Teaching Excellence

Wrap your brain around this idea: "The 3- to 5- Minute Quick Write"
Robin Ramsey, ECA Reading and English instructor, uses this activity to help students "build on their knowledge base by discussing a topic or concept more fully, but it is perhaps even more helpful to the instructor in determining where gaps in student knowledge lie."

Instructors may choose to do this activity as explained below using writing, or they could give students the choice to draw pictures, webs, or charts instead.

Here's how the 3- to 5-minute quick write works:

The instructor has students write for 3-5 minutes (saying "Begin" to start and "Stop" when time is up.) Students can write about anything they've been studying in the class (the use of variables in Math, the structure of an essay in English, the the chemical composition of blood, etc.) Students should be told that their ideas will be used but that grammar and spelling will not be checked and is not important for this assignment. Students should try to write as much as possible in the allotted time.

If you'd like to contact Robin to learn more about this activity, you can email her at robinr@cnm.edu.

Please consider sharing with your CNM colleagues what you do in the classroom to help students succeed and keep coming back class after class.  Submit your ideas on the 4 Student Success website.

Friday workshop focuses on the design of brain-friendly lessons and active learning
Robin Ramsey, ECA Reading instructor, invites all CNM employees who work with students and curriculum planning to attend her workshop, "Using the brain's natural learning process to design brain-friendly lessons and promote active learning."  The workshop will be offered twice at Main:

• Friday, June 1, 9:00am-12:30pm
• Friday, July 13, 1:00-4:30pm

The workshop will focus on "how we as educators can rethink and adapt our presentation methods so students can build strong foundational knowledge in our content areas" and "develop and practice higher order skills such as critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation."

Robin says, "This approach, I think, is especially useful for teachers in career/technical fields because we will be designing lessons to encourage active learning, building on what students already know to take them where they need to be in their knowledge and skill level."  She cites the example of Calvin Motley, a CNM automotive instructor, who "developed a great lesson after a workshop where students design a diagnostic flow chart."
Continued in the middle column

At-your-desk learning
Learn

For CNM FrontPage users:  MS SharePoint Designer or Expression Web Studio?
Last week, I wrote that "if you currently use Microsoft FrontPage to make webpages, you'll be distressed to know that it's going away," to be replaced by Microsoft Expression [Web] Studio. 

But as Robert Graff, Computer Center supervisor in ECA, hastened to point out to me, for CNM users--such as instructors and those whose websites are not official CNM websites--FrontPage is going to be replaced with SharePoint Designer, not Expression Studio.

View an online demo of SharePoint Designer
Visit the Microsoft website to see and hear a demo of SharePoint Designer 2007.  This demo focuses on the business applications for the software.

You may also want to compare the features of FrontPage 2003 with Sharepoint Designer 2007.

Productivity Primer  
The Mind Tools website offers tutorials on "essential skills for an excellent career, including a tutorial on "Conflict Resolution: Resolving conflict rationally and effectively."

"The good news is that by resolving conflict successfully, you can solve many of the problems that it has brought to the surface...However, if conflict is not handled effectively, the results can be damaging. Conflicting goals can quickly turn into personal dislike. Teamwork breaks down. Talent is wasted as people disengage from their work."

This article explains what fuels conflict in the workplace and presents a five-step conflict-resolution process.

7-Second Survey Last week, five instructors replied to this question--"Do you encourage students to see you during your office hours?  If so, how do you get them to do so?"--on the 7-second survey.  View the results of this survey. This week's anonymous survey of CNM faculty deals with classroom security and seeks to find out how many CNM instructors have had to obtain help from Security to deal with unruly student behaviors. Have you ever contacted Security because of a student's threatening or disruptive behavior in the classroom at CNM?  No Yes Comments?

Friday workshop, continued from left column
Robin points out that some career/technical teachers come to CNM without having taken courses in educational theory. "Often, they didn't go to school to be teachers. Many learned by doing (the best way), not by listening, watching, and reading about it for a class. They know how to do whatever they're teaching really well, but some may not necessarily know the best ways to approach teaching it in a classroom situation." 

You can register for either workshop on the Summer 2007 Calendar webpage.

News & previews

Organization Learning's Summer 2007 Calendar now extends to August
The calendar of Organizational Learning's training and professional development events scheduled for the entire summer is now available.  CNM staff and faculty  can register for summer learnshops and other events directly on the calendar page.

Greg Casaus, Organizational Learning director, says some  events that don't yet have definitive dates appear near the bottom of the calendar and will be integrated in the calendar once their dates have been determined. He adds that summer learnshops are being offered at every CNM campus for the convenience of employees.

The learning events offered through Organizational Learning are free to CNM staff and faculty.  To sign up for an event, visit this webpage.

Preview of events for the week of May 29-June 2
The following events are taking place at CNM during the week of May 29-June 2.  Register on this webpage.

Preview of events for the week of June 4-9
The following events are taking place at CNM during the week of June 4-9.  Register on this webpage.

*TBD = To be determined

Joke of the Week

Did you hear about the dyslexic atheist?  He doesn't believe there's a dog.

Quotation 

"Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
~W. Edwards Deming

About Organizational Learning The Organizational Learning Division's mission is to create professional development pathways for college employees that support the strategic mission of CNM and contribute in meaningful ways to college personnel’s lifelong learning and job enrichment. For more information about Organizational Learning or any of its events, contact
	Jean Montaño Admin. Coordinator	224-4400 jmontano@ cnm.edu
	Greg Casaus Director	224-4244 gcasaus6@ cnm.edu
	Timothy Ligon Tech Support	224-4243 tligon@ cnm.edu
	Kayleigh Carabajal Executive Director	224-4401 kcarabajal@ cnm.edu

This newsletter is produced by Nancy King, for the Organizational Learning Division.