogers Arena, several hundred Canucks fans witnessed the first performance. Later that evening, the students surprised commuters and tourists at the corner of Granville and West Georgia with a second performance that demonstrated improved focus and execution of moves.

Learning Bhangra as a popular form of dance

These final performances are the culmination of an intense semester of studio training. Students explore both traditional Bhangra and contemporary North American trends and styles. Overall, the instructors hope students will learn about Bhangra, explore Punjabi culture, have fun, and be “proud to dance.”

Students participate in weekly studio rehearsals at SFU Woodwards with Sinha and Sian to experience and practice a corpus of Bhangra movements, tricks, and choreography. To complement the studio teaching and learning environment, Sinha and Sian use a Facebook group to post rehearsal videos, songs and inspiration to help students practice at home, and these dynamic instructors invite course participants to immerse themselves into Vancouver’s thriving Bhangra community by attending, reporting and reflecting on local performances and competitions.

The  students’ enthusiasm and commitment to learning and dancing Bhangra, as well as invitations from several community organizations for performance and competition, have inspired the formation of a new Bhangra Club. Sinha and Sian are coaching the club, and they look forward to teaching Bhangra dance at SFU and hope to build on their success linking the university and the South Asian community.

What are your reactions to the students’ final performance? How do your students display or perform their learning in public for members of the wider community?
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Over the past few weeks, the Teaching and Learning News has been featuring video profiles of this year’s Excellence in Teaching Award winners. So far, we’ve learned that:

• DD Kugler (theatre) wants to encourage students to find and articulate their own voice;
• John Jones (engineering) hopes to foster a sense of curiosity and a willingness to pursue knowledge; and
• Andrew Gemino (business) encourages his students to be passionate about their learning and take the material to the next level.

The media team at the Teaching and Learning Centre has now put together a fantastic compilation video featuring all three winners. Take a peak and share your reactions and responses with us in our comments section below.

Dr. Phil Winne, Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Faculty of Education, asks:

How often have you overheard comments such as these around campus?

“I can’t learn that way – I’m a visual learner.”

“For all you kinesthetic learners out there, try to feel the force diagram at the instant you reach the peak on a roller  coaster.”

Some students and professors believe that learning styles govern how people learn and should guide how people are taught. But there’s very little research that supports these beliefs.

Here’s what Professor Daniel Willingham, a psychologist from the University of Virgina, has to say:

You can also take a look at the following articles for further ideas about learning styles:

Mayer, R., & Massa, L. (2003). Three facets of visual and verbal learners: Cognitive ability, cognitive style, and learning preference. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 833-841.

Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork. R. (2009). Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9, 105-119.

Let us know what you think about these ideas in our comments section below. Are learning styles an urban legend or scientifically valid?

Good instructors recognize that sometimes simply knowing the content is not enough. You also need to understand how to effectively share your knowledge with your students. For Andrew Gemino, one of this year’s three Excellence in Teaching Award recipients, being a good teacher is about, “creating an environment where students want to learn and have fun learning.” He makes a point of engaging his students by adopting a friendly attitude, breaking the ice with ‘fireside chats’, using examples that students relate to, and trying to bring something new to every class.

These teaching strategies have served him well as an Associate Professor at the Beedie School of Business and as current Associate Dean of the undergraduate program. Gemino has already won several awards for his teaching, including having twice received the TD Canada Trust Distinguished Teacher award from the Beedie School of Business and two teaching awards from his time at the University of British Columbia. Since deciding to focus on an academic career rather than his music career in a rock band (he remains an avid musician), Gemino has founded a software company and has been an active researcher with grants from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council and Social Sciences Research Council of Canada.

Gemino consistently engages his students to push beyond their comfort zones and participate in class discussion, and it is evident that the lessons they learn tend to stick with them. His broad knowledge both in and out of the classroom allows him to incorporate the story-telling and practical examples that he believes are critical elements of a successful pedagogy. He says, “Abstract is a problem in the university world. Tying a concept to something concrete allows students to really learn.” One former student credits his experiences in Gemino’s classroom as the reason why his company, “has been able to sustain growth in a declining market.” It’s not surprising that such a meaningful impact on students’ learning experiences has not gone unnoticed.

How do you feel about Professor Gemino’s suggestions? Let us know in our comments below!

John Jones, an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering Science, didn’t plan on becoming a professor. His first teaching position was at a school in rural Kenya, where he winged it with no formal training. From this inexpert stage, he has advanced to become one of the three 2010 Excellence in Teaching Award recipients.

Early in his career, Jones devoted himself to research in his field and spent five years as an engine analyst for General Motors Research Laboratories. Although he remains active in engineering research, Jones has found that his passion lies in teaching. He has created an engineering history course that lets students better understand the background and foundation of their chosen field and what they can expect as they progress.

Good teaching, he claims, involves creating an awareness of one’s ignorance. He feels that professors should maintain beginner’s mind. Jones tries to ask unexpected kinds of question to pique students’ enthusiasm and interest.  This pro-active and experimental attitude is part of an overall commitment to the student learning experience.  His students appreciate the dedication of their professor and several have commented that they recommend his courses even to peers who do not study engineering.

How do you respond to Jones’ suggestions and ideas? Let us know in the comments below.

On 2 December, students in “Community and Health Service” and teaching staff at Central Community Elementary School in Port Coquitlam celebrated the end of the first service learning course offered in the Faculty of Health Sciences with a party and poster session. Professor Kitty Corbett and Principal Nadine Tambellini opened the event by thanking the eighteen students and school staff for their efforts and reflecting on the positive impact that the SFU students have had on the school. Tambellini stressed the positive impact that the students have had at Central both through their volunteer work and as role models for children at the school.

The students volunteered for 32 hours during their semester at Central. Most worked in the classroom directly with children and organized learning activities designed to answer a question related to health education and promotion and keep young students engaged.  Students’ project topics included:

• promoting nutrition by introducing unusual or exotic fruit and vegetables
• practicing basic first aid and safety skills
• helping children to answer questions about health and wellness
• developing literacy through peer tutoring
• using a therapy dog to encourage children to practice reading
• promoting mental health through mindfulness training

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