Classroom+Exchange--Spokane+Falls

Classroom Exchange Summary:

At our Fall Retreat we introduced the idea of classroom exchanges. As part of the retreat we used video recorded footage from one of our faculty's classrooms as an example of a classroom visit. This allowed the retreat participants to actively engage as an observer of the classroom and record their observations based on the instructor's indicated focus. `The entire workshop then participated in the exit discussion portion of the exchange process.

Overall, the presentation and introduction to classroom exchanges was well received. However, follow through of our faculty actually using the classroom exchange has been limited. I believe that many of our faculty members are feeling overwhelmed with all the changes that have occurred during the past two years.

Those who have participated, have had a wide variey of questions on which they have focused. Some have focused on the effectiveness of groups, others with the number, type and distribution of questions being posed by the instructor, and others on the effectiveness of using Clickers in the classroom. All have indicated that they have gained amazing insights into their teaching processes and how they interact with their students.

While these are important focuses for the individual instructors, there seemed to be little connection between and among those doing the exchanges. After talking to Gillies, I believe that we have not done a good job of illustrating the connection between the CATs, the classroom exchanges, and the FIGs. So each has been seen as "one more thing they are making us do for this grant" rather than as useful interconnected tools to be use to examine and improve student learning and understanding.

In an effort to change this perception, part of our focus for our upcoming retreat is to make those connections and see them not as something we have to do, but as valuable tools to improve our instruction and our students' learning.