1. Please comment on the tone of the first meeting. Did you feel welcome in the virtual seminar? Any thoughts about how you were asked to introduce yourself using some of the source reading?
2. Please share a concept, idea or feeling that resonated with you, either from: 1) The New College Classroom discussion, 2) Rebecca Mazumdarâs presentation, 3) George Larkinâs presentation or 4) Patricia Hickeyâs presentation.
Comments are welcome and will be shared.
1) I felt very welcomed, both individually (“ah! are you Sean?”), and the general good feeling in the room amongst the participants (really heightened by Rebecca Mazumdar’s presentation! especially the astronaut / hangar exercise!), and even the wonderful spread (how much do I appreciate a catered early morning meeting?).
2) From today’s session, one of the things that really stood out to me was a kind of inadvertant overlap/productive collision between Rebecca Mazumdar’s concept of ‘space to play’/discomfort zone/corralled chaos, and George Larkins’ thoughts on “something happened”/imagination/innovation/creativity/”everything should be play, but important play” Alan Watts’ quote, and the way Patricia Hickey described the joy and delight of her students during the bridge exercise.
It also lined up with one of the runner-up quotes from New College Classroom about active learning:
“Imagine a classroom alive with vibrant activity, where the intrinsic rewards of learning become not just a goal for our course but a lifelong project.”
It’s the ideal classroom experience for me – where rather than building the classroom around hierarchies, lecture-and-drill, high stakes testing, and other strategies, the classroom is vibrant, abundant, where students are disappointed when the end of class comes, when the enthusiasm is carried outside of the classroom and into their lives (and where their enthusiasm and passion from outside the classroom about their lives is carried into and welcomed in our class activities).
I have had the experience of this enthusiasm and joy and delight in learning — a serious kind of play, an important kind of play — but as an instructor, what I would like to focus on is the capacity to reproduce that joy more reliably, to ensure that it is an important kind of play and that it delivers the lessons that students will need to prosper in the classroom, in their academic career, and in the professional and personal life that waits for them after graduation.
I thought the first meeting went well. There was food so that is a plus. I was able to meet Professors who taught similar and different courses such as COM, English, Hospitality, Dental Hygiene, etc. It was nice to hear their introductions of where there coming from and what topic they will be focusing on. I know all of us couldn’t present in the beginning so it kind of felt rushed towards the end due to timing.
I personally enjoyed everyone’s presentation. I really liked the energy and topic discussed from Rebecca’s session. I thought the engagement activity about the hanger and astronaut was fun. I liked the idea of having a space to play and having capacious problems; I would like to test this in my math class. I enjoyed George Larkins presentation about digging deeper into what is already known. How we need to ask ourselves and let students know why we are doing this so that they can have a better understanding of the material. I liked Patricia’s idea in having students walk the Brooklyn bridge and doing an activity from that. Not sure if this would work for my math class but the idea of keeping students interested is something I want to do in my class.
Attending todayâs seminar was a refreshing and reassuring experience. It was wonderful to be back in a room with such a diverse group of faculty from across the college campus. The content provided met my expectations and struck a balance between familiarity and novelty. Having participated in this program years ago, revisiting the material felt comforting, yet it also carried a fresh perspective that kept it engaging.
While I appreciated the sessionâs structure, I found myself wishing for more time to connect with others and delve deeper into the shared challenges we all face in our roles. That said, Iâm confident that the days ahead will offer more opportunities for meaningful conversations and collaboration.
In terms of the content shared during the seminar, the most revelatory part for me was the presentation on the pedagogy of civic engagementâspecifically the âdiscomfort zoneâ exercise. The prompt, âHow is an astronaut like a clothes hanger?â completely stumped me. I found myself stuck, viewing the question solely in terms of the physical properties of these objects. However, hearing other groupsâ connectionsâbased on the functions, spaces they inhabit, or purposes they serveâcompletely shifted my perspective. It reminded me of a story I had heard about how many Native American languages describe objects in terms of their actions or states. For instance, in English, we might say, âThere is a red ball,â whether stationary or moving. In contrast, native languages might describe it as âmoving or standingâ emphasizing its state or action. This broader lens was eye-opening and encouraged me to approach prompts and problems with a more dynamic, function-oriented mindset.
Another aspect that struck me was the shared recognition among participants of the challenges we face as educators, particularly the lasting impacts of COVID on student learning. While these challenges are daunting, it was somewhat reassuring to see how universally we are grappling with them and searching for solutions, even without a clear path forward.
Overall, todayâs session was both thought-provoking and affirming, and I look forward to deepening these discussions in the coming days.
Alejandro,
Thank you for your thoughtful reflection. We wonât find a solution to solve our shared concerns about the issues and challenges we face as educators at City Tech at this seminar but coming together to discuss them is a visible commitment to improvement. I do believe that adoption of some of the pedagogical practices shared during the seminar will help; no matter how small, they will add up. I hope the seminar also provides emotional support, which we all need.
1) The tone of the first meeting was pleasant and inviting. After listening to other introductions, I introduced myself and repeated my expectations heard previously from other participants and added my own.
2.1) The New College Classroom discussion resonated that the classroom environment is always changing, which teachers must understand and try to quickly adapt to benefit the students.
2.2) Rebecca started her classes successfully due to having her students first focus on current positive experiences. Loved the quote “The classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the classroom.” Enjoyed her separating the classroom into two groups and participate/compete in a fun game, where there is no threat or fear of failing.
2.3) George Larkin reminded us that in ‘transparency’ both teacher and students should acknowledge that we start by living in the unknown (ignorance) and through repetition of activities we learn and retain information.
Other phrases I relate to are: 1) the ‘Why’ of doing something is more important than the ‘What’ you do, 2) Instead of looking for new knowledge, one should dig deeper in what one knows already, 3) If you are going through hell, ‘now’ is not the time to stop, and 4) Life should be lived as (important) play.
2.4) Patricia Hickey mentioned the advantages of building relationships with the students on a one-by-one basis, giving each student a better chance of success in the classroom environment.
1.The tone of the first meeting was very welcoming. It makes me feel at home and want to participate. I think that the manner in which we were asked to introduce ourselves was good. It makes you feel comfortable and want to say things without any doubt or shyness.
2.1 The college discussion informed us that the classroom is constantly changing so we must adjust to keep up with the changes.
2.2 Rebecca Mazumdar: I like her presentation.
1. She started her class on positive experiences which set the stage for the class to want to participate.
2. The other thing that was used to make students participative and be encourage thinking is putting them in groups, where the groups have to come up with as many ideas as possible about the topic and to see which group will out-perform the other with ideas.
2.3 George Larkin: The phrases that he used was very instrumental to stir knowledge, such as:
1. The why of doing something is more important than how to do it.
2. Instead of seeking new knowledge, you should dig deeper into what you know.
3. Life should be an important play. If you are going through hell, now is not the time to stop.
2.4 Patricia Hickey: Her presentation was instrumental in preparing students for professional development. She encouraged us to have students signed up for professional development. She pointed out that students should be prepared in going to an interview. To be successful, students must be:
1. Effective communicator
2. Do networking
3. Prepare their resume in a professional manner
4. Have good interviewing skills
5. Send thank you letter
Today was invigorating â from the introductions to our last speaker. Your enthusiasm to learn about General Education and ways to incorporate it into your teaching was inspiring. The energy from you and our presenters was palpable. I am always amazed how many ideas to enhance teaching and learning we get from each other when we are in a room together.
Todayâs ideas came in many forms, from the bonding experience of students walking the Brooklyn Bridge or the practical one of students completing the Title IX training together in the classroom, shared by Patricia; or Georgeâs reminders to âbe clear on the whyâ and to âdig deeperâ into a subject. Rebeccaâs âgood newsâ technique was fun and made me think that I can create more opportunities for âplayful disruptionâ in my classroom. Mary-Annâs career success presentation aligns with Gen Ed, as the goals of both initiatives foster professional success and stronger communities. I am looking forward to being with you tomorrow.
I enjoyed reading the articles because they reminded me of the different techniques that we can apply in teaching. From the introductions of attendees today, I learned that all of us not just Math faculties are facing problems with studentsâ lack of motivation to ask for help or learn the materials when they know they struggled with the class. I thought general education classes arenât that difficult for students to grasp and keep up with, but learning has been a challenge for students in general regardless of what classes they take. Now, it really makes more sense for me to be here to learn from each other about how to motivate students to learn and take the ownership of their education to be better.
The idea of walking Brooklyn Bridge reminds me the Environmental Economics class I took in City Tech when I was a student. We also had a tour to Brooklyn Navy Yard, and I found it very enjoyable experience because I was able to connect myself more with my classmates. Also, it gave me more insights about what to write for the class in which I had an opportunity to be part of Emerging Scholars Program.
First day of seminar has a lot of information that I feel like myself the need to go back to my notes to generate more ideas. I am glad that I come back to this learning lab again because learning has no end so as teaching. There is always innovation in teaching that I want to equip myself to keep up with.
1. Please comment on the tone of the first meeting. Did you feel welcome in the virtual seminar? Any thoughts about how you were asked to introduce yourself using some of the source reading?
I felt welcome immediately this morning – everyone seemed full of optimistic anticipation, the space is nicely sun-lit, and I felt a sense of common purpose. I am so glad to have the opportunity to meet professors from other departments and it seems clear that many, if not all, of us are facing similar challenges, particularly in student engagement. Introducing ourselves using a quote or excerpt from the reading seemed to give us all a great prompt to share a bit of our own experience and philosophy. Setting an intention (such as finding a quote) helps focus the act of reading, which is a device we can use in the classroom.
2. Please share a concept, idea or feeling that resonated with you, either from: 1) The New College Classroom discussion, 2) Rebecca Mazumdarâs presentation, 3) George Larkinâs presentation or 4) Patricia Hickeyâs presentation.
I was inspired by all four! I love the positivity of Rebecca Mazumdar’s “good news” beginning to her classes. But it was her description of the classroom as a play space safe enough to imagine something new that resonated the most. The four benefits of serious play: the intrinsic value of unexpected overlap, critical thinking, creative problem solving and personal agency, describe for me the perfect design studio experience. Those skills are vital for architectural design, but also for every other progressive human endeavor.
George Larkin’s remarks on making deep connections with the students and the need to eliminate the fear of failure were also very relevant for me.
Javiela’s response to the concern about the rigidity of the set curriculum was also a great reminder: energy and optimism can infuse our teaching no matter what. We can take a few minutes to explore the subject matter from our own perspective (dig deep, as George Larkin exhorted us). Coupled with our own enthusiasm, this is bound to improve engagement!
I am thrilled to participate in the General Education seminar and appreciate the opportunity to learn from other faculty members. The New College Classroom reading covered so much; it was a challenge to pick one quote or theory to incorporate into the introduction. I enjoyed hearing everyone’s quotes and why they chose them.
From the start of the pre-requisite readings until the end of the day, I found myself writing nuggets of information. As a new teacher, I am eager to engage meaningfully with the students and explore all the ways to support their success. It’s nice to know I’m not alone in getting students to ask for help or encourage them to speak up. Moving forward, I will be adding student resources to all of my syllabi.
In the New College Classroom:
Civic Engagement:
George Larkin
Place-Based Learning
Professional Development Center
1. Please comment on the tone of the first meeting. Did you feel welcome in the virtual seminar? Any thoughts about how you were asked to introduce yourself using some of the source reading?
The tone of the first meeting was welcoming, inclusive, joyful, and accommodating. I felt welcome in the seminar. Asking us to introduce ourselves using some of the source reading (and knowing beforehand that this was going to happen) was a great idea because it got me to do my reading and pay more attention to it, and it got me thinking about how this reading related to my teaching and how it could enhance my teaching.
2. Please share a concept, idea or feeling that resonated with you, either from: 1) The New College Classroom discussion, 2) Rebecca Mazumdarâs presentation, 3) George Larkinâs presentation or 4) Patricia Hickeyâs presentation.
So many ideas, concepts and feelings resonated with me today!
The first one that comes to mind is Rebecca Mazumdar’s exercise of starting class with “good news.” Especially as some of our classmates expressed what high stress our students are under these days, starting the class with “good news” could do a great job of setting a friendly tone and a safe space.
But all the speakers gave me good ideas on things I can do to make my class more effective and engaging for the students.
Thank you Prof. Effrat and Cantagallo for your beautiful reflections and feedback.
I too have been moved by The New College Classroom, each of our speakers and our collective discussion.
I appreciate the thoughtfulness that all came into the seminar with and look forward to more opportunities to work through ideas, connect and ultimately slow down, rinse and repeat as Prof. Larkins encouraged, in the coming days.
Hi, I still donât see the reflection I posted last week, so Iâll try to re-create my thoughts from the first class.
I found the environment and people very open and encouraging. It is a nice sunny room and I felt was optimistic about meeting other instructors and re-evaluating my teaching. Using a quote from the reading was a great way to start the class and give each of us a chance to introduce ourselves in a way that other fellows could connect with through their own reading and reactions.
I teach architectural design and although I am planning to create a new reading assignment, I think it will be important to make it engaging and I will use some strategies from the presentations. Iâll try to embed some activities similar to the âWhy is an Astronaut Like a Hangerâ exercise: Collaborative thinking, Comparative Analysis, Metaphoric Explanation, Augmentation and Explaining Their Logic.
I also loved the âStart with Good Newsâ and the way that positivity can foster a safe space in the classroom. Critical thinking, creative problem solving and personal agency will serve all students in all disciplines, and architectural design seems particularly well-suited to foster these skills.
So I am invigorated and looking forward to more learning, inspiration and ultimately to more better teaching.
Here was my original reflection (January 14, 2025 at 2:41 pm), which I made as copy to my computer:
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1) The tone of the first meeting was pleasant and inviting. After listening to other introductions, I introduced myself and repeated my expectations heard previously from other participants and added my own.
2.1) The New College Classroom discussion resonated that the classroom environment is always changing, which teachers must understand and try to quickly adapt to benefit the students.
2.2) Rebecca started her classes successfully due to having her students first focus on current positive experiences. Loved the quote âThe classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the classroom.â Enjoyed her separating the classroom into two groups and participate/compete in a fun game, where there is no threat or fear of failing.
2.3) George Larkin reminded us that in âtransparencyâ both teacher and students should acknowledge that we start by living in the unknown (ignorance) and through repetition of activities we learn and retain information.
Other phrases I relate to are: 1) the âWhyâ of doing something is more important than the âWhatâ you do, 2) Instead of looking for new knowledge, one should dig deeper in what one knows already, 3) If you are going through hell, ânowâ is not the time to stop, and 4) Life should be lived as (important) play.
2.4) Patricia Hickey mentioned the advantages of building relationships with the students on a one-by-one basis, giving each student a better chance of success in the classroom environment.