November 15, 2001-Vol33n11: Q&A

VOLUME 33, NUMBER 11

THURSDAY, November 15, 2001


	MOLINA

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.