teaching
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If You Use This Phrase in Your Essay, You Will Fail
10. “In today’s modern society…” (this is the first line in 25% of the essays I read) 9. The designation “Old English” used to describe expressions as diverse as “codpiece” and “groovy.” 8. “In my humble opinion, I believe that…” 7. “Different,” as in, “This story was really different.” 6. “In the following paragraphs, I… Continue reading
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School vs. the Real World
Today I came across a post called “‘Meaningful’ School-to-Career” on the blog In Pursuit of Excellence. The blogger asks, Schools provide young people with a solid academic foundation to build the rest of their lives on. But schools are also supposed to prepare students for the real world….How can the real adult world they will… Continue reading
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would you read this book?
I’m putting together a proposal for a memoir based on material from this blog. What do you think? Siobhan Curious Falls In Love Again: Project Description Since August 2007, I have been keeping a pseudonymous blog called “Siobhan Curious,” which details and reflects upon my classroom experiences as a CEGEP teacher. The blog has a… Continue reading
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in which I do not become a Unitarian after all
(Check out Part One and Part Two of this story.) So two weeks before Christmas, I once again eschewed the Sunday sleep-in, put on my best blue sweater and black jacket, and metroed down to the Unitarian church, this time alone. My nervousness about being there without The Boyfriend Buffer was balanced by my greater… Continue reading
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listening and learning: Mark Smilowitz’s Classroom Teaching podcasts
My sabbatical is almost over. I return to teaching classes in a week and a half, after an 8-month, much-needed hiatus. I’m not dreading the return. I feel well rested, even freshly optimistic. I’m not having panic attacks. (I was dogged by chronic hyperventilation syndrome the whole of last August, until I woke up on… Continue reading
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When You Are Uncool
This week, I finally got around to reading the NY Times Sunday Magazine’s yearly “College Issue,” which came out at the end of September. This year’s issue focuses on teaching, so I set it aside with the intention of reading it carefully when I could bear to think about teaching. I’m on sabbatical, so I’ve… Continue reading
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how are you plugged? a survey on digital tools
I’m doing some research on the use of electronic/digital tools for teachers, and I’m particularly interested in anecdotal experiences. If you’d like to help me out, please take a minute to answer one/some/all of the questions below, either in the comments section (preferred!) or in an email to siobhancurious@gmail.com a) What electronic / digital /… Continue reading
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students and decision-making power
I’d like to turn more decision-making power over to my students. In particular, I’d like to give students more choices about their reading material and their assignments. One teacher in my department allows students a choice of six different novels for their final reading, and orders six copies of each for the bookstore, ensuring that… Continue reading
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sharing leadership with students
I have mixed feelings about a recent attempt of mine to share more leadership with students in the classroom. This past semester, I taught a new course on personal narrative. In this course, we read the memoir Angela’s Ashes; I decided to structure our discussion of the book as a series of seminars. I divided… Continue reading
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some thoughts on student feedback
In some of my courses, I have tried to ask students for more frequent anonymous feedback – midterm assessments, for example, in addition to the usual end-of-term evaluations. I have often found, however, that the feedback doesn’t teach me much that I don’t already know through simple observation. This might say something about the kinds… Continue reading
About Me
My job is to teach people to read and write; aside from that, I like to learn things.
Classroom as Microcosm 