On Friday, March 13 , 2009, Dr. L Dee Fink addressed University professors and guests at the annual Spring Conference on Teaching and Learning at  California Stae University, Fresno. Having a basic knowledge of Dr. Fink’s approach to teaching, learning, and course organization from his website, I entered the auditorium wondering how his message would resonate with university faculty. Professors from many disciplines were in attendance (Education, Art, Business,Math , Science, Nursing, and Political Science, to name a few) and I searched to faces of the gathering audience for the tell-tale expression I had seen so many times at K-12 Professional Development sessions:

“Why do I have to be here? Don’t they understand that I’m really busy, and this probably won’t be relevant to me anyway…?”

But, I didn’t see  that expression.

As Dr. Fink began his  talk he was focusing on - believe it or not- the joy of teaching! I wondered how long it had been since these academics had really talked about such things. The subtle nods I glimpsed around the auditorium as Dr. Fink worked through his introductory remarks led me to the conclusion that he had instant credibility, and knew that the audience was well-primed to pay attention to his message. Though he spoke with a sense of urgency about the need for change, his underlying confidence and optimism gave me the message that ‘we’re going to make it; we can solve these problems.”

A useful metaphor was utilized showing an iceberg, with “what we teach and how we teach” above the waterline and “how we gear up:” and “who we are as professionals” looming large below the surface. He noted the importance of taking reflective time to more deeply understand ourselves and what we can do to prepare ourselves for the challenges ahead.

As Dr. Fink moved into the heart of the presentation (teaching , learning, and course organization) he continued to emphasize the crucial importance of  how educators can be human “alchemists”- transforming lives. He urged his audience to continuously seek ways to address the six areas of what he calls the “Taxonomy of Significant Learning” : Foundational Knowledge, Application,, Human Dimension,  Caring,  and Learning How to Learn. He emphatically placed our relationships with students as the key element, because “When students care about something they then have the energy they need for learning more about it and making it a part of their lives. Without the energy for learning, nothing significant happens,”

D. Fink’s suggestions about the elements of course preparetion and using active learning can be ealily located on the web, and I would encourage readers of this blog to read them whether you are a college/university instructor a k-12 teacher, an administrator, or  someone interested in practical ideas for making students  more successful.