By: Samah Sabra
In September of my third year as an undergraduate student, I stood outside my department chatting with other returning students and a professor we all greatly respected and admired. As we spoke, he said:
“You know, people often speak of autumn as a time of death – it’s when the leaves die and fall off the trees. But I’m tied in to the academic rhythm of life; fall is a time of rebirth as campus fills up with students and comes back to life after a quiet summer.”
Over the years, as I have become more deeply tied to the academic rhythm of life, his words have become more meaningful to me. Like many of us in academia, I use the summer months to reflect on the previous year and plan for the upcoming fall and winter terms. September is when my plans find new expression: I meet new people, form new collaborative relationships, facilitate new programs and workshops, and try new things in my classes. Although September always seems to sneak up on me, it is an exciting time where just about anything feels possible.
The fourth floor of Dunton Tower reflects this excitement as new and returning teaching assistants, contract instructors and faculty drop in to ask questions or attend various events and types of training. I see a lot of people in September who stop by to grab a cup of coffee and tell me about new things they are trying in classes this fall or ask about one of our certificate programs or learning communities. I love seeing the new and returning faces and am often inspired to hear about the thought and care that instructors continue to put into course design and redesign even after decades of teaching.
In my own teaching, I add something new each year, but one thing I have not changed over the years is an activity I do on the first day of class. Students and I spend the last 20 to 30 minutes of class time working together to develop guidelines for appropriate classroom behaviour as well as our expectations of each other.
I rarely have to add things to the guidelines students define for themselves, but I have sometimes prompted them to consider things that had not yet come up. For example, students will usually come up with guidelines about listening when others are speaking, asking for clarification when unsure about something, or not engaging in personal attacks during discussions of difficult topics. I usually have to prompt them, however, to consider guidelines for their use of technology in the classroom. We then discuss their expectations of me, including how soon they can expect feedback on assignments, where I will post course material, and how I will communicate changes to the class.
I love starting the year with this activity because each group of students comes up with their own personalized list – to which we all agree to hold each other accountable – and this list reinforces for me that we are embarking on a new beginning together.
If you require any support from Teaching and Learning Services as you embark on your new fall adventures, please don’t hesitate to drop in, call or email.