Cycle III Activities Teach two classes a year. Assist others in Cycles I and II to develop their teaching techniques.
- Storytelling (Public Speaking -- Scholar/Teacher, Hallows Gathering)
- Rise Up and Call Her Name (Scholar/Teacher, Creatrix, six two-hour classes, 11 students, co-taught with Nancy Vedder-Shults, using the UU Pagan Curriculum of the same name)
- Fire-starting with stones (Earthwalker, Creatrix, Elements of Dianic Wicca Retreat)
- The Element of Fire (Earthwalker, Creatrix, Scholar/Teacher, Elements of Dianic Wicca Retreat)
- Goddess Flags (Collage, Creatrix, my studio)
- A microbiological history of life (Earthwalker, Scholar/Teacher, Cella Weekend)
- Water Aerobics (Movement Awareness/Fitness, Earthwalker, my back yard)
- Meditation and The Four Elements (Goddesses, All Paths, WisCon)
- Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My (Scholar/Teacher, Earthwalker, Hallows Gathering)
- Familiar Art for your Altars (Creative Activities & Psychic Skills, Cella Weekend)
- Cosmology (Scholar/Teacher, several sessions of the Cottage Grove Metaphysical Technologies Group)
- Ecstatic Drumming for Ritual and Bliss (Creatrix, Earthwalker, Guardian, several Priestess Gatherings, MadisonRCGI Guardian programming, Cella Weekend)
- Psychic Integrator (Psychic Skills, All Paths, Cella Weekend)
- Builders/Growers/Shapers (AOL, All Paths, Cella Weekend)
- Dark Mother (Goddesses, All Paths, RCG-Local)
- Dianic Wicca (Comparative Religions, Magic, Cosmology, Thealogy, Psychic Skills, Feminism, Personal Growth, All Paths: taught 8 classes of a proposed longer series; my disability stopped my being able to continue these classes, self-organized series)
- Feminist Theory -- Feminisms (Feminism, All Paths, Cella Weekend)
- Cultural Appropriation (Goddesses, All Paths, Cella Weekend)
- Conflict Transformation (AOL, All Paths, at Earth Conclave, Priestess Gathering, Matrilocal Circle)
- Consensus Decision Making (AOL, All Paths, Cella Weekend, Matrilocal Circle)
- Builders, Growers and Shapers (AOL, Cella Weekend)
- Various topics: Divination, Storytelling with Tarot, Numerology, Psychic Self-Defense, Protection Magic (Touchstone Coven)
Assist Others in Cycles I and II to Develop Their Teaching Techniques One of the things that folks are willing to say about me, unequivocally, whether they like me or not, is that I'm an excellent teacher. Several Cella students asked for copies of my teaching evaluation forms to incorporate into their teaching, and several studied my methodologies to inform and enhance their teaching skills and styles.
Primarily, though, it was by setting a standard for excellence in my own teaching that I assisted others in developing their teaching techniques. By my example, Cella students learned these things from me:
-
the use of handouts for in-class use and after-class reference and followup
-
various methods for engaging all three learning styles (auditory, kinesthetic, visual) -- and the learning benefits of incorporating all three in each teaching event
-
feminist, de-centered teaching (where time and attention are focused on the "learners" and learning activities instead of on the "teacher(s)"
- to be an effective, engaging, inspiring teacher, one must be a constant learner and be about the business of teaching the new things one has learned; a teacher who rarely updates her materials and teaches the same things in the same ways, over and over again, is a teacher who needs a retreat to recover from being burned out, intellectually lethargic, and disengaged
- research has shown that the greatest learning occurs when teachers leave some things out of their materials/lectures for students to explore on their own; so all good teaching is somewhat open-ended, making room for learner input during the teaching event and afterwards
-
the importance of using evaluation forms for useful feedback about teaching efficacy
-
the importance of always being about the business of improving one's teaching skills