u/IrenaeusGSaintonge

What kind of SoTL work is being done in your programs/departments?

What kind of SoTL work is being done in your programs/departments?

I'm looking into applying to do a [Master of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (M.SoTL)](https://grad.usask.ca/programs/scholarship-of-teaching-and-learning.php). To the best of my knowledge this is the only program like this in the world, but SoTL as a discipline isn't new.

In a nutshell, it's essentially studying and researching effective teaching and learning in order to improve practice. Kind of a meta-analytical look at teaching in a way that's meant to bridge theory and practice. It's multidisciplinary, and in some places you see post-secondary faculty integrating SoTL practices to improve higher learning pedagogy.

I'm interested from a k-12 teaching perspective. What I want to be able to do personally in my career is cut through the lower quality scholarship in education, avoid the trendy garbage like the whole language approach to teaching reading.

Anyway, while I'm fairly certain there's no M.SoTL program anywhere else, I'm curious about SoTL approaches in other places. For anyone in graduate studies who's familiar with SoTL research, what are your thoughts about its impact on the pedagogy in your field? Do you see it being implemented in your own departments? Do you hear post-secondary faculty talking about it at all?

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u/IrenaeusGSaintonge — 5 days ago

Thoughts and Prayers. Next year I'm gonna be having a time.

(Link to my 'Havin a Time' reference in the title, for the uninitiated.)

So last year I taught a pretty tough group. Lots of behaviours, lots of big personalities, demanding parents, kind of academically low overall. I still bonded with them, plenty of good relationships, but they were tough. Their classroom behaviour is horrible.

Then after last year, I had the opportunity to move back to my preferred grade. A higher grade.

Guess which class is coming back for round two next year. And yes, obviously I knew this was going to be the case. I just kind of brushed it off as next year's problem. Welp, we've been drafting next year's class lists, so next year's problem is going to be my problem again in pretty short order.

From what I can tell, they got worse over this year. Drove one of their teachers into early retirement. A number of parents being openly hostile, kids' behaviours escalating. Parents blaming anyone but their own kids for outcomes they don't like. I've been watching from the sidelines and it's appalling how they've been treating this fantastic, veteran teacher.

Anyway. Part of me is actually looking forward to it. There are a few specific kids I'm not looking forward to having, and a few really good kids I'm not getting, but I've also got a huge head start on the early fall relationship building, including with some of the difficult incoming kids and families. Hopefully this isn't going to be famous last words.

u/IrenaeusGSaintonge — 7 days ago