I only remember two things from my first day of college: What I was wearing, and meeting Sophia. And I only recall my outfit — a risky combo of black skirt with tan tights — because Sophia joked about it months later. Our “integrative studies” program at George Mason University was a pretty radical cohort model: All of us — maybe 200? — entered GMU as the first graduating class of New Century College. During our freshman year, all 200 of us gathered for the big welcome speeches and other significant lectures. But most of our time was spent in groups of 50, 25, or 5 for intense mini-mesters. We were assigned to these small learning communities within the gigantic commuter college, which is probably why I never imagined transferring. Interdisciplinary group work and experiential learning were at the heart of NCC, which is now known as the School of Integrative Studies. Sophia was in my first group of five during the fall semester, and we quickly bonded over prom disaster stories and the realization that we both wore black-choker necklaces for our senior photos. We just … clicked. She was a first-gen college student from a first-gen Greek family who… Continue Reading Are we a relationship-rich college?Read More
I’ve been following the snow buzz very closely this week, as this “wintry intrigue” may interfere with the Improv for Teaching and Learning workshop we have been planning for almost a year. The Zoom workshop is currently scheduled for 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 8, and it’s open to all faculty and staff. I’m tempted to further emphasize the fun factor with extra !!!!!, but it’s starting to feel like I’m selling enforced fun, which is …. never fun. So I will just say this workshop is nothing to be scared of … and it could change your life. No bigs. I have even created a link to automagically add it to your Outlook calendar, because we should all be formally scheduling our joyful, life-changing moments. And if we are snowed out, welp, we’ll just have to roll with it and reschedule, which is exactly what improv helps us do: Roll with the inevitable hiccups of life with more creativity and grace and less cussing. In the meantime — while I’m obsessively refreshing the WDBJ weather maps — please enjoy this 10-minute TEDx talk, which is highly recommended by Ami Trowell, who will be facilitating our workshop. I explain… Continue Reading Friday will be fun! (Even if it doesn’t snow)Read More
What is the No. 1 soft skill sought by employers? Answer: Creativity, according to a 2019 survey on LinkedIn. I realize the entirety of 2020 has felt like one, big exercise in creative problem solving. But how might Virginia Western teach creativity? Is that even possible? Yes, teaching for creativity is not only possible … it’s essential for 21st-century learners, according to Dr. Keith Sawyer, a professor of educational innovations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sawyer is one of the world’s leading scientific experts on creative learning; I was introduced to his work in a January 2020 special report about creativity by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Sawyer believes all teachers can learn how to teach creative knowledge in their subject area by using a technique he calls “guided improvisation.” He explains this research-backed approach in his 2019 book, “The Creative Classroom: Innovative Teaching for 21st-Century Learners”: I call this pedagogy ‘guided improvisation’ because the students engage in open-ended activities, where they have the freedom to improvise their own path through the material. But their actions aren’t completely free and unconstrained. Student action is guided by structures, called scaffolds, that guide student knowledge construction toward curricular… Continue Reading Want to be more creative? Join our Improv session during in-serviceRead More
About Shelley
Shelley Lyons is glad to be back on campus as she is a Virginia Western alum, and has served as the Administrative Officer for Grants Administration at Virginia Western since early 2022. Prior to VWCC, her career focus was within the Human Services and Arts fields. She wrote her first grant in 1996 on a whim and has continued to plan and learn since that time. She most enjoys seeing a well-planned project come to fruition, where funder, project manager and beneficiaries can all feel success and see impact.
Recent Posts
- Have you heard? October 28, 2024
- The Game of Life – Innovation Edition! August 29, 2024
- Why Try An LOI? May 10, 2024
- Grant Nerds Unite! March 12, 2024
- The Power of Collaboration November 17, 2023