Pedagogy at the university level is all about helping students to think then to shape their knowledge by themselves contrasting with the High school instruction. The instructor, the library, the web resources, and classmates being just tools to facilitate the overall learning process. I have construted this Grading sheet as a pedagogical instrument. During presentation-sessions, I used to make it mandatory for students to grade their classmates upon the "ongoing" presentation. The last operation is for each student to retain three (3) critical ideas they have grasped from the presentation, which ideas they think are more important according to them. The comment brought should be explaining the "why" of that importance.
One of the biggest values of the U.S. is definitely the ethic of HARD WORK and the notion of ACHIEVEMENT. It is obvious that one of the major achievement of Dr. Goma's life is to have come to the U.S. in September 2006 with a very poor English and to have been challenging teaching at the university level for both undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Goma is thankful to Professor Benjamin Bowser, Chair of Sociology department and Professor Terry Jones, now Emeritus in Social Work department for having trusted him at first and giving him the exceptional opportunity to experience teaching in an All-English-Academic-System and to show his skills/abilities. Ben Bowser has written: "What is remarquable about Prof. Goma's teaching accomplishments is that he had taught only in French before joining us. Now, he is an accomplished English instructor and is virtually without accent..." Terry Jones in his side notes: "... I have thought that there might be a problem with a language barrier, but what students report, and what I have observed, is that Dr. Goma communicates exceptionally well..." Click the appropriate link to see Pr. Bowser letter of recommendation and Prof. Jones letter of recommendation.
Click here to Read Positive Students' Comments upon Dr. Goma's Teaching Style. "Positive evaluation", in my understanding, is not "Self-satisfaction". It is rather an encouraging stance that foster "Self-confidence".
Click here to Read Negative Students' Comments upon Dr. Goma's Teaching Style. "Negative evaluation" is not "damaging experience"; it is rather empowering in the way it teaches to do better either within the content of your teaching and/or within the incarnation of your personal and/or human behavior through the learning community. It is all about reflexivity and the power of "Critically thinking".
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 01:39AM