Teaching with Analogies: Socks Before Shoes—Order Matters
I have taught mathematics for 38 years and am puzzled by why the analogies I was taught throughout my youth have been lost. I believe
Josephine Johansen
July 31, 2019
HIGHER ED TEACHING STRATEGIES FROM MAGNA PUBLICATIONS
Teaching and Learning
Graphic Novels, Innovative Teaching, and Student Engagement in the Classroom
As an instructor who has taught courses in the social sciences, humanities, and interdisciplinary fields, I’ve often considered the ways in which course readings can
Dorian Rhea Debussy, PhD
July 24, 2019
Making Radio: Using Audio for Student Assignments
Elvis (the other one … Costello) was right, “Radio, it’s a sound salvation. Radio, it’s cleaning up the nation.” Radio didn’t die, it was just
Michael Ridley
July 19, 2019
What to Do When a Student is Failing: A Guide for Mentors
One joy of a faculty member in academia is the opportunity to train the next generation of scholars who will continue our work to innovate
David C. Schwebel, PhD
July 15, 2019
Six Things that Make College Teachers Successful
1. Study the knowledge base of teaching and learning You have chosen to teach in higher education because you are a subject-matter specialist with a
Mary Clement EdD.
July 5, 2019
Eureka! An Accumulation of the Best Teaching Advice
The 2019 Annual Teaching Professor Conference offered numerous tactics and strategies to implement in the classroom, but Ken Alford, PhD, Brigham Young University, took a
Tierney King
July 3, 2019
What Two Students Want You to Know About Inclusive Teaching
Inclusive teaching involves creating equitable and welcoming educational environments for the diverse learners in our classrooms. Such approaches may involve, but are not limited to:
Tracie Addy, PhD, MPhil, Ayat Husseini, and Anna DeVault
June 10, 2019
Literacy Levels Among College Students
When I confront “problems of practice” in my teaching, I like to turn to my smart friends for advice. About a year ago, I was really confounded by my students’ trouble with reading for deep understanding. While I could see that the students were completing assigned readings, they weren’t always able to process the information deeply to analyze the concepts or apply the content to new situations. Since I don’t have much experience teaching reading, I turned to my colleague, Dr. Jennifer Shettel. Jen is a literacy professor and has run several tremendously successful close-reading workshops in our area. I figured she could give some advice. Our conversations prompted some pedagogical experimentation with different literacy-based strategies which Jen and I will be sharing in a preconference workshop at The Teaching Professor Conference this June.
Oliver Dreon, PhD
May 3, 2019
Join the Club: The Benefits of Getting Students Involved with Departmental Clubs
Faculty mentorship is widely seen as an important factor in a successful undergraduate education. A recent 2018 Strada-Gallup Alumni Survey, “Mentoring College Students To Success” shows that successful faculty mentorship is critical in encouraging students to pursue their careers and dreams. Yet, only 64 percent of students had a mentor and the number is less for underrepresented groups. As faculty, how can we connect to students outside the classroom beyond merely hoping they show up to office hours?
Matthew J. Wright, PhD
April 22, 2019
Connecting the Disconnect Between Class Time and Course Readings
“What do the readings have to do with class?” “Why do we even have to do the readings?”
After spending more than a decade supporting college faculty in teaching, I have heard students utter these statements numerous times. I often observe classes and conduct mid-course focus groups with students. It continues to surprise me that students regularly question how the readings connect to class. Certainly, instructors would not be assigning readings that had nothing to do with the course! Given how much we worry about students not doing the readings, why would we assign unrelated readings? Yet, frequently, in courses in different disciplines, I’ve heard this type of feedback from students, “We don’t understand the readings, they have nothing to do with what we talk about in class.”
Bridget Arend, PhD
April 17, 2019