Rebekah Johnson taught high school Spanish for eight years in the US and the UK. She spent much of that time as Head of Department, training her colleagues on best practices for teaching and the incorporation of Canvas into the classroom. She's currently an Educational Technology Specialist at Norton.
Tag: Professional Development
Pedagogy in the Precarious Present: Tips for Teaching Effectively in Challenging Times
The past several semesters have been tremulous with more to come, topping even the anxiety-laden and stress-producing “pandemic semesters.” What new edict will come down today? Will my class end up on the news? Will I be fired, or will my department be shut down? These aren’t just philosophical questions in 2025.
Transforming Good to Great: Tips for Elevating Your Letters of Recommendation
John Danchisko is a National Board Certified Teacher in Secondary English/Language Arts with eighteen years of experience in public schools east of Pittsburgh, PA. In the spring of my first year of teaching high school, a student sheepishly requested a letter of recommendation for college. I agreed and approached a seasoned teacher to ask how …
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(Course) Design Your Way to Better Work/Life Balance
There is a plethora of advice out there to help instructors design courses and teach in ways that reduce student academic and learning anxiety and support student mental health. But what about instructors and our levels of anxiety and distress?
At Play in the Classroom for Thirty-Five Years: Recollections and Recommendations for Keeping Our Spirits—and Our Students—Soaring
Retirement is looming. Each day ticking by comes with a thought that I might not ever give that specific lecture again, and with a nagging feeling that I still—after more than 30 years—didn’t perfectly nail it. And with that thought, each day ahead becomes even more important, bringing butterflies to my stomach, and questions like: What can I do differently this time? What can I do to really make an impact, to help make the next class even more effective?
Three Ways to Make the Most of Midterm
Isis Artze-Vega serves as college provost and vice president for academic affairs at Valencia College in central Florida, a Hispanic-serving institution long regarded as one of the nation’s best community colleges. She provides strategic leadership in curriculum, assessment, faculty development, online learning, career and workforce education, and partnerships for educational excellence. She is the lead author …
Now More Than Ever: Humanizing Online Courses in the Post-COVID Era
Milton W. Wendland (J.D., Ph.D.) is a professor of instruction in the Department of Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies at the University of South Florida, where he specializes in equitable and inclusive online education. He regularly teaches Queer Film & Television; LGBTQ+ Cultures; Gender Sexuality & the Law; Intro to Women’s & Gender Studies; and …
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How I Learned to Love Conferences
Joshua Barsczewski is director of the writing program and assistant professor of English literatures and creative writing at Muhlenberg College. He’s recently published in Peitho and Composition Forum and is the co-editor of an upcoming collection on labor practices in writing studies, due out in late 2024 or early 2025. Joshua BarsczewskiImage Credit: Joshua Barsczewski …
Nurturing the Mind (and Academic Soul)
Dr. Meridith A. Balas is a Service Assistant Professor and Director of the Nemacolin Hospitality Lab at West Virginia University, where she brings extensive expertise in hospitality management, tourism, and student-centered experiential learning. In her role, she leads innovative consulting projects with partners like Nemacolin, offering students hands-on experience in solving real-world industry challenges. Her career spans …
On Not Returning to School After Thirty-Five Years in the Classroom: What Did the Teacher Learn After All That Time in the Classroom?
Jim Burke, a former English teacher at Middle College at the College of San Mateo, taught for over thirty-five years, and has written more than twenty-five books about teaching and literacy. He has received numerous awards, including the Exemplary Leadership Award from the National Council of Teachers of English and the Distinguished Service Award from …