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The challenges and opportunities confronting higher education pedagogy will not be adequately addressed by platforms designed to provide answers

In a review of educational research published by SAGE Journals in July, Singer and University of Maryland professor Patricia Alexander discovered that readers may not comprehend complex or lengthy material as well when they view it digitally as when they read it on paper. While they concluded with a call for more research, the pair wrote, “It is fair to say that reading digitally is part and parcel of living and learning in the 21st century … No matter how complex the question of reading across mediums may be, teachers and students must understand how and when to employ a digital reading device.”

In an interview with “Inside Digital Learning,” Singer confirmed, “Digital devices aren’t going anywhere. This no longer is a question of, ‘Will the digital device be in your classroom?’ but ‘What do we know about the digital device, and how can we make this equal to print?’”

For example, she said instructors should take the time to show students how to annotate a PDF and make them aware that most people read more quickly on a screen than in print and therefore could lose some comprehension. She also suggested that teachers ask students to answer, in one sentence, what the overall point of the text was every time they read a chapter or an article online.

During our first meeting of the school year, we jotted down on sticky notes what each of us wanted to accomplish in our weekly meetings. Three main ideas rose to the top and have driven our work together ever since: support for each other, help with pacing an overwhelming curriculum, and detailed plans to implement with our students. Everything we do as a group addresses one or more of these three objectives.

Talking about the issues and pressures of teaching—always in a solutions-focused way, of course—is cathartic itself.

PLCs must find ways to share the workload, not increase it.

creating experiences that provide opportunities to grapple with challenges that are meaningful to individuals in their context. In order for teachers to do this in their classrooms it is important that they have similar experiences in their own learning.

Be curious and open to all ideas Seek  to improve learning (students and educators) Expect growth, not perfection Focus reflection how to improve your work, not others Ground work in evidence of learning, not assumptions