Choose Yourself: The Portfolio of Dr Anabel L Jensen

Teaching Effectiveness

Teaching effectiveness refers to command of the field of specialization as well as a broad knowledge of allied disciplines and general interest in the liberal arts or professional training; growth in scholarship and in use of new teaching techniques; presentation of material to students in scholarly, stimulating, and interesting fashion; and counseling and inspiration of students, thereby challenging and attracting them to become genuinely and ethically involved in their own education as evidenced by greater achievement, individual initiative, and independent thinking.

- NDNU Faculty Handbook

Teaching is a passion. The world of both children and adults is changed through knowledge and experience. I moved to California in 1967 because the state was recognized as a leading-edge contender in the field of education. Today, the state is near the bottom in terms of either recognition or accomplishment. I hope to make a difference in the quality of instructors now preparing for service in the field of education.

One mechanism for helping to make that happen is to “teach” teachers as you want them to teach. Therefore, I want a classroom that is based on the students and relies on hands-on, manipulative experiences; a classroom that utilizes emotional intelligence in order to build community; a classroom that recognizes the importance of process over product; a classroom that focuses on critical/creative thinking vs. memorized data; a classroom that encourages each individual to perform their individual best.

Students in my classes get used to expressing complex ideas in metaphor, sculpture, song, etc - they experience the power of engaging multiple senses.

In addition, as a result of exposure to the Psychological Foundations class, I hope they will begin to develop their personal teaching philosophy and will begin developing a set of concrete principles to use when difficult decisions arise. From the Content Reading class, I hope they will learn a variety of techniques to put into their “toolboxes” so that their classes are stimulating and intriguing rather than repetitive and boring. And from the undergraduate Capstone Seminar class, I hope they will discover that teaching is more than a job - rather it is a career choice that can have far-flung results on the citizens of tomorrow.

In 2001, I was the first graduate teacher at NDNU to be the recipient of the George M. Keller Teaching Excellence Award. I was thrilled! More than once, I have received a letter notifying me that my student satisfaction survey results are outstanding. Surveys from my courses reflect ratings from 3.74 to 3.95 out of 4 (the last two semesters average 3.85/4, or 96.3%). However, no matter the feedback from students, I strive to continually upgrade the quality of my presentations. So each semester, I carefully review the syllabus and based on input from students, I work to clarify objectives, assignments, etc. For example, in Psychological Foundations 210 and Content Reading 334S, I have added a series of questions to contemplate before arriving in class in order to incorporate prior knowledge into the new topic. I frequently ask students to perceive their textbook as the lecture and class time as the lab. And as a result of the lab experience, I want students to generate a series of insights, strategies, and tools that will be of immediate value in their student teaching or intern role.

In my class, I want students to be aware of the contribution community makes to learning and memory. For me, this means an emphasis on respect, empathy, and accountability. I am diligent about modeling these attributes so that burgeoning teachers will begin to understand the interrelationship of these factors. I am also specific about teaching transfer - how to take an idea, a skill, or an attitude and find a use for it in a new content area through minor transformation. In return, students are eager to share their experiences with me through their journals. At the end of any class, we review and summarize our learning with the construction of a toolbox - ideas, techniques, strategies, approaches, mechanisms for spurring learning forward. I am committed to continued growth in this area

In the end, I want my students to understand that the act of teaching is governed by a series of rules. The better the teacher understands the rules, the more effective the learning.

Course syllabi are provided for Psychological Foundations 210, Content Reading 334S, and Senior Seminar 191. The survey results were provided by the University, and selected student comments are linked in the upper-right of this page. Qualitative comments from students are also available.

The Letters of Reference section includes comments on teaching effectiveness from Judith Greig, past Dean, present Interim Provost; Joan Rossi, present Interim Dean; and Meg Withers, past student.

Housework is a breeze. Cooking is a pleasant diversion. Putting up a retaining wall is a lark. But teaching is like climbing a mountain.

Fawn M. Brodie, American biographer

Update as of 10/06

During the first night of Educational Psychology 210, I ask the room full of students how many fantastic teachers they can identify from personal experience. I start with one, and everyone can remember at least one. The students remember him/her with great enthusiasm and in minute detail. Mr. Allen did this and Ms. Rice did that.

However, by the time I reach six or seven, the number of hands raised has dwindled considerably, and by the time I hit 10, no more hands are raised in a room of 25-30 individuals -- I find this deplorable. By the time an average student finishes 13 years of schooling, they have encountered at least fifty, perhaps more, teachers in a variety of content areas (i.e., reading, math, English, algebra, science, social studies, physical education, French, Japanese, art, music, etc.). At present, the schools are not designed to be memorable.

They are not designed to feed students' curiosity. They are not designed to help students become critical and creative thinkers. Instead, the schools are squeezing the intellectual life from classrooms. Students frequently do not feel safe - whether physically or emotionally. So while my commitment is to build better teachers - teachers who know how to stimulate and intrigue students, teachers who know how to adapt lessons to meet a variety of learning styles, teachers who know how to bring fun and laughter to the classroom - I also want to build teachers who will be “rebels with a cause.” Such causes may include:
1) elimination of standardized tests;
2) two teachers (master and apprentice) in every classroom;
3) ample and updated materials/resources;
4) replacement of grades with written reports/evaluations;
5) elimination of the lecture with a constructivist's approach;
6) learning projects that have relevance;
7) respect and celebration of diversity; and
8) emotionally intelligent cooperative groups.

I am committed to producing better teachers. This means providing teachers with the necessary skills and tools to address a wide variety of diverse learners (i.e., classroom management tools, learning style inventories, intrinsic motivation techniques). It means raising the standards within the profession. For me, this implies that in addition to a body of specialized knowledge about education (i.e., ages/stages of learners, curriculum design, assessment, etc.), teachers must display the following characteristics:
a) commitment to a set of principles for resolving dilemmas (i.e., code of ethics) in complex contexts;
b) adherence to consistent reflective procedures (i.e., ongoing/daily critical self-examination of what worked and what did not); and
c) dedication to learners (i.e., student-centered instruction vs. teacher-centered instruction).

Teachers must care about each individual student and be able to present material in a meaningful fashion. So, for example, pieces of chocolate might be used to illustrate equivalent fractions, or compressed cotton in a drinking cup to illustrate density. A variety of pedagogical techniques (i.e., case studies, simulations, models, metaphors, etc.) build student involvement, intensify comprehension, and reduce discipline issues. So the Ages/Stages requirement in my classroom pushes my students to acquire specific data about learners and what is needed for improved understanding.

My wish is to have an impact on my students (i.e., to move feelings and influence thinking). One key is to learn how to employ the natural energy and enthusiasm with which students arrive, so that state and national standards are met. I believe this means more student involvement.

For me, four basic strategies are critical:
a) add humor/fun;
b) touch all the senses through use of multi-media;
c) provide multiple options/choices; and
d) encourage participation/interaction (e.g., pair-shares, small groups, etc.).

Above all let us model the latest techniques. In order to do so last year I re-designed two of my lesson modules. The first one was for Psych210 entitled "Hot Cognition." I created a set of formulae which introduced and amplified the value of emotion-based and brain-based pedagogy. Here is a slide-show of this presentation.

The second one was for Content Reading334S entitled "Vocabulary Development." This lesson is a collection of strategies for teaching/improving the listening and reading vocabularies of students in a a variety of content areas. Here is part one of the vocabulary slide show and here is part two.

In summary, let us build upon the body of knowledge that exists, let us add the new neuroscience data, and let us obtain buy-in from the students with cooperative/ collaborative processes.