Posts Tagged ‘teaching strategies’
September 8 - Student Learning in Progress: Deciding When and How to Intervene
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Teaching Professor Blog
I’ve been a bit surprised as I continue to work on the new edition of my Learner-Centered Teaching book at the number of things I still haven’t figured out in the 10 years since I first wrote the book. There are some challenging conundrums associated with implementing these approaches.
May 12 - Learning Skills: Necessary but not Taught
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Teaching Professor Blog
Here are some survey results worth mulling over. A group of life sciences faculty were asked about teaching students “science process skills”—identified as data interpretation, problem solving, experimental design, scientific writing, oral communication, collaborative work, and critical analysis of primary literature.
March 31 - A Lifeline for Those Teaching Large Classes
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Teaching Professor Blog
Simon, who teaches very large economics classes wonders in a blog comment if the kind of facilitative learning described in the March 2 post is possible in mass classes. I’d like to use this post to address his query. First off, as any large course instructor knows, teaching those big, required, introductory courses is not easy. In fact, it may well be the most difficult teaching assignment given to teachers. In my mind this raises a host of intriguing questions about who should be teaching and taking those courses. But that’s a topic for another post.
December 6 - Things Effective Teachers Do
By: Mary Bart in Effective Teaching Strategies
It’s been a while since I was an undergrad, but I still remember my two favorite professors. They had completely different personalities and teaching styles, they even taught in different departments, but they did some things in very similar ways. I think that’s what made them so effective. It really wasn’t the content — although that was part of it — it was more the classroom experience they created.
October 1 - Responding to Student Questions When You Don’t Know the Answer
By: Matthew Fleenor in Teaching and Learning
In a 2008 essay that was published in the Journal of Cell Science author Martin Schwartz writes of the “importance of stupidity” when doing research in the sciences. Schwartz argues that during his graduate research in the sciences, “the crucial lesson was that the scope of things I didn’t know wasn’t merely vast; it was, for all practical purposes, infinite.”
September 30 - Simulations Deliver Real Benefits
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Teaching and Learning, Teaching Professor Blog
Simulations can be powerful active learning experiences. In the social sciences and humanities they can provide a kind of “lab-like” experience, often not a part of these courses. Finding good simulation exercises is a challenge in some fields and integrating them into the content and objectives of the course requires careful planning and execution. However, this extra work is justified given what a good simulation can accomplish in class. Check out these benefits listed in an excellent article on simulations.
July 8 - Let’s Take a Break
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Effective Classroom Management, Teaching Professor Blog
How about a regularly scheduled two-to three-minute break in the middle of class? John A. Olmsted III recommends it for the following reasons: 1) it provides a change of pace and lets students recharge tired brains; 2) it can be used to get students involved with the content; and 3) it can be designed to
March 11 - Improve Thinking and Learning
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Faculty Development, Teaching Professor Blog
Here’s a list of some practical suggestions taken from a, “miniature guide for those who teach on how to improve student learning.” (Web address below) The guide was prepared by Richard Paul and Linda Elder, both well-known experts on critical thinking.
March 2 - Characteristics of Good Teachers
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Faculty Development, Teaching Professor Blog
Occasionally we need a reminder like this: based on a thorough literature review, Paul Ramsden, a noted researcher on teaching and learning, along with several co-authors offered this description of good teachers. · Good teachers are also good learners; for example, they learn through their own reading, by participating in a variety of professional-development activities,
November 19 - Teaching that Promotes Lifelong Learning
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Teaching and Learning, Teaching Professor Blog
Can we teach in ways that develop students’ commitment to ongoing, lifelong learning? Yes, say the researchers listed below whose study explored curricular conditions and educational practices that influence the development of a lifelong learning orientation. The study design is complex, not easily explained in a short blog entry, but its three-stage analysis of data
