Digests

Cover image by Zubair Rafiq on PexelsBy Carolina Kuepper-TetzelThe feeling of belonging has been identified as an important factor in education (1) (2). The main components of student belonging are being connected to peers/teachers/institution; feeling safe and as a part of the community; feeling valued and accepted; and creating a diverse and inclusive environment (3).…

Cover image by Ylanite Koppens on PexelsBy Carolina Kuepper-TetzelNo matter whether you are a student or a teacher, sometimes it can be difficult to find motivation to start or complete a task. Instead, you may spend hours procrastinating with other activities and that opens an unhelpful cycle of stress and unhappiness. Stressful environments which are…

Cover image by Arduinna from PixabayBy Althea Need KaminskeIf you, like me, have wondered, “What are people reading on our blog this summer?” then wonder no more! I looked through our most visited pages from the beginning of June until now to see what people have been interested in so far this summer. Perhaps somewhat…

Cover image by Tara Winstead from PexelsBy Carolina Kuepper-TetzelMarking rubrics for assessments can be a powerful tool to set marking expectations and criteria for an assessment and support students in understanding the feedback they receive. Rubrics are most effective if introduced to students from the start and integrated in activities focused on the assessment. I…

Cover image by ViJakob from PixabayDigest compiled by Megan SumerackiFor those of us in the northern hemisphere, summer* is coming! Whether you have two weeks or almost two months left in your academic year, the warmer weather and growing plants are a regular reminder that we’re getting closer every day to our summer break. Summer…

Cover image by Pavel Danilyuk from PexelsDelivering engaging and effective presentations is important when it comes to teaching or when presenting work at conferences. As teachers, we may want to help our students to develop their presentation skills and prepare them to become confident speakers. Today’s digest offers resources on boosting presentation skills. 10 Tips for…

I have been following Brown University Professor and Economist Emily Oster for a number of years, basically ever since I started my journey of becoming a parent. Now, I listen to her podcast and read her newsletters (and the newsletters from the endocrinologist on her team, called “Hot Flash”) to hear from Emily and experts…

2) Yerkes-Dodson: Lore, not Law by Cindy Nebel and Stress and Memory by Althea Need KaminskeThis pair of posts is one of my favorites. We were taught that Yerkes-Dodson Law was, well, a law. When stress is too low or too high, performance suffers. Then Cindy discovered, not necessarily so. Friends, we were all blown…

cover image by Skitterphoto on PexelsThe idea of authentic assessments has been around for over 30 years now. In 1990, Grant Wiggins coined the term ‘authentic assessment’ (1) and in recent years this assessment approach has received a considerable boost. The pandemic as well as the rise of AI in education have required educators to…

1) Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ)The MSLQ is in the public domain and is free to use with acknowledgement to the authors. The MSLQ is divided into several different scales. The Motivation Scales assess Value Components (intrinsic and extrinsic task orientations, task value), Expectancy Components (control beliefs, self-efficacy), and Affective Components (test anxiety). The…