When I’m not riding my bike to work, I usually take the bus. Waiting for any of the number 7 buses, one overhears things. In the spirit of the “Overheard at” websites, I’d like to offer occasional orts of wisdom from students who, at the end of their day, Continue reading Overheard on the 7 – Trevor Holmes
Month: November 2010
Eric Mazur to visit Waterloo campus – Trevor Holmes
Renowned physics education pioneer Eric Mazur will be at Waterloo Dec 1 2010. Before there were clickers, before there was a “Force Concept Inventory,” Mazur was developing “interactive engagement” or peer instruction (see a two-minute video here).
The talk is co-sponsored by Physics and Astronomy and the Centre for Teaching Excellence. Here’s the ad: Continue reading Eric Mazur to visit Waterloo campus – Trevor Holmes
How many “Asians” does it take to make middle-class white kids uncomfortable? – Trevor Holmes
It’s International Education Week at Waterloo.
I say this because I had thought perhaps I could blog about my own personal framework for “internationalism” and intercultural awareness. I grew up in an adoptive family with a Scottish-Welsh mother (whose parents were immigrants) and an Irish father (who himself came from Dublin at age 12). My birth family are all Irish-Scottish on the mother’s side but Cape Bretoners since the mid-1800s, and Romanian on the father’s side (also immigrant parents). Somehow, though, the blog topic I thought I was going to consider has been overshadowed by another one, and it reminds me of my white background rather uncomfortably. Continue reading How many “Asians” does it take to make middle-class white kids uncomfortable? – Trevor Holmes
Teaching in refugee camps: A Challenging or a Rewarding Experience? – Yueu Magot Majok
For the fifteen years I have been in Kakuma Refugee Camp in North Western Kenya, I was a student and I eventually became a teacher. During this period, I had a blend of many rewarding as well as challenging experiences about life as a student and as a teacher in a refugee camp. Many people have asked me questions such as “what do you think about teaching here and teaching in Kenya” and I usually don’t know where to begin. Perhaps you will get the answer to these questions when you read this blog. Continue reading Teaching in refugee camps: A Challenging or a Rewarding Experience? – Yueu Magot Majok
Reflections on Learning as an International Student – Svitlana Taraban-Gordon
As a former international student pursuing two graduate degrees in North America, I can relate to the many academic challenges experienced by international students on our campus. At the heart of these challenges is the process of navigating the various aspects of the new academic culture and learning the language of academic communication, both written and oral. Continue reading Reflections on Learning as an International Student – Svitlana Taraban-Gordon
Teaching Certificate Programs are becoming more popular world-wide! –Arash Shahi
In my days as an undergraduate engineering student, I was rather disappointed with the teaching quality in a number of my classes. To me, it seemed as some of my high school teachers could do a much better teaching job than some of our first year instructors. Throughout my undergraduate and graduate degrees, I started to pick on the trends of good professors and I couldn’t help but notice that most of our younger professors were much more interested in teaching than the older ones. Continue reading Teaching Certificate Programs are becoming more popular world-wide! –Arash Shahi