December 17, 2024 • 21 mins
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Unlock effective teaching strategies that resonate with today’s students in a post-pandemic world. Kathleen D'Alfonso, adjunct instructor in UB’s Education Opportunity Program, shares innovative techniques for creating accessible, engaging learning experiences—like daily planners, color-coded assignments, and personalized communication. Drawing from hands-on experience, Kathleen tackles modern challenges, from time management to writing conventions, while balancing empathy and firmness.
Educators today are not just teachers but authentic guides and learners themselves. Kathleen explores the essential qualities—trust, adaptability, and professionalism—that inspire student engagement across formats. From practical course design tips to ethical AI use in academia, this episode is filled with actionable insights to help you meet the evolving needs of your students.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Maggie Grady (00:04):
Hello and welcome to another episode of the
Teaching Table podcast, where weexplore innovative teaching
methods, dynamic facultyexperiences and the intersection
of learning and technology.
Hosted by the University ofBuffalo's Office of Curriculum,
Assessment, and TeachingTransformation, otherwise known
as CATT, and supported by theGenteels' Excellence in Teaching
(00:24):
Fund.
The podcast is dedicated tohighlighting the journeys toward
educational excellence.
I'm Maggie Grady, a learningdesigner in CATT, and today
we're diving into a topic that'scrucial in today's educational
landscape (00:40):
reaching today's students.
Our guest today is , andadjunct instructor in the
Educational Opportunity Programhere at UB, who has been at the
forefront of adapting teachingstrategies to meet the evolving
needs of modern students.
And, Kathleen, thank you forjoining us.
Kathleen D'Alfonso (01:00):
Thank you so much for inviting me to
participate in this podcast.
I look forward to sharing myexperiences that I have about
reaching today's students.
Maggie Grady (01:07):
Yay, so you're new to being an adjunct instructor,
so still kind of studying andlearning the craft.
How do you think that that'sprepared you to your current
role and what you do?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (01:22):
Well, I always reflect on how I learned
best in the classroom and how Icontinue to learn best, and
every time I approach a studentI ask myself how would I have
benefited from the sameinteraction?
So I prioritize meetingstudents where they're at and
trying to get a sense of whatwould make sense to them based
on their lived experiences.
(01:43):
Many students that I interactwith aren't in my major, so I
try to ask them questions to getto know them a little bit
before I answer questions.
Maggie Grady (01:52):
I love that.
I love that you're trying tomeet them where they're at,
which is super beneficial.
So, to start, I'd love to hearyour thought on how today's
students are different fromthose in previous generations.
I know from this side ofteaching and pedagogy, I see
things are completely different,but I'd love to hear your
perspectives.
And then, furthermore, whatchanges have you noticed in
(02:14):
terms of their learningpreferences, their motivations
and their challenges, thingsthat may be impacted or that
their learning is impacted by?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (02:25):
Yeah well, I began interacting with students
as faculty at the tail end ofthe COVID pandemic quarantine
and this is when studentsstarted transitioning back to
in-person classes.
There was certainly a shift instudents going through the
motions of classes toprioritizing the communication
of their needs to faculty.
In terms of learningpreferences, students are
(02:46):
wanting to have materialaccessible at all times.
They have been more vocal aboutneeding to have these
expectations communicated inmore than one place.
So how I do that in my classesis I develop a daily planner
going over what topic we'll bediscussing, readings they should
do, assignments upcoming and Icolor code based on the
assignment.
I have in every modulerecommendations for completing
(03:10):
objectives on the website, so Igive an order that I think would
be best maybe reading,attending lecture, doing the
assignment.
All my assignments come with arubric that I use to grade and
the lecture slides themselvesopen with an agenda and close
with what you should be doing bynext time.
Maggie Grady (03:26):
Yeah.
Kathleen D'Alfonso (03:27):
Trust has definitely become a part of
students' motivation in theclassroom, particularly that the
professor has 1.
Expertise and 2.
They want the professor to wantthem to succeed as much as they
want to.
It's not just about the gradesanymore.
Students are eager to getsomething more out of the class,
and the common challenges thatI met within the classroom are
(03:50):
students being at differentstages of skills needed to learn
this content.
So a big one has been timemanagement, including not only
getting their assignments in bythe due date, but also leaving
enough time to reach out to askclarifying questions.
Many are unaware of differentwriting conventions, including
how to write an email, how toapproach an informal assignment
(04:11):
versus a formal essay, and ithas certainly been more hands-on
getting them invested inlearning the ways that even
active reading and taking notesare transferable skills outside
the classroom.
Maggie Grady (04:22):
So do you have examples of all of those that
you just mentioned?
I'm assuming you do right?
Oh, of course.
Kathleen D'Alfonso (04:28):
With writing essays.
I, as a student myself duringthe height of COVID, I was left
alone.
Really, if I didn't reach outto my professor, they wouldn't
know that I need something.
And I had to learn and practicehow to write emails because I
noticed if I'm not clear anddirect, it'll take longer for a
response.
If I don't get to the point,like setting up an agenda for my
(04:51):
meetings, we won't get throughwhat I actually need to do In
terms of informal assignments.
It was certainly a shift for mecoming from undergraduate to
graduate, because we did moreinformal activities in undergrad
, talking about I me, myexperiences, versus in grad
school.
They want to know well, howdoes research apply to push
(05:14):
literature forward?
Right, and I feel like havingthese different approaches and
different exposures for thestudent helps them realize
between normative claims andones that are really supported.
Maggie Grady (05:29):
Okay, so let's move on to that.
Balance is very important.
Obviously, along with creatinga supportive environment,
there's also the need to buildstudent skills through course
content and you kind of justmentioned some of those things
and using those transferableskills and experiential learning
I heard you mention, so can youspeak a little bit more about
that, and what are some of yourtop tips for effectively
(05:50):
incorporating skill buildinginto your curriculum?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (05:54):
Yeah, well, in terms of balancing firmness
with empathy, I'm a really bigadvocate for emphasizing
remaining goal oriented.
We often get caught in thedetails and we don't focus on
pushing ourselves forward, so Ihave clear expectations that I
rule out with practicalapproaches on how to get there.
The biggest challenge that Ifelt as a student was I didn't
(06:17):
know how to meet theexpectations, so I try to lay
that all out.
For instance, they have accessto the rubrics I use to grade,
as well as policies for latenessand regrading.
At the start of the semester,we have many open conversations.
I establish my role in theclassroom as someone both
teaching content but also how toachieve those best outcomes.
(06:37):
I communicate their role asautonomous learners where it's
their responsibility to completetasks according to the course
schedule and timely let-me-knowbarriers to their success.
I recognize that there areadditional resources on campus
that can support us achieve ourgoals, so that could be the
Writing Center, the library, twosources I frequently use.
But above all, I'm here fortheir learning, whether that be
(07:00):
opportunities for growth orrecognizing what they do well on
.
They're bright students who arecapable of doing anything they
put their mind to, and notmeeting every single requirement
in my class doesn't definetheir success as a student, nor
how much they are capable ofachieving, and I don't want to
push my students through theclass and I don't, and I make
that clear to them.
They need to want their successas much as I do.
(07:21):
So to try and really put thataccountability on them, I reach
out about one-third of the waythrough the semester to any
students under a B and I remindthem of their thoughts, their
current grade and our goals andexpectations moving forward, and
how are you identifying thosestudents under the B-?
(07:42):
UB Learns, they also puttogether an Excel sheet.
When the classes get largerit's hard to distinguish between
numbers and quality.
So every time I grade anassignment I put into my Excel
sheet if a student's turning insomething late or if it's not
turned in at all.
So that way when we go and sitdown I can see why their
accumulated grade is that way.
(08:03):
And of course, if they'reraising their hand and
participating a lot in class, Ican also acknowledge what
they're doing good on.
Maggie Grady (08:09):
What other resources do you promote or do
you offer?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (08:13):
Oh, I talk about accessibility resources at
the start of the semester.
When I was teaching aneducation opportunity program
this past summer, one of mystudents was falling behind the
first week and I sat and talkedwith them.
They have dyslexia and theydidn't know that there was that
extra resource available to thembecause it was their first time
on campus and I feel like Ioverlooked some of the skills
(08:37):
building into my curriculum.
I mentioned before ourinterview that I was a former
general manager of Tim Hortonsand I'm always communicating to
my students the ways that staffstood out to me on the team in a
professional setting, so thatway they can kind of look
forward past school into theircareer.
It was my team's ability tofollow a schedule in the
classroom that's coming to classon time, communicating to both
(09:00):
different members of the teamand to clients, and capitalize
on integrating feedback.
My ideal vision for leaders wasnot the all-star, perfect
worker all the time.
It was someone that took everyopportunity to grow graciously,
and this is also true in theclassroom.
So I aim to multi-purpose theclassroom resources that I give
my students.
(09:20):
So the daily planner Imentioned earlier is for
students to be able to followtheir set tasks.
Print it out.
It's one page, but I use thatas a grading schedule too, so
I'm able to multi-purpose thatfor myself.
At the start of the semester Imake cards for tips on how to be
prepared for class, what tolook out for in readings, and on
(09:44):
the back, carol gave me a listof motivation strategies that
her undergraduate students feltwere important.
So I give that to my studentsand I mention her students on
the cards Also.
Something really big in today'sstudents is reaching each other
, and a lot of them areapprehensive to meet new people
face to face.
So I give out separate cardsfor icebreakers when you're
meeting a new person and on theback, respectful discussion
(10:06):
reminders, and many studentshave told me that they use a lot
of these materials in theirreal life situations.
And with my assignments I striveto create a community, because
it's not just learning from me,it's learning from each other,
learning from guest speakers, somy assignments feed into each
other in different kinds ofgenres.
(10:26):
Their informal assignmentbuilds throughout the semester,
beginning as a paper topic,building into a presentation,
and each step of the way I givethem feedback With their
informal writing.
The journal entry reads like adiary.
Students take content fromclass and apply it to their
everyday experiences.
At the end of each lecture Ihave them jot down two sentences
(10:48):
about how the course contentfrom the day relates to them,
with the objective that theystart thinking forward about
something they will explore intheir journal entry.
Sentences about how the coursecontent from the day relates to
them, with the objective thatthey start thinking forward
about something they willexplore in their journal entry.
So they practice communicatingin two sentences and 300 words.
And then for that, communitybuilding, again, I have
integrated a component duringclass where they reflect with
peers on material.
This is newer for me.
(11:08):
My students communicated.
They wanted me to do this andit's been going wonderful so far
.
I have discussion board postson Brightspace that build on
these discussions they share inclass.
So they practice givingfeedback and contributions in
class and through responding topeers on their posts.
So through this practicing andgiving and receiving feedback, I
encourage students to bemindful of all the potential
(11:31):
social networks that can befound in this setting.
I encourage students to bemindful of all the potential
social networks that can befound in this setting, not just
myself, but peers as well.
Maggie Grady (11:36):
Yeah, I think peer learning is super important,
and sometimes they listen totheir peers a little bit more
than you, so which is which isfine.
It's, however, you're going tolearn and as long as it's the
right content, great let's letthem do that.
Kathleen D'Alfonso (11:52):
I find a lot of exceptional leaders in the
classroom when they get excitedto teach their peers something
that maybe I didn't explain onthe ground enough, they're like.
I just heard it the other dayOne of my students sitting in
the front row.
He said this is what she meantby this question.
Here's an example of how toapproach it and the student was
like I didn't think of it thatway.
Maggie Grady (12:11):
I was just like, yes, great, that would be good.
You could even have aconversation like that and say
you know, I just overheard this,does anybody have anything to
add to that?
And like open that up to the,to the class, and just that
would get that conversationgoing and making them all feel
valued and heard and buildstrust.
And builds trust exactly yes,go ahead and talk.
(12:32):
Go ahead, because some of thestudents come in and they're not
prepared to engage with theteachers.
They're ready to just be apassive sit and listen and
that's how their formative yearswere.
So to come to an American kindof educational system where we
want them to engage and we wantthem to talk, sometimes that's a
(12:52):
little challenging and you knowyou've got to just break those
barriers down and say it's okay,we want to hear your voice.
Yeah, I taught plenty ofstudents here that exact same
scenario.
And they looked at me and theysaid, well, you're the expert.
And I said, well, yes, but Iwant to hear what you have to
hear to say about that.
(13:13):
And they kind of looked at meand they said, well, you're the
expert.
And I said, well, yes, but Iwant to hear what you have to
say about that and they kind oflooked at me and they go really,
and I go yes, I do.
I think you have really goodthoughts.
It's important, it's superimportant.
I agree with you on that.
Okay, so, looking forward, whatdo you see as the most?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (13:34):
important skills or attributes that
educators need to develop tocontinue effectively reaching
students in the future.
So I think being personable,authentic and having the ability
to earn empathy are crucial foreducators.
First and foremost, we are ateam.
The class cannot run withoutboth myself and the students, so
educators shouldenthusiastically come to help
students learn.
(13:55):
I constantly consider thequalities of my most impactful
professors when reflecting on myapproach.
Regardless of the material Ishare with the students, my
passions for the course and thistends to vary because you don't
get the same class every timeit could be the content,
teaching in general or sharingmeaningful discussions.
Being a teacher means that youyourself are in the pursuit of
(14:18):
knowledge, so the whole teamshould prioritize growth over
perfection.
Educators are embarking on ajourney alongside their students
, so having adaptability is agreat thing.
We need to expect from ourstudents what they expect in us,
and that's taking initiative toadjust where we need to.
My courses look completelydifferent from the first time I
(14:39):
taught a class, and everysemester they change drastically
.
So building empathy throughearning trust is a big one.
Take every opportunity to set agood example.
This includes coming preparedto class, sending professional
emails and respectfullyanswering student questions and
comments.
I notice students will try toemulate the educator's behavior.
(15:01):
I had one student over thesummer.
He was asking questions everyline of every PowerPoint slide
and I noticed that some of thestudents in the room were
adjusting their positions intheir seats.
And when I answered thequestions in the same way every
time, no matter how frequent thequestions were, of course, if
(15:22):
it took up too much time, Ireminded them that we have space
to ask questions every otherslide.
But students emulated that theywere respectful in the small
groups or even sendingprofessional emails.
My students do the kind regardsnow or they open up with I hope
you're doing well today andit's really sweet to meet them
(15:44):
where they're at, to where theyfeel comfortable sending that
same kind of message.
Maggie Grady (15:49):
So something a little pointer for for you while
you're growing as an educatorand you're saying that, you're
reflecting on your teaching andyou're changing your classes,
you document all of that and putthat in your teaching
philosophy.
They want to see all that.
If you're going to go up for,like tenure or anything like
that, they want to see howyou've grown, and that's a
perfect way of doing it so youcan see where you've started,
(16:09):
where you, where you are now,and then reflect upon that, keep
going and as you move on,you're going to go.
Oh my gosh, I used to do thisand learn from it.
Yeah, so a little tip there.
Thank you, you're welcome.
I have to throw in AI.
What's your thought on AI?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (16:25):
I let them know that what's important in
the classroom is how the coursematerial, the readings in the
lecture, are playing into theirassignment.
So if they're going off thegrid and using AI, they won't be
getting the most out of theclass.
Because I want to know whatthey are learning.
If I'm unsure where they'recoming from, I can't help them
(16:47):
to the best of my ability and Iexplain to them.
That's why we break up our bigpaper into five components,
ending on that presentation.
So I tell them you can rely onme for feedback.
Take my word, I will give youfeedback to push you forward.
And it's better to practice andbe slow at first, because that
(17:08):
builds efficiency.
If you shortcut first, becausethat builds efficiency.
If you shortcut, you're goingto become sloppy.
I acknowledge media literacy isimportant.
Ethically, using AI makes senseIf you're writing an outline
before you transfer it.
In your own words, being ableto brainstorm ideas is a really
good place for AI.
(17:28):
But in terms of turning in theassignment, on my syllabus it
says absolutely not.
Maggie Grady (17:33):
But they know they can come and ask me questions
about it, yeah, so they need tobe authentic, so okay, so,
speaking of course, design, sowe talked a little bit about
that, but today's highereducation landscape includes
various course formulas twoweeks intensives, five-week
modules and the traditional15-week semester.
(17:55):
How do you achieve practicalscaffolding and maintain student
engagement across thesedifferent formats?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (18:03):
Well, I've definitely taught in all of
those formats in person, online.
In designing these differentformats, my approach centers on
scaffolding and engagement, so Imap out a daily planner to
start with.
I look at all of the key topicsand assignments that I want
them to get done and I make surethe goals are realistic,
balancing the workload based onthe lecture readings.
(18:25):
So, to maintain consistency, Iensure that the assignments are
structured similarly acrossformats, but I adjust the pacing
so, for example, in a two-weekintensive, students might have
assignments due more frequently,while in a 15-week course I can
space out the deadlines.
Regardless of the format, thereadings, lectures and
assignments are tightlyintegrated to create a fair and
(18:48):
manageable learning experience.
I give them a little implicitmotivation as well.
In my lectures I always say Ican't believe we're already
almost done with the semesterand it's only week three.
I want you to know you're doinga 15-week class in five weeks
or in two weeks, and I remindthem how proud they should be of
themselves to keep pushing.
And I emphasize clearcommunication.
(19:10):
I use UB Learn's announcementsand emails to guide the students
because for myself I needscheduling in three different
places or it goes over my head,so I assume the same for them.
I offer a recommended order forcompleting the tasks, and
accessibility is key.
I make sure everything fromlecture slides to assignment
links are easily accessiblethrough the course website, and
(19:34):
I also found out through askingquestions that other UB services
, including librarians, arehappy and willing to record
helpful tips and presentationsfor my asynchronous classes.
So it gives that little touchthat maybe you feel like you're
going to miss if you're not inperson.
But building on to ourconversations about being
personable and authentic, I letstudents know about what studies
(19:56):
or research that I'm working onthroughout that time frame.
So some of my recent examplesinclude studying for qualifying
exams or attending conferencesin my field and working on
research that's feeding into mydissertation.
They feel really excited toknow that we're all working on
applying skills from contentwe've learned in similar
settings.
Maggie Grady (20:17):
Okay, so thank you so much, Kathleen, for sharing
your insights with us today.
It's clear that reachingtoday's students is very
important to you, and I love allof your different techniques
and your strategy, so thank youagain for sharing that with us.
Your flexible approach, yourexperiences, provide valuable
guidance for educatorseverywhere.
(20:37):
So do you have any finalthoughts that you'd like to
share with our listeners?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (20:41):
Just keep in mind the same courses have very
similar content, but everyclass has different needs, so
remaining adaptable and usingthese adjustments to build onto
empathy and future course prepis crucial.
So we should value our growthover perfection just as much as
we do the students.
Maggie Grady (21:00):
Thank you to our listeners for tuning into this
episode of the Teaching Tablepodcast.
If you enjoyed today'sdiscussion, be sure to subscribe
and leave us a review.
We'll be back soon with moreconversations on teaching,
learning and technology, anduntil then, keep exploring new
ways to reach and inspire yourstudents.
As always, be sure to connectwith us online at buffalo.
edu/catt that's C-A-T-T or emailus at ubcatt@ buffalo.
(21:26):
edu.
Hello and welcome to another episode of the
Teaching Table podcast, where weexplore innovative teaching
methods, dynamic facultyexperiences and the intersection
of learning and technology.
Hosted by the University ofBuffalo's Office of Curriculum,
Assessment, and TeachingTransformation, otherwise known
as CATT, and supported by theGenteels' Excellence in Teaching
(00:24):
Fund.
The podcast is dedicated tohighlighting the journeys toward
educational excellence.
I'm Maggie Grady, a learningdesigner in CATT, and today
we're diving into a topic that'scrucial in today's educational
landscape (00:40):
reaching today's students.
Our guest today is , andadjunct instructor in the
Educational Opportunity Programhere at UB, who has been at the
forefront of adapting teachingstrategies to meet the evolving
needs of modern students.
And, Kathleen, thank you forjoining us.
Kathleen D'Alfonso (01:00):
Thank you so much for inviting me to
participate in this podcast.
I look forward to sharing myexperiences that I have about
reaching today's students.
Maggie Grady (01:07):
Yay, so you're new to being an adjunct instructor,
so still kind of studying andlearning the craft.
How do you think that that'sprepared you to your current
role and what you do?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (01:22):
Well, I always reflect on how I learned
best in the classroom and how Icontinue to learn best, and
every time I approach a studentI ask myself how would I have
benefited from the sameinteraction?
So I prioritize meetingstudents where they're at and
trying to get a sense of whatwould make sense to them based
on their lived experiences.
(01:43):
Many students that I interactwith aren't in my major, so I
try to ask them questions to getto know them a little bit
before I answer questions.
Maggie Grady (01:52):
I love that.
I love that you're trying tomeet them where they're at,
which is super beneficial.
So, to start, I'd love to hearyour thought on how today's
students are different fromthose in previous generations.
I know from this side ofteaching and pedagogy, I see
things are completely different,but I'd love to hear your
perspectives.
And then, furthermore, whatchanges have you noticed in
(02:14):
terms of their learningpreferences, their motivations
and their challenges, thingsthat may be impacted or that
their learning is impacted by?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (02:25):
Yeah well, I began interacting with students
as faculty at the tail end ofthe COVID pandemic quarantine
and this is when studentsstarted transitioning back to
in-person classes.
There was certainly a shift instudents going through the
motions of classes toprioritizing the communication
of their needs to faculty.
In terms of learningpreferences, students are
(02:46):
wanting to have materialaccessible at all times.
They have been more vocal aboutneeding to have these
expectations communicated inmore than one place.
So how I do that in my classesis I develop a daily planner
going over what topic we'll bediscussing, readings they should
do, assignments upcoming and Icolor code based on the
assignment.
I have in every modulerecommendations for completing
(03:10):
objectives on the website, so Igive an order that I think would
be best maybe reading,attending lecture, doing the
assignment.
All my assignments come with arubric that I use to grade and
the lecture slides themselvesopen with an agenda and close
with what you should be doing bynext time.
Maggie Grady (03:26):
Yeah.
Kathleen D'Alfonso (03:27):
Trust has definitely become a part of
students' motivation in theclassroom, particularly that the
professor has 1.
Expertise and 2.
They want the professor to wantthem to succeed as much as they
want to.
It's not just about the gradesanymore.
Students are eager to getsomething more out of the class,
and the common challenges thatI met within the classroom are
(03:50):
students being at differentstages of skills needed to learn
this content.
So a big one has been timemanagement, including not only
getting their assignments in bythe due date, but also leaving
enough time to reach out to askclarifying questions.
Many are unaware of differentwriting conventions, including
how to write an email, how toapproach an informal assignment
(04:11):
versus a formal essay, and ithas certainly been more hands-on
getting them invested inlearning the ways that even
active reading and taking notesare transferable skills outside
the classroom.
Maggie Grady (04:22):
So do you have examples of all of those that
you just mentioned?
I'm assuming you do right?
Oh, of course.
Kathleen D'Alfonso (04:28):
With writing essays.
I, as a student myself duringthe height of COVID, I was left
alone.
Really, if I didn't reach outto my professor, they wouldn't
know that I need something.
And I had to learn and practicehow to write emails because I
noticed if I'm not clear anddirect, it'll take longer for a
response.
If I don't get to the point,like setting up an agenda for my
(04:51):
meetings, we won't get throughwhat I actually need to do In
terms of informal assignments.
It was certainly a shift for mecoming from undergraduate to
graduate, because we did moreinformal activities in undergrad
, talking about I me, myexperiences, versus in grad
school.
They want to know well, howdoes research apply to push
(05:14):
literature forward?
Right, and I feel like havingthese different approaches and
different exposures for thestudent helps them realize
between normative claims andones that are really supported.
Maggie Grady (05:29):
Okay, so let's move on to that.
Balance is very important.
Obviously, along with creatinga supportive environment,
there's also the need to buildstudent skills through course
content and you kind of justmentioned some of those things
and using those transferableskills and experiential learning
I heard you mention, so can youspeak a little bit more about
that, and what are some of yourtop tips for effectively
(05:50):
incorporating skill buildinginto your curriculum?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (05:54):
Yeah, well, in terms of balancing firmness
with empathy, I'm a really bigadvocate for emphasizing
remaining goal oriented.
We often get caught in thedetails and we don't focus on
pushing ourselves forward, so Ihave clear expectations that I
rule out with practicalapproaches on how to get there.
The biggest challenge that Ifelt as a student was I didn't
(06:17):
know how to meet theexpectations, so I try to lay
that all out.
For instance, they have accessto the rubrics I use to grade,
as well as policies for latenessand regrading.
At the start of the semester,we have many open conversations.
I establish my role in theclassroom as someone both
teaching content but also how toachieve those best outcomes.
(06:37):
I communicate their role asautonomous learners where it's
their responsibility to completetasks according to the course
schedule and timely let-me-knowbarriers to their success.
I recognize that there areadditional resources on campus
that can support us achieve ourgoals, so that could be the
Writing Center, the library, twosources I frequently use.
But above all, I'm here fortheir learning, whether that be
(07:00):
opportunities for growth orrecognizing what they do well on
.
They're bright students who arecapable of doing anything they
put their mind to, and notmeeting every single requirement
in my class doesn't definetheir success as a student, nor
how much they are capable ofachieving, and I don't want to
push my students through theclass and I don't, and I make
that clear to them.
They need to want their successas much as I do.
(07:21):
So to try and really put thataccountability on them, I reach
out about one-third of the waythrough the semester to any
students under a B and I remindthem of their thoughts, their
current grade and our goals andexpectations moving forward, and
how are you identifying thosestudents under the B-?
(07:42):
UB Learns, they also puttogether an Excel sheet.
When the classes get largerit's hard to distinguish between
numbers and quality.
So every time I grade anassignment I put into my Excel
sheet if a student's turning insomething late or if it's not
turned in at all.
So that way when we go and sitdown I can see why their
accumulated grade is that way.
(08:03):
And of course, if they'reraising their hand and
participating a lot in class, Ican also acknowledge what
they're doing good on.
Maggie Grady (08:09):
What other resources do you promote or do
you offer?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (08:13):
Oh, I talk about accessibility resources at
the start of the semester.
When I was teaching aneducation opportunity program
this past summer, one of mystudents was falling behind the
first week and I sat and talkedwith them.
They have dyslexia and theydidn't know that there was that
extra resource available to thembecause it was their first time
on campus and I feel like Ioverlooked some of the skills
(08:37):
building into my curriculum.
I mentioned before ourinterview that I was a former
general manager of Tim Hortonsand I'm always communicating to
my students the ways that staffstood out to me on the team in a
professional setting, so thatway they can kind of look
forward past school into theircareer.
It was my team's ability tofollow a schedule in the
classroom that's coming to classon time, communicating to both
(09:00):
different members of the teamand to clients, and capitalize
on integrating feedback.
My ideal vision for leaders wasnot the all-star, perfect
worker all the time.
It was someone that took everyopportunity to grow graciously,
and this is also true in theclassroom.
So I aim to multi-purpose theclassroom resources that I give
my students.
(09:20):
So the daily planner Imentioned earlier is for
students to be able to followtheir set tasks.
Print it out.
It's one page, but I use thatas a grading schedule too, so
I'm able to multi-purpose thatfor myself.
At the start of the semester Imake cards for tips on how to be
prepared for class, what tolook out for in readings, and on
(09:44):
the back, carol gave me a listof motivation strategies that
her undergraduate students feltwere important.
So I give that to my studentsand I mention her students on
the cards Also.
Something really big in today'sstudents is reaching each other
, and a lot of them areapprehensive to meet new people
face to face.
So I give out separate cardsfor icebreakers when you're
meeting a new person and on theback, respectful discussion
(10:06):
reminders, and many studentshave told me that they use a lot
of these materials in theirreal life situations.
And with my assignments I striveto create a community, because
it's not just learning from me,it's learning from each other,
learning from guest speakers, somy assignments feed into each
other in different kinds ofgenres.
(10:26):
Their informal assignmentbuilds throughout the semester,
beginning as a paper topic,building into a presentation,
and each step of the way I givethem feedback With their
informal writing.
The journal entry reads like adiary.
Students take content fromclass and apply it to their
everyday experiences.
At the end of each lecture Ihave them jot down two sentences
(10:48):
about how the course contentfrom the day relates to them,
with the objective that theystart thinking forward about
something they will explore intheir journal entry.
Sentences about how the coursecontent from the day relates to
them, with the objective thatthey start thinking forward
about something they willexplore in their journal entry.
So they practice communicatingin two sentences and 300 words.
And then for that, communitybuilding, again, I have
integrated a component duringclass where they reflect with
peers on material.
This is newer for me.
(11:08):
My students communicated.
They wanted me to do this andit's been going wonderful so far
.
I have discussion board postson Brightspace that build on
these discussions they share inclass.
So they practice givingfeedback and contributions in
class and through responding topeers on their posts.
So through this practicing andgiving and receiving feedback, I
encourage students to bemindful of all the potential
(11:31):
social networks that can befound in this setting.
I encourage students to bemindful of all the potential
social networks that can befound in this setting, not just
myself, but peers as well.
Maggie Grady (11:36):
Yeah, I think peer learning is super important,
and sometimes they listen totheir peers a little bit more
than you, so which is which isfine.
It's, however, you're going tolearn and as long as it's the
right content, great let's letthem do that.
Kathleen D'Alfonso (11:52):
I find a lot of exceptional leaders in the
classroom when they get excitedto teach their peers something
that maybe I didn't explain onthe ground enough, they're like.
I just heard it the other dayOne of my students sitting in
the front row.
He said this is what she meantby this question.
Here's an example of how toapproach it and the student was
like I didn't think of it thatway.
Maggie Grady (12:11):
I was just like, yes, great, that would be good.
You could even have aconversation like that and say
you know, I just overheard this,does anybody have anything to
add to that?
And like open that up to the,to the class, and just that
would get that conversationgoing and making them all feel
valued and heard and buildstrust.
And builds trust exactly yes,go ahead and talk.
(12:32):
Go ahead, because some of thestudents come in and they're not
prepared to engage with theteachers.
They're ready to just be apassive sit and listen and
that's how their formative yearswere.
So to come to an American kindof educational system where we
want them to engage and we wantthem to talk, sometimes that's a
(12:52):
little challenging and you knowyou've got to just break those
barriers down and say it's okay,we want to hear your voice.
Yeah, I taught plenty ofstudents here that exact same
scenario.
And they looked at me and theysaid, well, you're the expert.
And I said, well, yes, but Iwant to hear what you have to
hear to say about that.
(13:13):
And they kind of looked at meand they said, well, you're the
expert.
And I said, well, yes, but Iwant to hear what you have to
say about that and they kind oflooked at me and they go really,
and I go yes, I do.
I think you have really goodthoughts.
It's important, it's superimportant.
I agree with you on that.
Okay, so, looking forward, whatdo you see as the most?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (13:34):
important skills or attributes that
educators need to develop tocontinue effectively reaching
students in the future.
So I think being personable,authentic and having the ability
to earn empathy are crucial foreducators.
First and foremost, we are ateam.
The class cannot run withoutboth myself and the students, so
educators shouldenthusiastically come to help
students learn.
(13:55):
I constantly consider thequalities of my most impactful
professors when reflecting on myapproach.
Regardless of the material Ishare with the students, my
passions for the course and thistends to vary because you don't
get the same class every timeit could be the content,
teaching in general or sharingmeaningful discussions.
Being a teacher means that youyourself are in the pursuit of
(14:18):
knowledge, so the whole teamshould prioritize growth over
perfection.
Educators are embarking on ajourney alongside their students
, so having adaptability is agreat thing.
We need to expect from ourstudents what they expect in us,
and that's taking initiative toadjust where we need to.
My courses look completelydifferent from the first time I
(14:39):
taught a class, and everysemester they change drastically
.
So building empathy throughearning trust is a big one.
Take every opportunity to set agood example.
This includes coming preparedto class, sending professional
emails and respectfullyanswering student questions and
comments.
I notice students will try toemulate the educator's behavior.
(15:01):
I had one student over thesummer.
He was asking questions everyline of every PowerPoint slide
and I noticed that some of thestudents in the room were
adjusting their positions intheir seats.
And when I answered thequestions in the same way every
time, no matter how frequent thequestions were, of course, if
(15:22):
it took up too much time, Ireminded them that we have space
to ask questions every otherslide.
But students emulated that theywere respectful in the small
groups or even sendingprofessional emails.
My students do the kind regardsnow or they open up with I hope
you're doing well today andit's really sweet to meet them
(15:44):
where they're at, to where theyfeel comfortable sending that
same kind of message.
Maggie Grady (15:49):
So something a little pointer for for you while
you're growing as an educatorand you're saying that, you're
reflecting on your teaching andyou're changing your classes,
you document all of that and putthat in your teaching
philosophy.
They want to see all that.
If you're going to go up for,like tenure or anything like
that, they want to see howyou've grown, and that's a
perfect way of doing it so youcan see where you've started,
(16:09):
where you, where you are now,and then reflect upon that, keep
going and as you move on,you're going to go.
Oh my gosh, I used to do thisand learn from it.
Yeah, so a little tip there.
Thank you, you're welcome.
I have to throw in AI.
What's your thought on AI?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (16:25):
I let them know that what's important in
the classroom is how the coursematerial, the readings in the
lecture, are playing into theirassignment.
So if they're going off thegrid and using AI, they won't be
getting the most out of theclass.
Because I want to know whatthey are learning.
If I'm unsure where they'recoming from, I can't help them
(16:47):
to the best of my ability and Iexplain to them.
That's why we break up our bigpaper into five components,
ending on that presentation.
So I tell them you can rely onme for feedback.
Take my word, I will give youfeedback to push you forward.
And it's better to practice andbe slow at first, because that
(17:08):
builds efficiency.
If you shortcut first, becausethat builds efficiency.
If you shortcut, you're goingto become sloppy.
I acknowledge media literacy isimportant.
Ethically, using AI makes senseIf you're writing an outline
before you transfer it.
In your own words, being ableto brainstorm ideas is a really
good place for AI.
(17:28):
But in terms of turning in theassignment, on my syllabus it
says absolutely not.
Maggie Grady (17:33):
But they know they can come and ask me questions
about it, yeah, so they need tobe authentic, so okay, so,
speaking of course, design, sowe talked a little bit about
that, but today's highereducation landscape includes
various course formulas twoweeks intensives, five-week
modules and the traditional15-week semester.
(17:55):
How do you achieve practicalscaffolding and maintain student
engagement across thesedifferent formats?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (18:03):
Well, I've definitely taught in all of
those formats in person, online.
In designing these differentformats, my approach centers on
scaffolding and engagement, so Imap out a daily planner to
start with.
I look at all of the key topicsand assignments that I want
them to get done and I make surethe goals are realistic,
balancing the workload based onthe lecture readings.
(18:25):
So, to maintain consistency, Iensure that the assignments are
structured similarly acrossformats, but I adjust the pacing
so, for example, in a two-weekintensive, students might have
assignments due more frequently,while in a 15-week course I can
space out the deadlines.
Regardless of the format, thereadings, lectures and
assignments are tightlyintegrated to create a fair and
(18:48):
manageable learning experience.
I give them a little implicitmotivation as well.
In my lectures I always say Ican't believe we're already
almost done with the semesterand it's only week three.
I want you to know you're doinga 15-week class in five weeks
or in two weeks, and I remindthem how proud they should be of
themselves to keep pushing.
And I emphasize clearcommunication.
(19:10):
I use UB Learn's announcementsand emails to guide the students
because for myself I needscheduling in three different
places or it goes over my head,so I assume the same for them.
I offer a recommended order forcompleting the tasks, and
accessibility is key.
I make sure everything fromlecture slides to assignment
links are easily accessiblethrough the course website, and
(19:34):
I also found out through askingquestions that other UB services
, including librarians, arehappy and willing to record
helpful tips and presentationsfor my asynchronous classes.
So it gives that little touchthat maybe you feel like you're
going to miss if you're not inperson.
But building on to ourconversations about being
personable and authentic, I letstudents know about what studies
(19:56):
or research that I'm working onthroughout that time frame.
So some of my recent examplesinclude studying for qualifying
exams or attending conferencesin my field and working on
research that's feeding into mydissertation.
They feel really excited toknow that we're all working on
applying skills from contentwe've learned in similar
settings.
Maggie Grady (20:17):
Okay, so thank you so much, Kathleen, for sharing
your insights with us today.
It's clear that reachingtoday's students is very
important to you, and I love allof your different techniques
and your strategy, so thank youagain for sharing that with us.
Your flexible approach, yourexperiences, provide valuable
guidance for educatorseverywhere.
(20:37):
So do you have any finalthoughts that you'd like to
share with our listeners?
Kathleen D'Alfonso (20:41):
Just keep in mind the same courses have very
similar content, but everyclass has different needs, so
remaining adaptable and usingthese adjustments to build onto
empathy and future course prepis crucial.
So we should value our growthover perfection just as much as
we do the students.
Maggie Grady (21:00):
Thank you to our listeners for tuning into this
episode of the Teaching Tablepodcast.
If you enjoyed today'sdiscussion, be sure to subscribe
and leave us a review.
We'll be back soon with moreconversations on teaching,
learning and technology, anduntil then, keep exploring new
ways to reach and inspire yourstudents.
As always, be sure to connectwith us online at buffalo.
edu/catt that's C-A-T-T or emailus at ubcatt@ buffalo.
(21:26):
edu.
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