My Blog
Teaching Tales: Cheaters Don’t Win
Teaching at GMU had to be done in large, crowded classes, making cheating easier—and more frequent. Early in the semester, I’d devised a system to ensure students would get to class on time, even when there was no quiz. They would get a point of credit simply for...
Good Ole Joseph
My Head is Exploding I read about Joseph yesterday and can't stop thinking about it. My mind is officially blown. Before I say any more, here’s the link. In case you haven't figured it out, I recommend Psephizo for both faith-building and accurate information....
Teaching Tales: Cooked Germs
Working at George Mason University (GMU), even as an adjunct microbiology lab teacher, proved to be very different from NVCC. The course content was strictly regulated, there were weekly prep sessions, the methods of evaluation were standardized, and, oddly enough,...
Teaching Tales: Exploding Germs
“Dr. Crocker, I don’t get it. Why’d you take a point off for my answer? I’m sure that all my calculations are right.” Samantha, a nursing student, was red-faced. Mathematical Thinking “Well, let’s forget the calculations for a minute and just think about your answer...
Teaching Tales: A Challenge
The Sadistic Teacher “Class, give me your attention. For this part of the lab, you’ll be studying osmosis by observing water uptake by raisins. First, weigh a raisin while dry, then soak it in distilled water for 2 hours. Weigh it again and record the weight gain. At...
Thanksgiving Giggles
It's Thanksgiving, the day when families around America gather to enjoy each other’s company, feast on turkey, and maybe, like us, add a few more stories to their repertoire. Here follows a few of my favorite Thanksgiving stories. They may not have been funny at the...