Author Archives: Jeff Allred

ACERT introduction to Teaching on the CUNY Academic Commons: January 9th, 12-2pm

Posted on January 2, 2019 by Jeff Allred

REMINDER: I’m co-leading a workshop on campus next week (Wed 1/9) introducing the CUNY Commons as a teaching tool. If you’ve ever wanted to try alternatives to Bb, this is a great way to get some support! Details below. cross-posted … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Recap of meeting with 306 instructors

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Jeff Allred

This week I met with Nico Israel and Mark Miller about English 306 (Introduction to Literary Theory). Both have extensive experience teaching the course, and we tried to articulate some broad goals and best practices to guide faculty who teach … Continue reading →

Posted in 306 | Leave a comment

Ideas for the last week of class

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Jeff Allred

Congratulations: the hay is mostly in the barn, as one of my coaches used to say. But what to do with the final session? We often–myself included–end with a whimper rather than a bang: we’re tired, the students are tireder … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

recap of December 2018 meeting with 252 instructors

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Jeff Allred

This week I met with, or corresponded with, a handful of 252 instructors. We focused on the issue of culminating assignments (in most cases, final essays) and meandered from there into broader discussions of the aims of the course and … Continue reading →

Posted in 252 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Pedagogy and Play: a quick primer, with lots of examples

Posted on November 15, 2018 by Jeff Allred

I’ve been thinking a lot about play recently. In part my thinking is probably driven by having my children migrate from play-based preschools to the avalanche of worksheets that characterizes my local P.S. (and probably yours, whether you know it … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

ACERT “lightning talks” on teaching: this Thursday, 11/1, 12-2pm, HE 1203

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Jeff Allred

ACERT is putting together an informal grab-bag of “lightning talks” for this Thursday as part of its Tu/Th “lunchtime seminars” series. Come check them out, or even better, sign up as a presenter. For those who have never seen/done one, … Continue reading →

Posted in Events | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

CUNY Digital Humanities Initiative “lightning talks” event: Tuesday, November 13, 2018 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM

Posted on October 24, 2018 by Jeff Allred

CUNYs Digital Humanities Initiative is hosting its annual “lightning talks” event in a few weeks. I’ve participated in this event a couple of times in the past. As a presenter, it offers a friendly audience of CUNY colleagues and requires … Continue reading →

Posted in Events | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Participation and Grading: a guide

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Jeff Allred

Last week in our department meeting, Mark Bobrow walked us through some of the issues around attendance, participation, and grades. As you may know, as of summer 2018, CUNY has declared itself a “non-attendance-taking institution,” meaning that we faculty are … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Teaching Writing with ENGL 220 in the Rear-View Mirror

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Jeff Allred

[guest author: Austin Bailey] Many instructors make their foray into college-level English instruction by teaching within first-year composition (FYC) programs. While literature is often taught within the composition sequence, it is also typically the case that pedagogical priority is given–and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Engaging students beyond our walls and outside the class hour

Posted on October 18, 2018 by Jeff Allred

I was chatting with ENGL 338 instructor Fiore Sireci today, and he mentioned his practice of sending students around the city for projects as well as taking them places for his courses. I too enjoy doing this when possible, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment