Volume XXXI, No. 26 | November 6, 2009 Personalize, Actionalize, and Socialize! The Chinese proverb observes: “I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand.” Implementing these three concepts that put the proverb into action can help increase student involvement and engagement in a course—“personalizing” the sessions, [...]

Volume XXXI, No. 26 | November 6, 2009 Physical Education Counts Teaching physical education requires degrees in physical education, exercise science, recreation and leisure studies, as well as minors in nutrition, physical sciences, biomechanics, and/or sports medicine. Those of us who teach physical education (PE) come with a plethora of experiences in sports [...]

Volume XXXI, No. 25 | October 30, 2009 Terrified Freshman Authorities: A Collaborative Learning Experiment In my mind, I must have quit graduate school at least 500 times out of fear and frustration. I longed for a written handbook that went beyond the schedule detailing when drafts of my thesis were to be [...]

Volume XXXI, No. 24 | October 23, 2009 Using Music to Build Community and Promote Student Success Nearly everyone enjoys music, and recently I discovered how music can contribute to creating a positive learning environment in my government classes. Through trial and error, I discovered a strategy to use music to build community, [...]

Volume XXXI, No. 24 | October 23, 2009 Writing Centers: Changing the Culture of a College The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) at Itawamba Community College is “Raising the Bar: Improving Student Writing Through Early Intervention.” The primary modes of intervention are Writing Centers—one for each of our two campuses and one online. The [...]

Volume XXXI, No. 23 | October 16, 2009 “INTERACTIVE ERRANDS”: TOOLS TO ENHANCE THE COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE OF ESL STUDENTS Rationale We all understand that people who leave their native countries have difficulty adjusting to the language and customs of a new land and are likely to have a difficult time locating and using [...]

Volume XXXI, No. 22 | October 9, 2009 Teaching First-Generation College Students Valuable strategies for getting to know your first-generation college students include making good use of written communication, electronic communication, and roundtable conversations. The syllabus is the contract between instructor and student. A teaching tool of standardized elements and strands carried out [...]

Volume XXXI, No. 21 | October 2, 2009 ON THE VALUE OF REINVENTING THE WHEEL When I first joined the League for Innovation in 1975, one of my first tasks was to become acquainted with the member colleges. During that first year, I visited 35 campuses, spending one or two days on each, [...]

Volume XXXI, No. 20 | September 25, 2009 CREATING A FAMILY OF CLIENTS FOR PARALEGAL STUDENTS How do the members of the Litigant family educate the Middlesex Community College (MCC) paralegal students in the practice of law? Sue, Lowell, Grandpa Bradford, children Alison and Christopher Litigant are all involved in a multitude of [...]

Volume XXXI, No. 19 | September 18, 2009 LEARNING STRATEGIES: THE FLIP SIDE OF TEACHING STRATEGIES I am happy to report that educational psychologists, demonstrating their infinite wisdom, have once again found students. This may appear to be a curious statement to those of you who never knew we lost them. However, for [...]