I especially treasured the ideas for the wondered section (see below for what you shared). I wondered about habits and you brought me rabbits? Candidly, I went from dreading the weekly task of writing these Teaching in Higher Ed emails to now having it be something I look forward to doing.
Listened
Episode 619
The Science of Learning Meets AI with Lew Ludwig + Todd Zakrajsek
This was my first time getting to talk with Lew Ludwig and I can see why Todd Zakrajsek wanted to collaborate with him on The Science of Learning Meets AI. These two uncover themes from the book on Episode 619 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. I especially enjoy how they both bring us back to some fundamental aspects of teaching, while also exploring how AI might help us extend these tried-and-true approaches. Lew shares:
What this gets down to is backward design; we start with the learning goals. We should figure out how to assess them, and then decide if AI fits in that or not.
A few of you have asked about the book I've been talking about on recent episodes, which has been motivating me to do even more digital art on my iPad. The thing I love best about this book is how it is organized into projects. I'm excited about making a custom-printed tote bag for my Mom for her birthday in November (shhhh... don't tell her).
The stickers seem like another fun project, from the book. I'm participating in UCI's Pedagogical Wellness Day on July 31 and was thinking it might be fun to come up with an idea for TiHE stickers, somehow related to pedagogical wellness. I don't know if that concept will actually come to fruition, or not.
Theresa Duong shared on Episode 609 about Calm Strips, which are a much better idea than what I've been noodling on. Probably teaching, in general, is a better way to go for me. Our daughter just wants me to do everything entirely comprised of red pandas.
Tried
Making More Art on my iPad
Create Something Each Day
Speaking of the Procreate App... Here are some of my recent drawings.
I got inspiration from Lynda Barry for the one that looks like a composition book (top/center). In case you're not familiar with her work, a couple of good starting points are:
This section is a new space for us to interact with each other, an invitation to notice and wonder together. Each time I write, I'll share something I'm wondering about and then ask you to reply. Candidly, I thought when I kicked this off for the first time, no one would write me back. Umm... I was blown away by all your responses. Thank you for being a part of the Teaching in Higher Ed community and for engaging in this way.
Last week, I wondered about habits. How might we take advantage of the power of a streak, without losing all momentum when we inevitably break them. Here's what some of you said:
ALYSSA
Your question about habits reminded me of this "habit rabbit" video. It's about about the power of acknowledging your humanness and knowing that if you drop a habit (or a streak), you already have the knowledge and practice to do that habit. So just pick up the "habit rabbit" again!
EMILY
Regarding streaks and their inevitable pauses, I have found comfort in looking to the seasons. Just like the perennials in my garden, I can use dormant seasons to prepare for new growth that often reaches new heights!
NADINE
I just feel like life is already full of so many deadlines, having personal ones from apps tend to put me off from actually using the app again. I recently realised my Bible App was also keeping a streak and when I missed one I almost intentionally didn't want to read that day. Perhaps if these apps reminded us how far we have come once we lost a streak, we would be more motivated to keep going (reminiscing on my Duolingo streak that's good and dead by now LOL).
This week, I'm wondering about endings. Many of us will be concluding our classes in the coming weeks. Others are facing the loss of a job, or saying goodbye to dear colleagues who are retiring. What's important to consider, as endings inevitably come?
Hit reply to share your thoughts. I may share a line or two next week, with your first name, or anonymous if you would rather. Just say so in your reply.
Noted
This week: A Quote
Lily Pads as Liminal Spaces
I'll be rotating this spot out each week with a song, photo, quote, or something else that caught my attention that week. For today, I share these treasured words from Anne Lamott:
My coming to faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers from what seemed like one safe place to another. Like lily pads, round and green, these places summoned and then held me up while I grew. Each prepared me for the next leaf on which I would land, and in this way I moved across the swamp of doubt and fear.
Hello Reader, This week, I was getting caught up on grading, as we wind down our semester together. I ask the students to share their airport ideas with me as their final assignment. These are the things they most like to talk about from the class, were we to see each other in an airport five years from now. Thank you, Dan Levy, for sharing on Episode 376 about this approach. I receive such rich insights into their learning and they get to reflect on the class in a more meaningful way. Note:...
Reader, here's your weekly Teaching in Higher Ed update. On Episode 617, I welcome Teddy Svoronos, Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School, back to Teaching in Higher Ed. Teddy teaches statistics and public policy and has been deeply immersed in writing and collaborating around agentic AI and its implications for higher education. We explore how the latest developments in agentic artificial intelligence (models that can iteratively use tools and act as agents) are changing both what and...
Reader, here's your weekly Teaching in Higher Ed update. On Episode 616, I welcome Nancy Chick, Executive Director of Teaching, Learning and Scholarship at Texas Women's University; Katarina Mårtensson, Professor of Higher Education and academic developer at Lund University; and Peter Felten, Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning at Elon University, to Teaching in Higher Ed. We explore how three scholars from different institutions and countries collaboratively reimagined the...
