"Dangerously Thin"

Amanda writes:

In a discussion of changing cultural norms and Western culture's obsession with being dangerously thin, I show this picture. Most of the class agrees that the guy is quite handsome. Maybe he is from a fashion ad.

Then I show the whole picture, which reveals that this man is a landless farmer during the Great Depression.

"Hard Copy" word wall

In our disucssion about how to use the padlet word wall, Wes writes:

I could see something like this being very useful for a brainstorming session.  Of course this would assume they all have Internet access or you have provided a "hard copy" word wall.  I would give the students a topic or task and then have them brainstorm ideas that would go up on the wall.  We could then discuss the ideas.

Students help design space

In our discussion about using classroom space, Don writes:

As a corporate trainer, we sometimes have to make do with the classroom the client gives us.  Having a large column in the middle of the room or teaching in an L-shaped room are some of my favorite challenges.  Sometimes, I let the learners set the room up.  Let me explain...

I was doing team workshop for an administration that is part of the Department of Transportation.  They were having problems working together, communicating, making decisions, etc.  So, for this workshop, I made sure the classroom wasn't set up and kept the door locked until start time.  (That got them going.)  Then, when we got 'someone' to open the classroom, I walked in and exclaimed, "Oh no! The room isn't ready."  I asked the group, no one in particular, to set the room up while I went to talk to someone.  Then I stood in the background and watched how they worked together at a team, or didn't, how they communicated, who took charge, who stood there and did nothing, how they gathered ideas, how they made decisions, etc.  It was great stuff.  When the room setup was completed, I let them in on the secret and we debriefed the activity.  We then modeled process to gather everyone's input to get the best room setup and we were able to finish with a classroom layout that make more sense and satisfied everyone.

Building Community

Ashley writes:
I try to include projects that relate to every type of student. I engage in conversations with the students about their lifestyle (in a non personal way publicly) and share stories about mine. I try to show them that I can relate to them and that the things they go through I too have experienced. Since I teach culinary arts, i often choose dishes from native homes and have the students share their experiences about the food and how they or their families make it. I also have them pair up for an assignment where they interview their classmate about a dish they have never had before.

In what ways do you show students that you relate to them?