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MOLINA |
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Jeannette
Molina
is associate director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Resources.
Molina, who also holds the title of assistant vice provost, has worked
in the education field for nearly 30 years, with experience in faculty
professional development, teaching effectiveness, program development
and implementation, and accreditation and program review.
What is
the Center for Teaching and Learning Resources?
The Center for Teaching and Learning Resources (CTLR) has been established
for the support and advancement of learning and teaching at the University
of Buffalo. The CTLR hopes to promote an ongoing discussion about teaching
and learning matters by facilitating the conversation through a variety
of programs and events.
What types
of things can you do to improve someone's teaching skills?
The CTLR intends to assist faculty and teaching assistants through:
a) services, b) programs and c) resources on teaching effectiveness. Within
services, we are planning to provide online assistance with teaching,
confidential consultations and class videotaping upon request. Under programs,
we expect to facilitate roundtable discussions, teleconferences, forums,
workshops and a one-day winter retreat for teaching assistants. Resources
are expected to include World Wide Web resources, a library collection
on teaching effectiveness and a newsletter.
Are some
people just born to be teachers?
I am not so sure that we are born teachers, as much as that, like everyone
else, we each have our distinct personality; as such, some individuals
can project a certain energy when they enter a room, and others might
not. The important thing is to be able to bring our knowledge to the classroom
in ways that engage and challenge students, to draw on a variety of techniques
and ways by which we can inspire our students. Plutarch said: "A mind
is a fire to be kindled, not a vessel to be filled." The task of the excellent
teacher is to stimulate, create the tone/environment and set the stage
for the learning.
Teaching
seems to suffer in comparison to research. How can we raise the profile
of teaching on this campus?
Most institutions provide for this by keeping the spotlight on teaching
and learning matters through a wide variety of programs, services and
activities designed to support faculty in enhancing the overall quality
of their instruction. It is about keeping the conversation going, about
maintaining teaching and learning issues as live topics of conversation.
We have so many faculty members who are SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professors,
and others who are recipients of the Chancellor's Award for Excellence
in Teaching. These faculty members have so much to share regarding their
teaching experiences, so much to share concerning how they approach teaching
and their innovative ways to captivate and engage their students' attention
and active participation. Among other things, the CTLR intends to promote
opportunities for these outstanding teachers to share their insights and
the practices they have successfully drawn on.
Wasn't
this kind of involvement by distinguished professors the focus of the
CTLR's first program last week?
Indeed, the first event sponsored by the Center for Teaching and Learning
Resources and the Faculty Senate Teaching and Learning Committee took
place Friday of last week. At this event, J. Ronald Gentile, SUNY Distinguished
Teaching Professor in the Department of Counseling, School and Educational
Psychology, and Richard Sarkin, associate professor of clinical pediatrics
and a recipient of the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching,
provided an audience of 120 faculty members and teaching assistants with
an interactive presentation on methods that can be used within lectures
to increase students' active participation, as well as monitor their comprehension.
What other
workshops or events do you have planned?
Our next event, "Developing an Effective Course Syllabus," is scheduled
for Friday, Nov. 30. During this presentation, Gayle Brazeau, associate
dean for academic affairs in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical
Sciences, will discuss key elements and components of course syllabi that
focus on student learning. Finally, we are in the process of completing
a calendar of events for the spring semester that will include a one-day
retreat in January for teaching assistants; a presentation in February
by Barbara Rittner, associate professor of social work, and a March event
on technology and teaching effectiveness, co-sponsored by the Center for
Teaching and Learning Resources and the Educational Technology Center.
More information on these and other events as they are scheduled can be
found at the CTLR's new Web site at http://wings.buffalo.edu/vpaa/ctlr.
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