The brain learns by building and stabilizing neural connections (see Leamnson, 1999). Some practices make sense from this standpoint; some just do not.

Illustration of the power of generators Ambady’s and Rosenthal’s (1993) "thin slices" studies determined that students arrive at ratings for teachers after watching 30 seconds of silent content-free video that are highly consistent (r = 0.76) with end-of-semester ratings.

All learning produces complex interconnected affective and cognitive synaptic “wiring.”

Concept of a Knowledge Survey 1. = I have insufficient knowledge to answer this question. 2. = I have partial knowledge or know where to quickly (20 minutes or less) obtain a complete answer to this question. 3. = I can fully answer this question with my present knowledge.

Temporal Sequence of Forming a Generator Before cognitive awareness Before any action Feeling comes first Connect first with the feelings

Module 1 (1 minute) When I first thought about, or began being a teacher/developer, what excited me most—what I looked forward to most—was… (2 minutes) Introduce yourself to your nearest colleague and exchange some insights from your self reflection about what most attracted you to become a college professor or faculty developer.

Module 1 (30 seconds) What did I most want to do? How did I feel when I first began to do this? –Write one key word that describes that feeling. Consider how it feels to practice now. –Look at the key word above from an "increased," "remained constant," or "diminished" perspective

Module 2 You completed an exercise in introspective reflection Let’s next consider some mentor's traits in key words. What can we learn from that? Where did the memory occur? What can we learn from that? Was the mentor aware of the influence in the moment? What can we learn from that?

Module 3 - On your own What key words did you select for how you wished to be remembered? Did any overlap with your mentor’s traits? What can we learn from that? (two minutes) If I had a tombstone made for when I am no longer a teacher, I would want my “teaching epitaph” to read: _________________.

Development Exercise from Boot Camp… Exchange of syllabi or major exam Write what you believe summarizes the teaching philosophy of the author of that class document. Mark what you sense are their key words.

Some concepts for practice… Do, when possible, what we most want to do. The resulting affective field—joy, happiness—teach and reach students as surely as any cognitive efforts. Our course products send a message; strive to align their tone with what we want to live with. We didn't just choose to do this work, we also chose to feel a certain way as a benefit. When what we do doesn't go perfectly, any solution to improvement begins with a feeling. It's important we make that feeling a good one ASAP. Remember what joy & happiness feel like: "Professing the good the true and the beautiful."