Tales of a Teacher: Carey Bissonnette

by Hina Ahmed. This is the first of three Centre for Teaching Excellence Teaching Stories that will run in the Daily Bulletin this week.

Carey Bissonnette’s teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that learning should be an interactive and satisfying experience. Instructors, he says, should strive to inspire, engage and create passion in learners, so they can take on intriguing problems. This philosophy developed over Bissonnette’s twenty years of teaching Chemistry at Waterloo, and crystallized several years ago when he attended a presentation by Ken Bain, author of What the Best College Teachers Do, which left a lasting impression on his philosophy as an instructor.

Bissonnette believes that instructors can keep energized through a willingness to try new things. At the University of Waterloo, he became one of the first instructors to use clickers, despite having to overcome some hurdles. Back then, classrooms did not have clicker systems installed in them and clickers were not yet perfected. Bissonnette had to set up and take down multiple receivers on tripods for every lecture. His extra efforts, though, paid off: the clickers gave students a way to actively engage with course content, and provided a low-stakes assessment tool that encouraged students to come out of their comfort zone. Now, ten years later, clickers have influenced how he teaches.

Using example-driven lecturing, Bissonnette sees the value in using a modern version of chalk and talk. He solves chemistry problems out loud and in front of his students. Sometimes he ends up making a mistake, only to have it pointed out by a diligent student during his lecture. “This then becomes a learning opportunity,” says Bissonnette, “And students come to understand that it is okay to make mistakes, in order to truly understand concepts.” By dedicating ample time to teaching critical concepts to his students, Bissonnette builds a solid foundation from which his students can solve more complex chemistry problems. As a former student of Bissonnette puts it, “He is not only the best chemistry instructor you could ask for, but he is also a supportive role model.”

Bissonnette has taught first-year students for many years, and does not want to stop. He understands that the first year of university is an unnerving and transformative point in students' lives. This makes teaching them a challenge. At the same time, their eagerness to acquire knowledge makes teaching first-year students especially energizing and rewarding. This genuine care for students is also what characterizes his role as Teaching Fellow for the Department of Chemistry: he wants to ensure that the undergraduate experience at the Waterloo is an excellent one.

 

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Students get their crypto fix at summer school

High schoolers from around the world are gathering at the Institute for Quantum Computing this week for a summer school enrichment program that promises to enrich their understanding of quantum cryptography.

The Quantum Cryptography School for Young Students (QCSYS) runs from Monday, August 11 to Friday, August 15 and offers a blend of lectures, hands-on experiments, and group work all focused on quantum cryptography, which is a cutting-edge field that utilizes the laws of quantum mechanics to develop unbreakable encryption that protects communication.

QCSYS participants will meet and collaborate with world-renowned researchers and will participate in daily social activities that encourage relationship building between attendees. Between lectures and hands-on activities, they will also visit locations on the main Waterloo campus and travel to the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Social activities like go-karting, campfires and movies, are also scheduled to encourage relationship building between participants.

The school is open to 40 participants, who all stay in a University residence with chaperones for the duration of the program.

 

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Watch the skies at the Perseids party

The Faculty of Science and the K-W chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada are hosting a Perseids Meteor Shower stargazing party tomorrow night from 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., starting at the Optometry building.

Astronomers from Waterloo's Faculty of Science and the Royal Society of Canada will be on hand to teach attendees about the Perseids meteor shower. Professor Michael Balogh of Physics and Astronomy will give an introductory lecture on the Perseids, and then the whole affair will move to the Columbia Lake fields after sunset for stargazing and meteor-spotting.

Registration for the lecture is currently full, but you can get on the waitlist for the lecture while still attending the stargazing portion of the event later in the evening.

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Monday's notes

Applied Mathematics professor Achim Kempf was recently interviewed on the YouTube channel "Scholarly", which is run by University of Waterloo students and alumni.

Renison University College's English Language Institute (ELI) has announced a partnership with Marketing and Undergraduate Recruitment (MUR) to develop a Bridge to Academic Success in English (BASE) Recruitment Strategy that will "strengthen an already strong and inclusive working relationship." The two-year project will be developed, executed, and managed by ELI's Ralon Nazareth. Renison's English Language Centre presented on its experiences with BASE at the most recent Opportunities and New Directions conference.

The Centre for Teaching Excellence is offering workshops and events on a range of topics and is inviting members of the community to visit their events page for the full listings of workshops and for instructions on how to sign up. For example, fall term LEARN sessions are on offer, including CTE656: Getting Started with LEARN (starting Thursday, August 28 at 10 am), CTE666: Using LEARN’s Quiz Feature, CTE668: Using the Grades Tool in Waterloo LEARN, and CTE706: Timesaving Tips in LEARN.

Feds Used Books has announced its hours for August. It will be open from Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and will have a "bonus day" on Saturday, August 16, opening from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Extended hours for September begin on Labour Day, with the bookstore being open every day until Sunday, September 14, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. From Monday, September 15 to Friday, September 19, the bookstore will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 20. Regular hours will commence on Monday, September 22.

Can you believe we're talking about September already? Believe it.

 

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