Ever walked out of class with that elated feeling where you just know you taught a good class? Perhaps a student or two even said something to you afterward or paid you the supreme accolade with the text “U dun good.” But did you? And while your students might have felt euphoric afterward, did they learn anything? And, more importantly, can you prove it?
By way of background, most of us know the Nosich (2001) strategy of how to introduce a “fundamental and powerful concept” (Learning to Think Things Through, Upper Saddle River, NY: Pearson, 40). S-E-E-I (sometimes called the SEE-ing I)...
Students may lack a sense of the larger world, a serious problem in an age of globalization. I adapted an assignment to bring them into contact with other cultures. The original assignment asked them to write about a topic relevant to the class.
Now, I have them visit a collection of English-language media from around the world (http://www.wku.edu/ teaching/media/reading.html) and research their topic in international media. I specify that they must have 3 continents represented in their paper and that the articles selected should represent the culture of the country and must NOT be about the...
Research has long established a correlation between the organized presentation of course material and student learning. Moreover, when an instructor is prepared and organized, confidence levels increase; anxiety decreases; and teaching enjoyment is enhanced. Here are some thoughts to consider:
Do you feel confident about what you are teaching?
Do you take enough time to feel well prepared for class?
Do you clearly explain the goals and requirements (for the course, the class, the assignment)?
Do you provide clear answers or explanations in response to student queries?
Do you feel confident...
Make textbook decisions as early as possible and before any established campus deadline for textbook adoptions.
Request an electronic version and/or additional desk copy of your textbooks. Use publishers who offer electronic copies.
Caption all videos used for instruction and provide transcripts for audio-only materials.
Provide students with alternative methods to receive lecture materials, including posting lecture notes online, providing transcripts, etc.
Be open to communicating with students about their learning styles and using multiple instructional methods to address their needs....
The benefits of student participation are widely recognized but getting students to participate can be a challenge. Here you'll find resources we have developed for our SF State faculty as well as information and resources for strategies and techniques you can use to increase participation in your class. Come to a workshop or sign up for a consultation for assistance with specific questions you may have.
For some general guidelines and information on encouraging and facilitating participation in your classroom, you may want to visit some of the following links.
Town Halls and Post-It Notes...
By Margaret Walsh, Ph.D.
The ending of a course deserves greater attention than it typically receives. While we have thoroughly ritualized the start of a new semester, often somewhere between weeks 11 and 14 what seemed like reasonable plans are regretfully sidelined and we launch into catch-up overdrive.
Keep these tips in mind when considering the end of a course.
Catching up, reflections, and new directions. Avoid the end-of-semester crunch problem by putting an “open” date on your course outline. Building in time for catching up about two-thirds of the way through a course takes the...
The purpose of this tip is to help instructors determine what students are able to recall for the main points of a lesson. The preparation and follow-up for a Focused Listing activity is minimal, but can inform the instructor on what the students recall from the lesson.
The instructor begins this activity by setting a limit for either number of points to make (5 to 10) or limit the amount of time (3 to 5 minutes) to list the points.
Next the instructor writes down the main points of the lesson in allotted time.
The instructor will need to follow the requirement and determine if any...
You've carefully prepared your online course -- sometimes with help from others (e.g., instructional designer, multimedia specialist, or librarian). But ultimately, when it's time to offer the course, it's all up to you. How can you successfully guide your students' learning when you can't see the vacant look of confusion or the familiar glimmer of realization as they construct their learning?
The successful online instructor recognizes the four distinct roles he or she must assume to guide students' learning in an online course:
Pedagogical: Naturally, serving as the content area specialist...
Problem-based learning is an approach to teaching designed to help students develop essential skills required to find information, work with it and communicate it to others. Using problem-based learning, students often have higher long term retention of information and see more clearly the interconnection between disciplines.
Problem-based learning can be applied to classes of any size and require the instructor to consider a range of issues such as assessment, effective use of groups and more. A wealth of resources exists online and in print to help you learn more about it. These links can...
(reprinted from Faculty Focus, December 28, 2009)
By Errol Craig Sull
Here are a few tips to ensure your students have a positive online learning experience.
Personal introductions. By using the personal introductions of students, an instructor can get to know his/her students better, thus allowing interaction with individual students in a more personal manner. When students see that the instructor is reaching out to them on a personal basis, it helps establish a rapport and put the student at ease.
Constant presence in the classroom. When students see that the instructor is very active and...
Resource
Content
Marzano, Robert, et. al. Classroom Instruction That Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2001.
Identifies ways of enhancing students' use of knowledge with strategies such as summarizing, comparing, contrasting, classifying, creating metaphors, creating analogies, etc.
Anderson, Lorin, et. al. Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2000.
Reviews the fundamentals of Bloom's taxonomy and augments it by identifying additional types of thinking and applications of knowledge. Bloom's...
By Kathryn Linder
By offering students a supportive group for writing assignments and research projects, students can form strong learning communities and feel less isolated when they see others around them struggling to generate ideas, craft thesis statements, or write creative transitions. Allowing students to develop friendships around writing is one way to help them to see writing—often viewed as a chore to procrastinate until the last minute—in a more positive light. Based on my experience of using writing groups over several years, here are six tips to help create effective writing...
Some professors choose to just distribute the course syllabus, manage the class administration and then dismiss the class early on the first day of class … but this is a missed opportunity for student engagement! Make use of the first day to set the tone of your class, get to know your students, communicate your expectations, and explain the importance of the course. Here are some suggestions for what you can do on the very first day of class:
Visit Beforehand or Come to Class Early: Try to scope out the space you’ll be in, imagining how best it can be utilized. Try out the technology...
Myth: By the age students typically reach the university, their brains are fully developed.
Reality and Resource: Brain development actually occurs throughout a lifetime. Significant changes in the frontal lobe, where much organization, judgment and critical thinking is located, occur well into the mid-20s.
Teenage Brain: A work in progress. National Institute of Mental Health.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/teenage-brain-a-work-in-progress.shtml
Myth: Students can easily spend most of their time learning and studying.
Reality and Resource: In 2005 the National Center for...
Plan ahead! Excellence happens by design, and the more time invested in structuring the course and preparing for the lessons, the better. Consider what prerequisites are essential for student success.
Implement Universal Design for Learning into your course structure. UDL helps remove learning barriers for all students.
Ensure that all directions, guidelines, policies, grading criteria, readings, and resources are accessible and available to students in more than a single place and format.
Understand your students, your target audience. Be aware of special needs, special interests,...
Include in the syllabus guidelines for respectful interaction among everyone and model that respect.
In the first few sessions, take time to solicit from students what they perceive as justice or equity issues related to the subject of the course and invite them to identify which ones are the most urgent. Use this information to develop subsequent lessons and student assignments.
Create community service components as requirements for the class, and ensure that reflection on experience is a critical part of the assignment.
Compare and contrast notions of justice historically and...
Include any university, college or department required information (i.e. statement on disability resources, statement on plagiarism, etc.).
Provide a rationale for the course. This is a good place to insert your pedagogical approach and philosophy of the subject.
Identify the key concepts of the subject, and relate these to the overarching objectives of the department or program.
Identify specific outcomes for the course and be direct about what knowledge and skills students will master as a result of the course, including outcomes that represent the means of student expression (writing,...
Make textbook decisions as early as possible but certainly prior to the required campus book adoption date.
Allow students to choose their seat locations and change these locations if necessary.
Prepare and distribute instructional materials and lecture outline--including posting these materials in an accessible format online--prior to the class in order to facilitate learning.
Show only videos that have been closed-captioned.
Ensure inclusiveness in the classroom and discourage stereotypical behavior.
Explain the goals and objectives of the class at the first session.
Use multiple methods...
The objective of interdisciplinary teaching is to assist students with seeing complex problems and solutions from a holistic and global perspective ... reviewing the history of the pedagogical approach may be helpful, as well as linking it to the increasingly global nature of contemporary society (the world wide web, multi-national corporations, etc.)
Identify specific outcomes that illustrate interdisciplinary thinking and problem solving.
Construct lessons around a particular question or problem, and take time to identify the disciplines that may offer insights, responses and solutions....
Use Universal Design for Learning standards in developing your web site and iLearn pages; this means offering options for scroll downs, closed captioning and other tools to ensure each student has maximum accessibility.
Avoid overstocking Internet pages with too much information and design, so the learner can better focus on the essence of the material.
Ensure that directions are clear and stated on those pages where instructions on both using the site and completing an assignment are found.
Review the purpose and proper use of the technology with your classes at the beginning of the course...
Create a classroom environment that from the first day sets ground rules for discussion and makes it clear that all students are included in the work of the class. Make sure you make all students feel connected to each other, the class, and the topic, and establish strong expectations about the content and manner of communication.
Recognize the diversity of opinions and backgrounds of your students. Learning takes place from exposure to a wide variety of views. Be open to all perspectives, and ask students to voice their points responsibly.
Add a statement to your syllabus. Explain any...
Clearly communicate your expectations in multiple venues well ahead of the due dates for exams and assignments.
Provide clear rubrics that illustrate how the work will be assessed. Provide examples of excellent, mediocre and unsatisfactory work, so standards are clear.
Assess often, even if such "dip-sticking" is merely for preview or review; this helps monitor student understanding and informs the instructor's course design and pacing.
Assess the process and not only the product. Certain skills related to research, media projects, writing, and scientific research are often overlooked in...
From the Collective Wisdom of the CTFD Advisory Board
Oral presentations are a standard component of pedagogy and assessment, yet are sheer personal torture for many students. Their fear of public performance also renders a presentation less effective as a learning rubric. Fortunately, there are techniques available to help you help your student cope with hesitancy and fear in the face of public presentation.
Make sure that there is no physical or emotional disability to be considered for accommodation.
Build up to the solo presentations by having more than one per semester, and make them...
Ensure that course materials and resources are accessible to all by following the Universal Design for Learning model.
Be active in the classroom/auditorium. Move around the class and invite participation. This will help create an encouraging environment so that neither you nor your students will feel intimidated by the numbers.
Personalize your class; get to know as many names as possible. Extend your availability—show up to class early and be sure to keep regular office hours.
Integrate active learning strategies that are focused on specific outcomes. Consider using "clickers" for...
