Opening Dialogues - Instructions for Submitting a Lesson

Any Portland State faculty member may submit a lesson to Opening Dialogues. If your lesson is accepted, a $100 “micro-grant” will be transferred to your department for your use. We may require a round of changes before a lesson is posted. Please browse the site to make sure that your submission does not repeat a lesson that is already included.

Lesson Title Required. Please use no more than six words.            

Author Required. Please list your name, title, department, and address. We have decided not to list telephone numbers and e-mail addresses on this site.

Lesson Summary Required. In no more than fifty words, summarize your lesson, stating in simple and concrete terms what the students will experience or be assigned to do.

Background Required. Every lesson has a genesis—a teaching challenge you faced, a type of experience you wanted to provide, or a particular kind of class or student you were trying to engage. What prompted your invention of this lesson? Did you rely on specific learning theory, pedagogical principle, or personal experience? What were your broad goals or specific learning objectives?
                                   
Implementation Required. Describe how to implement the lesson. Detail all preparation, student assignments, and step-by-step details of how to present the lesson in class. If useful, include suggestions for what instructors might say, how to handle logistics and student responses that are likely to come up. Include an estimate of how long the lesson will take.

Follow-up  If appropriate. Describe any suggested follow-up activities, assignments, readings, or discussion questions; comment on issues that the lesson may bring up, or ways to refer back to the lesson as the course proceeds.
                                                           
Materials/Resources If appropriate. In separate documents, attach assignment sheets, examples of completed assignments, worksheets, images, slide shows, or anything else that you think would be useful to instructors.

Adaptability If appropriate. Please state the class context/contexts in which you have successfully used this lesson and suggest ways to adapt it to other contexts. Specify if you feel that the lesson will work best in particular disciplines, physical spaces, class sizes, or time frames.

Author’s Reflections Required. Reflect on how this lesson has works for you, any high or low points you have experienced, pitfalls that your colleagues should know about, and any final words of wisdom.
           
Citations/Biobliography If appropriate. List any print, web, or media sources you have cited above (any established citation style is acceptable). You may also include references to additional materials.