GTL Level 1: The Art of Lesson Planning (0900-1000)
Today’s session at Graduate Teaching and Learning Week focused on something that every instructor wrestles with at some point: lesson planning. At first glance, it sounds dry—just another box to tick. But as the speaker reminded us, lesson planning isn’t about paperwork. It’s about crafting learning experiences that matter.
Why Lesson Plans Matter
A syllabus gives you the big picture. A lesson plan zooms in on a single session or unit and becomes your roadmap for that finite time with students. Done well, it helps you stay prepared, manage time effectively, and align your teaching with actual learning objectives. It also lowers stress—because when you have a plan, you’re free to adapt in the moment.
A Simplified Six-Question Model
The session introduced a practical framework built around six deceptively simple questions:
What do I want my students to know or do? (Define your objectives.)
What do they already know? (Gauge the starting point.)
How do I hook them in? (Engage from the beginning.)
What meaningful activities can they do? (Move beyond passive listening.)
How much time do I have? (Respect the clock—and practice your pacing.)
How will I know they met the goal? (Assess in ways big and small.)
This stripped-down model cuts through the noise and makes lesson planning less intimidating, while still keeping the focus where it belongs: on student learning.
Mastering Engagement
Engagement is the lifeblood of any class. The session emphasized that there’s no single formula, but there are strategies that consistently work:
Vary intensity—don’t keep students at “full drama” mode all class.
Cater to different learning styles through discussion, visuals, and hands-on activities.
Use storytelling to create connection (the Harvard professor with the trolley problem was a great example).
Move around the room to reduce barriers and build community.
Shift focus every 10 minutes to re-energize attention spans.
Experiment, even if not everything lands—teaching is trial and error.
Connecting Back to Theory
The discussion also touched on Bloom’s Taxonomy, a reminder that teaching is about more than just transmitting information. Framing objectives with the right action verbs ensures that students aren’t just memorizing—they’re analyzing, applying, and creating.
Practical Nuggets
The Q&A surfaced some practical questions that instructors often hesitate to ask out loud:
Prizes in class? Small tokens like coffee or chocolate are fine—just don’t go overboard.
Substitute teaching pay? Typically none, though departments may make arrangements.
Late arrivals? Students are adults, but it’s fair to ask them to sit at the back if they slip in.
Surveys? Use them wisely—students get burned out when they’re over-surveyed.
Final Thoughts
What I took away is that lesson planning isn’t busywork. It’s an investment in clarity, confidence, and student success. With a little structure and creativity, every class—whether a 50-minute lecture or a three-hour lab—can become something memorable.
GTL Level 1: Mindfulness in the Classroom (1030-1200)
Mindfulness for Educators: Presence in the Classroom
This session, led by Justin Pritchard (career coach and educator at the University of Alberta), explored the role of mindfulness in teaching and learning. More than a wellness buzzword, mindfulness was presented as a practical strategy to help educators manage anxiety, foster presence, and create healthier classroom environments.
The Problem of Mindlessness
We often go about our days on autopilot. Research shows nearly half of our waking hours are spent thinking about something other than what we’re doing—and the more distracted we are, the less happy we tend to feel. Social media has only amplified our struggle to stay in the present moment.
In teaching, that mind-wandering shows up as stress, disconnection, or disengagement—both for instructors and for students. Pritchard reminded us that simply sitting with ourselves can feel uncomfortable, yet cultivating that presence is where growth happens.
What Mindfulness Is (and Isn’t)
Mindfulness, at its core, is simply noticing what’s happening in the present moment without judgment. It’s not about emptying the mind or pushing away thoughts, but about observing them—like clouds passing through the sky of our awareness.
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s about building the muscle of attention so the present moment becomes our dominant experience.
Practical Ways to Practice
The session offered both formal and informal strategies to cultivate mindfulness:
Short breathing practices (2–5 minutes) before and after teaching.
Mindful eating or walking, fully engaging the senses without distractions.
Single-tasking instead of multitasking, which research shows reduces productivity by up to 40%.
Classroom pauses—minimal-text slides, silent reflection moments, or deep listening when students speak.
Creative exercises like free writing or mind mapping to encourage curiosity and “beginner’s mind.”
Even small moments of awareness—checking in with your body, your breath, or the room—can shift the energy of a class.
Why It Matters in Education
Student stress and distraction are rising concerns. Nearly half of Canadian students in a 2015 survey said stress made it hard for them to function. Instructors can’t solve everything, but mindfulness offers tools to make a difference.
Instructors’ self-care directly influences students’ sense of well-being.
A mindful presence helps build trust, patience, and attentiveness in the classroom.
Small shifts in how we teach—pauses, variety, deep listening—can lower stress and boost engagement.
Resources for Getting Started
Books: The Slow Professor; Contemplative Practices in Higher Education
Apps: Smiling Mind, Insight Timer, Mindfulness Bell & Chime
Free Guides: UCLA Mindfulness Awareness Institute
Final Reflection
What struck me most was the simplicity of it all: mindfulness doesn’t require an elaborate routine or hours of meditation. It’s about small, intentional shifts—breathing before class, pausing to really listen, noticing the energy in the room.
For educators, those little practices aren’t just about stress management. They’re about presence. And presence is what makes teaching feel less like performance and more like connection.
GTL Level 1: AI and Teaching: The impacts and opportunities of bringing GenAI into your classroom (1230-1330)
AI and Teaching: Impacts and Opportunities
Today’s session in the Graduate Teaching and Learning (GTL) program was led by Laura Velasquez (Instructional Designer for AI at CTL) and Jay Sumac (Center for Teaching and Learning), focusing on the growing role of Generative AI (GenAI) in higher education. Their discussion moved beyond hype and fear, centering instead on practical implications, opportunities, and challenges for teaching and learning at the University of Alberta.
Context: AI at the University of Alberta
AI is evolving rapidly, and its impact is already reshaping how both students and instructors navigate education. The U of A’s Framework for Effective Teaching is being tested by AI in new ways—sometimes amplified, sometimes undermined, but always changed.
To help instructors, the CTL has developed a Framework for AI Responsible Use, built on six principles: transparency, inclusivity, equity, accessibility, accountability, respect for privacy, and human oversight. CTL also hosts a growing set of workshops and a dedicated Generative AI teaching resource hub.
The “AI Challenge”: Beyond Cheating
One of the central points was a shift in language. Instead of framing AI use by students as “cheating,” the speakers positioned it as cognitive offloading—a way for students to manage the heavy demands of multiple courses, jobs, and personal commitments. Trying to detect AI use is ultimately ineffective and draining, since the tools evolve too quickly. Instead, the emphasis should be on better course and assignment design, where learning goals are clear and cheating is less relevant.
AI Literacy: A Core Skill
The presenters defined AI literacy not as simple tool use but as an ongoing cycle: understanding risks, applying tools smartly, and evaluating outputs critically. AI is, at its heart, a “super-powered pattern finder,” not a thinker. For students, this means learning to use it without outsourcing their own intellectual work.
Three components shape AI literacy:
Learning Outcomes – guiding assignment redesign.
AI Affordances – learning how fields use AI and preparing students for those realities.
Productive Struggle – ensuring students still wrestle with material enough to truly learn.
Designing with AI in Mind
The session introduced Perkins et al.’s Generative AI Integration Scale for assignment design, with levels ranging from “No AI” to “Full AI” co-creation. Importantly, there is no universal right answer—decisions depend on context, discipline, and ethical considerations (e.g., “No AI” is appropriate in healthcare where patient safety is paramount).
AI-Assisted Grading: A Cautious Option
While the university supports instructors’ right to explore AI-assisted grading, it does not endorse it. If used, strict conditions apply: transparency, disclosure, student choice, and robust privacy protections. Institutionally supported AI tools, like Google Gemini and Notebook LM, offer safer environments than public chatbots.
Creative Uses for Instructors
The session showcased creative AI integrations, including:
Custom GPTs or Gems for simulating class discussions or practicing feedback.
Study Mode in Gemini/ChatGPT for Socratic-style learning.
Notebook LM for turning source material into videos or study aids.
These tools open possibilities without replacing the human connection at the core of teaching.
Risks and Environmental Impact
The presenters cautioned about common risks: hallucinations, inaccuracies, misleading advice, and privacy issues. AI can support thinking, but it cannot replace the role of educators in providing authentic feedback and connection.
They also raised a crucial but often overlooked issue: the environmental cost of AI. Large models consume vast energy, but research at U of A (via AMII) is exploring “lighter” models that could one day run efficiently on personal devices.
Moving Forward
The key message was both reassuring and motivating: instructors don’t need to fear AI, nor do they need to embrace it blindly. They are encouraged to explore, play, and experiment—but not pressured to adopt anything they aren’t comfortable with. The CTL offers resources, coaching, and reading recommendations, including “I’m a student and you have no idea how much we are using ChatGPT” and “A Student Manifesto for Assessment in the Age of AI.”