The Teaching Commons had a strong showing at this year's Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) conference in Sherbrooke, QC. Each of us has reflected on our experience and shared our insights and new ideas in the conference report below.
Our Director, Celia Popovic, reflected on a wealth of diverse experiences and learning moments at the conference.
STLHE is one of the larger conferences that I attend, with participants from my field of educational development as well as faculty and students from across institutions. With many parallel sessions and 3 presentations of my own, it is possible for several to attend and yet all to get a different experience. I suspect this was the case this year with several of us attending from the Teaching Commons. I presented on three areas of work – the SoTL guide, using Lego in the classroom and ethical dilemmas faced by educational developers. All three were in collaboration with a colleague or colleagues from the Teaching Commons. I also attended some inspirational sessions, one of which (using a graphic novel as a way to interpret the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Report) may lead to a workshop here at York. In summary, this was an invigorating experience, that included reflection, learning and team bonding. What more could one want?
Natasha May, Educational Developer, shared her research “What is gained from unpacking mathematics?” that she undertook as part of the Teaching Commons’ EduCATE course. She enjoyed all of the conversations that her poster inspired with both math and non-math educators. The focus of the conversations was on what Natasha did in her course, as opposed to the qualitative results she presented on the poster. Natasha was also busy engaging with the community as she took the lead for the adjudication of the TAGSA award for outstanding conference session led by a graduate student.
Mandy Frake-Mistak, Educational Developer, had many responsibilities at the conference, and reflects on her opportunity to engage with emerging student leaders in education.
In addition to two presentations: Insights into how to best support SoTL researchers and Ethical Dealings as Developers: Adapting Practices to Evolving Cultures, my role as secretary on the Educational Developers Caucus (EDC) required a number of additional responsibilities both before the official start of the conference as well as throughout the conference time itself. These responsibilities largely included Executive meetings, planning and leading the EDC General meetings for our constituent members. My most meaningful engagement during my time in Sherbrooke was with the 3M National Student Fellows. This group of 10 students (undergraduate and graduate) have received this prestigious fellowship for educational leadership, and were tasked with leading the closing plenary. As their retreat facilitator I worked with them throughout the week as they developed a sense of identity as National Student Fellows and as the 2018 cohort.
Alice Kim, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Teaching Commons (TC), took the lead on presenting the research conducted to date at the TC on how we can best support SoTL researchers at York. She presented the study findings alongside TC colleagues, Celia, Mandy and Geneviève, serving as co-investigators on the study. She also attended many uplifting sessions and was particularly moved by those that focused on decolonization in the classroom and the use of sketching (not drawing in the sense of art) to facilitate the process of creative thinking.
Geneviève Maheux-Pelletier, Educational Developer, discovered important insights in working with others and building relationships in our field and in the workplace.
My take-away from SLTHE 2018 may sound overly simple, but it is about the power of listening. In one workshop, we considered how being part of different networks brings certain narratives to the forefront. The facilitators encouraged us to recognize that ALL the narratives that float around about a particular issue are TRUE to the people evoking them (whether or not these narratives are factually correct). This reminded me of another conversation I had during a PD session here at York about the ladder of inference, i.e., the stories we tell ourselves by selecting certain facts or behaviour based on our beliefs and prior experiences and interpreting them against our existing set of assumptions. I often forget that my truth isn’t the only worthy one.
These thoughts linger with me as I approach new tasks or engage in conversation in my everyday life, and they connect to another session I attended at STLHE on design thinking. The facilitator explained that empathy, i.e., trying to understand the problem we are trying to solve WITH the intended user, should be the starting/recurring point of creative design. In my own work, creating contexts where stories can be shared, perspectives can be heard, and people with diverse needs and goals can be included is something I wish to be more intentional about.
Lisa Endersby, Educational Developer, also reflected on her experiences engaging with a diverse group of colleagues and an equally diverse range of ideas.
Conferences are always an interesting and important time for me; they allow me to simultaneously pause to reflect on my work while also being even more fully immersed in the role of and issues in educational development. This year's STLHE conference offered the opportunity to share ideas related to reflective learning in two interactive workshops: in one, I co-facilitated a discussion of a new model for critical reflection with my colleague Genevieve, and in a second I engaged participants in the use of LEGO as a tool for reflection alongside our Director Celia and our colleague Nicola from Brock University.
In both sessions, I was inspired by our colleagues' willingness to share their own ideas and insights. In our day to day work, inside our own offices and institutions, we can fall into habits that, while productive, don't always offer a window to the exciting array of initiatives our peers are engaged in. Learning from and with each other at the conference has helped me to work toward making reflection a more daily habit. Taking moments or minutes to pause is akin to small moments of professional development and personal wellness. I look forward to building on, and continuing to reflect on, many of the ideas we have brought back from Quebec.
