NFE Reflections Rendahl 2006-7
From CTLpedia
Susan Rendahl
Architecture & Construction Programs
Design Department
Mesa Community College
480-461-7257
(mail to:srendahl@mail.mc.maricopa.edu)
My Teaching Philosophy
"I have no philosophy, my favourite thing is sitting in the studio." Arne Jacobsen, architect, designer.
As an architectural designer I can relate to the quote above. I like the part about sitting in a studio. Studios can be fun places of social interaction and collaboration, a little bit like having a party. And I admit that I have never thought about something like philosophy in relation to me personally before, let alone as to how I think about teaching.
I have been drawing houses since before kindergarten, complete with the crooked chimney streaming smoke and a smiling sun radiating from an upper corner of the paper. I kept at it and eventually wound up with a master of architecture degree. From the architecture world philosophy is about why a design professional designs the buildings and furniture they do. Teaching others was never a part of my architectural curriculum.
Fast forward about a dozen years or so. I was looking for an AutoCAD class and wound up teaching instead. How did this happen? A fast talking program director? Perhaps. But there must have been a belief in myself that I had something to offer, a desire to share my experiences from the working world. Without the confidence that I might have useful, maybe even important, information to relate to students I don’t feel I could be a convincing or effective teacher.
As part of an occupational degree program, my classes focus on skills that are a prerequisite for advanced classes, transfer to university and future employment. This is where my pragmatic/technical side takes over. So, how do I get students that have no previous experience trained as thinking skilled drafters? Drawing, drawing and more drawing. But there is more to it than that. Just as a set of architectural drawings is created in several steps, teaching someone how to draft also takes a number of approaches.
The Classroom as Studio
On the first day of class I introduce myself to the students and welcome them to our architecture studio. I feel it is important for students to understand that our classroom is more than just a lecture room, it is a room for creative pursuits, a design studio! Working one-to-one or in small student groups demonstrating drafting technique or discussing architectural design and the practical aspects of construction is a natural part of the studio environment. The studio atmosphere allows for direct interaction with students and allows me to get to know students as individuals and tailor my instruction to each student. The studio also allows me to encourage collaboration among peers. Just as in design offices I have worked in, it can spur design creativity and problem solving. I can "introduce" two or three students with similar projects and before long they are working together, helping each other solve the drafting problems and reinforcing their newly acquired skill sets.
One of the class objectives is to draft a simple set of residential plans. Students are given a program for the design of a residence and are free to create a home that meets the criteria. Ownership of this design keeps students personally invested in their project. As the head of the design studio I enjoy working with each student individually as they develop their projects. I am able to ask and answer questions, assist with design solutions, and develop a friendly rapport with each student. I feel the combination of student-student and student-teacher collaborations is an important part of the learning process in my classes and the studio environment makes this possible. In the end I hope that my students take with them an awareness of the built environment that they may never have considered before.
Skill Building
I feel it is helpful to think of drafting as similar to learning a new language. There are many architecture and construction related terms and jargon related to architectural drafting. This language, like any new language, takes time to build and is expanded upon over the course of the semester. Much of the vocabulary relates to a technical component used in the construction process. In additional to the verbal language, there is another language of symbols and graphic depictions that is employed on architectural drawings to represent the built environment that must be mastered. I like to use a series of drafting problems to build and reinforce the new languages. Drawing the symbols of the graphic language students reinforce the vocabulary of the verbal language used in the design, architecture and construction professions.
There are a quite a few tools used in the art of drafting. These tools - parallel bar, triangles, architectural scale, pencils and erasers(!) - are introduced by repeated demonstration of their proper use. Students practice and develop their skills by combining their new language and drafting tools to drafting progressively challenging exercises that demand attention to the craft, precision and accuracy.
Reflection on Scholarly Teaching and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
I remember teaching my first class at MCC, spring 2002. The course was residential drafting. About a week before the semester started, I was hired and given a notebook with a week-by-week lesson plan and assignments, a key to the file cabinet with three 30 min videos and a handful of dry erase markers. I reviewed the notebook so that at each class I was ready to "teach". As the semester progressed, I realised that my notebook of lesson plans was inadequate to the way I needed to convey information to my students. It was a frustrating semester, though I did learn that I liked teaching drafting.
My work schedule did not allow me to teach the drafting class again for another two years. I had a number of ideas that I wanted to incorporate into the course. . .
I did not realize it at the time but I was applying the basic principles of SOTL. It just seemed natural to evaluate my lectures, the assignments and the student responses and try to improve the course. I admit that until NFE I did not know there was a formal name for the self review and reflection I was doing. (Please remember I was not an education major.) I am now armed with a phrase that I can explore to a greater depth and refine the process I have already been using to improve my teaching and the courses that I teach.
As this semester draws to a close I am already considering the changes I can make for the fall semester.
Understanding of MCC Culture Gained through NFE
Instruction I knew there were many resources available to all instructors at MCC but the NFE presentations from various departments such as the Center for Teaching and Learning, Center for Service Learning and Distance Learning on campus were very informative to me. There are so many people at MCC dedicated to providing a quality, state of the art education to MCC's students. I know that if I want to apply an existing methodology or have an idea to try something new there is a huge community that can be called upon to help.
FPLC What an incredible idea! FPLCs draw people from all over the campus, out of their department compartments to investigate broad topics. The FPLC presentations made me aware that there are many dedicated, and fun, people on campus striving to make MCC a better place to work and learn.
FEP Many of the NFE discussions focused on the FEP. Naturally, many faculty were concerned about the "how to" aspects of the faculty evaluation. I feel that now I have a better understanding of why the FEP is done. Aside from asking faculty to reflect and assess their work, it can also build relationships among peers and administration. Talk about Team Effort!
Impact of NFE on my Approach to Teaching
This year the NFE has given me so much information about the many resources available to me to assist my teaching. My promise to myself is that I try at least one new thing each semester. I'm on the Honor System now. I ought to be able to "learn" how to employ some new tools.
The text, regarding first year college students, and our NFE discussions about the text has had the most immediate impact on my teaching. I often wondered if the author wrote the text with serious convictions or as a provactive tool to prompt readers to self evaluate the way they approach their classes. To me, the recurring theme is that as an instructor I need to treat every student as a unique, human individual. This doesn't mean I have treated my students indifferently before. The discussions really served to remind me that students deserve to be treated with politeness and respect. The NFE discussions also allowed me to hear how other faculty and programs approach teaching. I have been evaluating my drafting course to see if I could refresh some of my lectures and demonstrations using the ideas I have heard at NFE.
Reflection on my Experience in the NFE Community
My favorite part of every NFE meeting was the discussion session with the other new faculty. The conversation was always lively. Many of the discussion topics provided a great foundation for passionate personal reflections on teaching in general and especially at Mesa Community College. I was always amazed by the wide range of backgrounds my peers and the variety of programs that they represented.
At each meeting I was able to sit with someone new and speak with them on a more personal level. Hearing about what others were doing in there classes gave me some ideas that I might be able to apply to my own. Hearing about the diversity of what my peers are teaching, such as forensic anthropology or business ethics, was intriguing to me too. The nursing faculty also seemed to keep our group grounded by reminding us all that a 70% passing score also means that 30% of the time the students are failing, hurting their future clients.
Reflection on My Future as a Member of the MCC Community
I have been coming to the MCC campus since Spring 2002 as an adjunct faculty member. This year I am an OYO (One Year Only) filling in for a faculty member on sabbatical. I admit that over the years I have just come in on my days to teach and then went home. I knew only a limited group of people from my department. I knew that there were professional activities and events on campus but had no idea as to the number and variety.
The New Faculty Experience has made me aware of the many things this year. What stands out most to me is the congenial attitude of everyone I have met through NFE. The many presenters over the year have demonstrated to me a passion for education that is contagious. My peers have impressed me with their various backgrounds and specialties and their enthusiasm to share it with others. The encouragement I received from Jonelle always made me feel like I was important to the success of MCC.
Who wouldn't want to become a member of such a supportive and friendly environment like this?
Next fall I will likely be returning to my adjunct teaching schedule as my year as an OYO ends soon. I know that my experiences in NFE have inspired me to be more than a "part-time" teacher. I now have a network of people and services to draw on when I have questions about teaching. I know that I would be welcomed to participate in and contribute to almost any school activity on campus. I look forward to a future time when I can apply for and earn a resident faculty position here at MCC.
