Dr.
      Shannon
      MMMurray:
      MMMaking
      the
      Leap
     
    
   
   
    
     
      from
      Learning
      Needs
      to
      Teaching
      Innovation
     
     
      by
      Joel
      MEGGS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      \
     
    
   
   
    
     
      i
      f
      ae
      ft
      i
     
     
      Living
      the
      Students
     
     
      ne
      Chania.
      to
      Ctad
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Closel
      coredc
      tl
      ant
     
     
      é
      |
      3
     
    

    
     
      Ch
      Li
      cally
      NAY
     
    

    
     
      Line
     
    
   
   
    
     
      wilh
      will
      Corry
      win
      en
     
    
   
   
    
     
      S
      ommQMouay
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Li,
      ax
      x
      4
      ces
      de
      wt
      S
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Lrovgkot
      >
      Heeler
      Lives.
     
    

    
     
      Shannon
      Murray’s
      office
      door
     
     
      is
      open
      —
      likely
      a
      policy.
      Inside
      she
      is
     
     
      hard
      at
      work,
      but
      not
      too
      busy
      to
      invite
     
     
      me.in
      to
      talk
      about
      the
      3M
      Fellowship
     
     
      she
      was
      recently
      awarded.
     
    

    
     
      The
      awards,
      handed
      out
      in
      col-
     
     
      laboration
      with
      the
      Society
      for
     
     
      Teaching
      and
      Learning
      in
      Higher
     
     
      Education
      (STLHE),
      recognize
      excel-
     
     
      lence
      in
      teaching
      as
      well
      as
      academic
     
     
      leadership
      at
      the
      post-graduate
      level.
     
    

    
     
      A
      quick
      glance
      around
      Dr.
     
     
      Murray’s
      office
      gives
      one
      some
      idea
      of
     
     
      her
      approach
      to
      teaching;
      rows
      upon
     
     
      rows
      of
      books
      are
      interspersed
      with
     
     
      rows
      of
      videotapes,
      a
      TV,
      a
      VCR,
      and
     
     
      a
      computer.
      Dr.
      Murray
      bridges
      the
     
     
      schism
      of
      old-style
      teaching
      and
      new
     
     
      technologies
      in
      her
      attempt
      to
      actively
     
     
      engage
      her
      students
      in
      the
      learning
     
     
      process.
     
    

    
     
      Perhaps
      no
      one
      in
      the
      Arts
     
     
      department
      is
      as
      self-conscious
      of
      his
     
     
      or
      her
      teaching
      methods
      as
      Dr.
     
     
      Murray.
      She
      confides
      that
      she
      goes
      to
     
     
      great
      lengths
      to
      be
      evaluated
      by
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      and
      peers,
      even
      though
      she
      read-
     
     
      ily
      admits
      that
      the
      criticism
      that
      might
     
     
      come
      out
      of
      such
      evaluations
      makes
     
     
      her
      cringe.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “You
      have
      to
      pay
      really
      close
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      attention
      to
      your
      students
      and
      what
     
     
      they
      say
      about
      you.
      The
      student
      eval-
     
     
      uations
      of
      teaching
      help.
      This
      summer,
     
     
      for
      example,
      at
      a
      workshop,
      I
      had
      a
     
     
      small
      snippet
      of
      class
      videotaped.
      And
     
     
      then
      the
      group
      of
      other
      teachers
      talked
     
     
      about
      my
      teaching,
      and
      I
      had
      to
      evalu-
     
     
      ate
      my
      teaching
      as
      well.
      You
      need
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
      :
      Feu
      chvars
      ta
      elect
      Gow,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      chance
      to
      look
      at
      yourself
      from
      the
     
     
      outside.”
     
    

    
     
      Active
      Learning
      is
      a
      term
      that
     
     
      Dr.
      Murray
      employs
      a
      great
      deal
      to
     
     
      describe
      her
      approach
      to
      teaching;
      one
     
     
      which
      avoids
      the
      traditional
      lecturing
     
     
      format,
      where
      professors
      talk
      and
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      furiously
      scribble
      down
      copious
     
     
      notes.
     
    

    
     
      “I
      think
      it’s
      just
      part
      of
      my
     
     
      nature
      that
      I
      get
      bored
      easily,
      so
      I
     
     
      could
      never
      stand
      being
      in
      a
      classroom
     
     
      in
      which
      I
      was
      doing
      the
      same
      thing
     
     
      all
      the
      time.
      I
      like
      variety.”
     
    

    
     
      Dr.
      Murray
      routinely
      employs
     
     
      team
      learning,
      movies,
      WebCT
      discus-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      {i
      ‘
     
     
      as
      m
      avy
      o
      really
     
    
   
   
    
     
      rn
      L
      none
     
     
      Or
      lot
      ot
      ceally
      goed
     
    
   
   
    
     
      fg
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sion
      boards,
      quickwrites,
      and
      cue-
     
     
      script
      readings
      to
      break
      up
      the
      monot-
     
     
      ony
      of
      classroom
      learning.
     
    

    
     
      “I
      try
      to
      develop
      a
      repertoire
     
     
      of
      techniques.
      Not
      all
      techniques
      will
     
     
      work
      for
      all
      students
      all
      the
      time,
      but
     
     
      the
      more
      techniques
      you
      have
      in
      your
     
     
      bag
      of
      tricks,
      the
      better
      the
      chance
     
     
      you'll
      engage
      most
      of
      the
      students
     
     
      most
      of
      the
      time.
     
    

    
     
      “]
      have
      a
      file,
      and
      ...
      if
      I
      try
     
     
      something
      and
      it
      really
      works,
      I
      write
     
     
      a
      note
      to
      myself
      and
      put
      it
      in
      that
      file.
     
     
      And
      if
      I
      try
      something
      and
      it
      really
     
     
      bombs,
      I
      write
      a
      note
      to
      myself
      and
     
     
      put
      it
      in
      that
      file.
      So
      when
      I
      have
      a
     
     
      chance
      to
      take
      a
      breath
      ...
      I
      review
      the
     
     
      file.”
     
    

    
     
      _
      Dr.
      Murray
      also
      takes
      every
     
    
   
   
    
     
      possible
      opportunity
      to
      extend
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      learning
      process
      beyond
      the
      confines
     
     
      of
      the
      classroom,
      be
      it
      through
      public
     
     
      readings,
      trips
      to
      local
      theatre
      produc-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tions,
      over
      to
      Halifax
      to
      the
      Neptune
     
     
      Theatre,
      or
      her
      penultimate
      extra-cur-
     
     
      ricular
      experience,
      a
      theatre
      tour
      of
     
     
      London,
      England,
      which
      took
      place
     
     
      several
      years
      ago.
     
    

    
     
      “I
      like
      anything
      that
      suggests
     
     
      that
      the
      work
      of
      the
      classroom
      doesn’t
     
     
      happen
      just
      in
      the
      classroom.
      There
      is
     
     
      a
      connection
      between
      that
      fifty
      min-
     
     
      utes
      or
      that
      seventy-five
      minutes
      and
     
     
      the
      rest
      of
      the
      world.”
     
    

    
     
      I
      asked
      her
      what
      impact
      her
     
     
      own
      undergraduate
      experience
      (Dr.
     
     
      Murray
      attended
      Dalhousie
      University
     
     
      for
      her
      undergraduate
      degree)
      had
     
     
      upon
      her
      philosophy
      towards
      teaching.
     
    

    
     
      “I’m
      sad
      to
      say
      that
      I’m
      pretty
     
     
      sure
      that
      most
      of
      my
      teachers
      didn’t
     
     
      give
      a
      lot
      of
      thought
      to
      how
      they
      were
     
     
      teaching.”
     
    

    
     
      Dr.
      Murray
      does
      cite
      one
     
     
      notable
      exception,
      Dr.
      John
      Baxter,
     
     
      who
      she
      says
      had
      a
      profound
      influence
     
     
      on
      how
      his
      students
      read
      poetry,
      but
     
     
      for
      the
      most
      part
      she
      draws
      her
      inspi-
     
     
      ration
      from
      her
      colleagues:
     
    

    
     
      “I
      think
      this
      is
      a
      really
      rare
     
     
      dynamic
      here
      [at
      UPE]].
     
    

    
     
      “I’m
      also
      a
      really
      good
      thief.
      I
     
     
      have
      a
      lot
      of
      really
      good
      teachers
      to
     
     
      steal
      from.
      So
      I
      get
      my
      team
      learning
     
     
      techniques
      from
      Brent
      MacLaine,
      I
      get
     
     
      workshop
      techniques
      from
      Richard
     
     
      Lemm,
      I
      get
      my
      marking
      sheets
      from
     
     
      Jane
      Magrath,
      and
      I
      get
      WAC
      writing
     
     
      techniques
      from
      Wendy
      Shilton,
      I
      get
     
     
      TEA
      [Topic,
      Example,
      Analysis
      —
      a
     
     
      writing
      system]
      from
      Geoff
      Lindsay.”
     
    

    
     
      I
      ask
      Dr.
      Murray
      if
      all
      these
     
     
      Active
      Learning
      techniques
      cut
      too
     
     
      much
      into
      her
      lecture
      time,
      whether
     
     
      she
      has
      to
      sacrifice
      content
      in
      order
      to
     
     
      integrate
      them.
      She
      admits
      that,
      yes,
     
     
      they
      do
      eat
      up
      a
      lot
      of
      time
      that
      could
     
     
      be
      used
      to
      cover
      more
      material,
      but
      in
     
     
      her
      mind
      it
      is
      all
      about
      striking
      a
      deli-
     
     
      cate
      balance
      between
      quantity
      of
     
     
      material
      covered
      and
      quality
      of
      learn-
     
     
      ing:
     
    

    
     
      “The
      hardest
      thing
      about
      try-
     
     
      ing
      to
      promote
      an
      Active
      Learning
     
    
   
   
    
     
      environment
      is
      giving
      stuff
      up
      as
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      teacher.
      It’s
      giving
      up
      some
      of
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      chances
      to
      talk
      so
      that
      you
      can
      let
     
     
      other
      people
      talk.
      It’s
      giving
      up
      show-
     
     
      ing
      the
      students
      stuff
      in
      order
      to
      let
     
     
      them
      find
      it
      themselves.
     
    

    
     
      “You
      sacrifice
      some
      things
      so
     
     
      that
      you
      can
      get
      things
      that
      you
      think
     
     
      are
      more
      important
      [i.e.
      independent
     
     
      thought/learning].
     
    

    
     
      “Giving
      the
      students
      the
     
     
      chance
      to
      read
      closely,
      carefully,
      and
     
     
      critically
      is
      something
      that
      the
      stu-
     
     
      dent’s
      will
      carry
      with
      them
      throughout
     
     
      their
      lives.
      That’s
      the
      idea
      behind
      life-
     
     
      long
      learning.”
     
    

    
     
      Aside
      from
      Dr.
      Murray’s
     
     
      classroom
      performance,
      the
      3M
     
     
      Fellowship
      also
      recognizes
      the
      other
     
     
      work
      she
      has
      been
      involved
      in
      on
      cam-
     
     
      pus.
      This
      work
      includes
      the
      organiza-
     
     
      tion
      of
      panels,
      roundtables,
      and
      her
     
     
      involvement
      in
      the
      development
      of
      the
     
     
      First
      Year
      Advantage
      Program
      (FYA).
     
    

    
     
      FYA,
      originally
      the
      brainchild
     
     
      of
      Dean
      of
      Arts
      Phillip
      Smith,
      is
     
     
      something
      Dr.
      Murray
      believes
      quite
     
     
      fervently
      in.
     
    

    
     
      “Last
      year,
      Professor
     
     
      Catherine
      Innis-Parker
      and
      I
      respond-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ii
     
     
      j
      hey
      ts
      develop
     
     
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OW
      (epertorce
     
     
      Fechniques,
      Not
      ail
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Fecmwigues
      ais
      work
     
    
   
   
    
     
      boc
      wallosh
      dents..."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ed
      to
      [Dr.
      Phillip
      Smith’s]
      suggestion
     
     
      by
      linking
      three
      courses:
      two
      English
     
     
      101
      [Composition]
      courses
      and
     
     
      English
      195
      [Introduction
      to
      Drama]
     
     
      ...
      the
      idea
      being,
      every
      student
      that
     
     
      was
      in
      those
      two
      101
      courses
      was
      also
     
     
      in
      that
      Drama
      class.
      And
      it
      made
      it
     
     
      possible
      for
      us
      to
      do
      all
      kinds
      of
     
     
      things.
      We
      made
      some
      assignments
     
     
      crossover
      between
      the
      classes.
      So
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
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