Doodles

Here's something new to try with your students. If they don't want to take real notes, then just praise them when they doodle in class.

Research actually suggests that people that doodle retain more information. Pretty cool, huh?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226210039.htm

Professor Twit

Some instructors are starting to twitter (micro-blogging) as a way to stay connected with students.

Good idea?

Check out this article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joanne-rendell/is-your-professor-a-twit_b_167054.html

How to Get Comfortable with an Empty Mind

Here's a "scary" article. :)

For those of us that have been teaching for a while, the last thing we want is students with "empty minds." But perhaps empty is okay?? Maybe empty is the new full?

Check out the article:

http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2009/02/02/how-to-get-comfortable-with-an-empty-mind/

Lectures: Common Mistakes to Avoid

10 Quick Tips from http://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/tips-teaching-lectures

Common Lecture Mistakes

1. Trying to cover too much material in one class session.

2. Not including opportunities for questions or active learning.

3. Waiting until the last two minutes of class to ask and answer questions.

4. Not asking a mix of questions, i.e. questions that test comprehension and questions that require more complex levels of thinking or that have more than one correct answer.

5. Answering your own questions or asking more than one question at once.

6. Assuming students are learning the material if they are not asking questions.

7. Assuming that students will identify and understand the important points of each lecture.

8. Reading your notes or the content of the slides when using PowerPoint.

9. Not looking at the students when you are lecturing; looking only at your notes or the chalkboard.

10. Filling the chalkboard or PowerPoint slides with too much information.

Lectures: Before, During, After

I like this one.

From: http://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/tips-teaching-lectures

Tips for Teaching with Lectures

Preparing

Create a comfortable, non-threatening environment.

Include opportunities for active learning.

Organize the lecture like a good speech.

Prepare notes that will serve as a “road map” rather than a script to be read verbatim.

Review and practice the lecture before class begins.

If you plan to use audiovisual aids or instructional technology, do so with care and preparation.

During the Lecture

Interact with your students.

Provide students a clear sense of the day’s topics and their relation to the course as a whole.

Show passion for the subject

Focus on communicating with your audience: speak clearly; move around the room, and use gestures to engage student attention.

When asking questions, do not be afraid of silence.

Demonstrate respect for, and interest in, student ideas and questions.

After the Lecture

Rethink, retool, revise.

How to Handle the Tardy Student

The class starts at 8 a.m., but students keep arriving at 8:02, 8:05, 8:10, etc. They're missing the first part of class, which is valuable instructional time. And, not only are they missing part of your class, but they are disrupting the learning of students that show up on time. So what do you do?

From: http://www.lansing.cc.mi.us/cte/resources/teachingtips/tip29.aspx

Tips on Deterring Tardiness

Tardiness is disruptive to the learning process. While it may be unavoidable on the rare occasion, unattended or unnoticed tardiness can persist and become chronic. The following tips are provided to assist in deterring this problem

1. On the first day of class, review your policy on tardiness.

More importantly, adhere to it. If you are considering making exceptions, keep in mind that while the student who is asking for an exception may have a very legitimate reason, you don’t know what sacrifices the other 20 students made to arrive on time. Also, allow for some flexibility in your policies. For example, some faculty give their students one "pass" that they can use towards being late, no questions asked.

The following policy comes from a college instructor at Moravian College:"Tardiness to class is not only detrimental to the learning process but quite disruptive and unfair to those who make it to class on time regularly. Recurring tardiness shows a lack of respect for the classroom, the instructor, and one’s fellow students and will not be tolerated. Therefore, once the door has been shut, you will not be permitted to enter." (Rosen, Joel Nathan. "Writing 100 Course Syllabus." Moravian College. Accessed October 8, 2008. http://home.moravian.edu/public/regis/syllabiproject/pdfs/200670/writ100g.pdf)

2. Model promptness by starting on time and ending on time.

3. Have a routine at the beginning of class that students would hate to miss (e.g. a warm up activity related to the topic, an in-class writing assignment worth a few points that can not be made up, a homework quiz that they have the first ten minutes to work on together, etc.). Whatever the activity, it should not be interrupted or extended for latecomers.

4. Have logical consequences for being late.
Do not reteach the class or stop what you are doing. Hold the students responsible for obtaining any missed information, handouts, etc. and make this policy clear at the onset.

5. Speak privately to chronically late students.
Remind them that you are on their side and you want them to succeed, but according to the syllabus...

6. Specifically acknowledge the late student(s) by saying something like "Hello. How are you today?" However, this does not support #3 and 4 above, but it may better suit your style.

References
Reed, Rosalind. "Strategies for Dealing with Troublesome Behaviors in the Classroom." October 1997, Vol.6 No.6. The National Teaching and Learning Forum. Accessed October 8, 2008. <http://www.ntlf.com/html/pi/9710/strat.htm>
Rodriguez, Lisa. "Classroom Management." 2008. 4Faculty.org. Accessed October, 8, 2008. <http://www.4faculty.org/includes/108r2.jsp>
Rosen, Joel Nathan. "Writing 100 Course Syllubus." Moravian College. Accessed October 8, 2008. <http://home.moravian.edu/public/regis/syllabiproject/pdfs/200670/writ100g.pdf>
Texas Tech University, "Civility in the Classroom: Tips for Dealing with Troublesome Behavior." Faculty Guide. 2001-2002. Accessed October 8, 2008. <http://www.depts.ttu.edu/studentaffairs/vpsa/publications/civility2002.pdf>

Getting Students to Show Up

There's nothing more disappointing that having half the class not show up; while that's rather unusual, it's not too uncommon to have some students that miss a lot of class time, especially if you don't have a firm attendance policy.

That being the case, how can you encourage students to attend class? Is a strict attendance policy the only way?

From: http://www.lansing.cc.mi.us/cte/resources/teachingtips/tip25.aspx

Strategies for Improving Class Attendance
Attending class facilitates learning in a variety of ways. It ensures that students have an opportunity to interact with the course material in a variety of formats - through listening, talking to peers, multimedia presentations, etc. In addition, the skills required to take notes and the discipline it requires to come to class and participate are skills that transfer to the workplace.
According to Merry J. Sleigh and Darren R. Ritzer, the following strategies improve student attendance:

1. "Structure class so that those who attend experience obvious benefits, such as better , personal growth, and 'informative' entertainment. Test on material emphasized in class including class discussion, video clips or guest speakers, conveying that class time is of value, whether the instructor is lecturing or not. In a recent survey in our classes, the number one factor that influenced student attendance was the amount of in-class material that would be on the test (Sleigh, Ritzer, & Casey, in press)."

2. "Avoid repetition of the textbook or assigned readings. If students have access to the same material covered in class, they often perceive little reason to be there." In other words, if the book says it well, why repeat it? Instead, spend class time applying what is in the text or discussing topics the text does not address well.

3. Make the subject matter relevant. "When the subject matter is made personally relevant, understanding and comprehension are deeper and more meaningful. Students will be more motivated to attend lectures that reflect elements of their background, interests, or future."

4. "Structure class meetings so students must be in class for one activity, such as an in-class writing activity ..." It's helpful if these in-class writing assignments are worth a couple of points and can not be made up. An example of an in-class writing assignment might be to answer one of the following: Based on today's session, list three things you know about _______________? In your own words, explain ________________. After allowing the students to write for a few minutes, have them work with a partner to rewrite the response so that it contains elements of both partner's responses. This is a good opportunity to point out "the power of two" because, inevitably, the responses they formulate together will be better than the responses they formulated individually. Collect both the individual and paired responses to see the difference for yourself. (For more about the "Power of Two," see Mel Silberman's Active Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any Subject available in the CTE, TLC 324.)

5. "Regardless of your perspective [regarding class attendance], expectations regarding attendance should be clearly explained and attainable because students are often more willing to comply with policies when they understand the reasoning behind them. Such communication also conveys a level of adult-to-adult respect between faculty and students. Present your policies in oral and written formats, and follow through with established consequences. Students learn to ignore policies that are not enforced."

6. "Policies that explain the consequences for missed exams or late assignments can encourage attendance. [For example], if a faculty member allows students to drop one test grade, a missed exam automatically becomes the dropped grade. When policies are in place, students can make informed choices about attendance, and faculty reduce the need for judgment calls about an absence." Use a "Stuff Happens" card to handle student excuses. Professor Feenstra gives each student a "stuff happens" card, which is about the size of a business card and includes space for the semester date and the student's name. This is a one time only forgiveness card, nontransferable, and won't be replaced if lost. (The Teaching Professor, June/July 2007.) One instructor set a policy where two unexcused absences can be waived only if followed up with a creative excuse derived in a form that is relevant to the course. For example, if a student misses an art course, she or he might draw a picture of where she was and what happened. The instructor points out that excused absences (i.e. a death in the family, illness, or emergency) are never to be made fun of." (Teaching for Success, "No More Lame Excuses" by Caroline Zarlengo Sposto, August 2003)

7. Model arriving on time, being prepared for class, and keeping appointments, including office hours.

8. "Learn students' names as quickly as possible. Calling a student by name demonstrates that you have an interest in the individual as well as the group. Students rate 'showing interest in them' and 'knowing students' names' as the fourth and fifth most common behaviors teachers can exhibit to develop rapport (Buskist & Saville, 2001)."

9. "The critical task for teachers is to know their audiences well enough to create classes that meet students' needs and to modify their pedagogical approaches to fit the situation. Ultimately, encouraging attendance is a critical teaching task. Without students, there is no need for a teacher."

Reference
Sleigh, M. J. and Ritzer, D. R. American Psychologist Society Observer. "Encouraging Student Attendance." Accessed August 27, 2007 <http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/1101/tips.html>

Preparing for Difficult Moments in the Classroom

You're talking about abortion or race or politics or religion, and emotions start to run high. How do you handle it? How do you teach students that the classroom is a safe place to openly discuss ideas?

From: http://www.lansing.cc.mi.us/cte/resources/teachingtips/tip16.aspx

"Difficult or 'hot' moments can occur when students are experiencing conflicted feelings, which can rise to a point of threatening the teaching and learning environment. For some of us, they are the very stuff of classroom life. For others, these moments can stifle learning." (Lee Warren, Harvard University) The challenge is to manage ourselves and to make these moments opportunities that students can learn from. Consider the following:

1. Establish norms or ground rules early in the semester which will deter "personal attacks." For more information, see Teaching Tip 13 at http://www.lcc.edu/cte/resources/teachingtips.html

2. Model being open to multiple perspectives through your feedback, body language, etc.

3. If a student has made an offensive remark, say something like "Many people think this way. Why do they hold such views? What are their reasons?"

4. To help students reflect on and bring closure to this experience, ask students to write about the issue either in or out of class. You might even ask them to write from a position they most disagree with.

5. It might be appropriate to talk privately after class to students who have been the most embroiled in the discussion. Acknowledge their experience and try to help them learn something significant from it so that they keep coming to class with an open mind.

6. If a student breaks down in class, acknowledge it and ask them if they would like to remain or take a short break. After class, find the student and ask if you can be of assistance. If appropriate, refer them to an [RCTC] counselor.

7. Don't avoid the issue even if it seems out of context in your course. Avoiding offensive remarks tells the offending student that it is okay, and the other students that they are not safe from it.

8. If you are unable to resolve the situation in the moment, tell students that this is an important issue and you will return to it later. This gives you time to plan strategies. It also lets students know that you take such situations seriously.

For more information see the following
Warren, L. "Managing Hot Moments In The Classroom." Derek Bok Center For Teaching And Learning, Harvard University. October 2000.

Avoid the "End of Class" Mentality

You know how students are. As soon as there are only 5 minutes (or for some students, 10 or 15 minutes) left in the class period, they start shutting down. Backpacks opens. Papers and books and feet start making noise. These students think they're ready to leave. But they're really not... not until you've provided them with some closure.

From: http://www.lansing.cc.mi.us/cte/resources/teachingtips/tip6.aspx

Bringing Closure

While we often see tips for getting our classes off to a great start, we don't see many for ending our classes. The last day(s) of class can be an opportunity for reflection and closure. Below are some suggestions for "ending on a high note."

1. Have students call out topics covered and list these on the board while students also write them down. In pairs, have students share what the most personally valuable topics were for them and why. If time allows, have pairs join other pairs to share responses.

2. In small groups, ask students to develop (graphically, verbally, or with an object) a metaphor for the class or one of the topics.

3. Have each student share one thing he/she learned from a classmate.

4. Have a snowball fight! Each person writes down one thing he/she will do with what they learned on a white sheet of paper. Have everyone crinkle up their papers, stand in a circle, turn their backs and toss the snowballs into the circle. Each person then turns around and picks up one. Everyone takes turns reading their snowball. (Bowman, 1997)

5. Hand out a post-final assignment that includes a list of activities students could engage in based on their learning in the course, or have students brainstorm activities.

6. In small groups, have students think of your class as a movie or book and write a title and/or a review. Have each group share their work with the rest of the class.

7. Ask students to write letters to future students in the course describing helpful learning strategies and offering advice for success. Deliver the letters randomly to your new students.

8. Reflect on and describe what you learned from your students and from teaching this course.

References
Bowman, S. Presenting with Pizzazz. Glenbrook NV: Bowperson Publishing Co. 1997.
"Better Endings." 1997. Teaching at UNL (University of Nebraska at Lincoln), vol. 19, no. 3.
"How to End Courses with a Bang." 1995. The Teaching Professor, vol. 9, no. 5.
Maier, Mark H., and Ted Panitz. 1996. "End on a High Note: Better Endings for Classes and Courses." College Teaching, vol. 44, no. 4.

The CTE's website at http://www.lcc.edu/cte/resources/teachingettes/highnote.html

Online Learning: Ways to Save Time

Does it require a larger time commitment to teach an online class? I don't think so. In fact, after you've developed the course, it should actually take less of your time. Remember that you're more of a facilitator, and that's not a bad thing.

http://www.lansing.cc.mi.us/cte/resources/teachingtips/tip8.aspx

Time Saving Tips for Teaching Online

Many faculty have found online teaching very time consuming. Here are a few time saving tips for teaching online from Evelyn Bach. (Adjunct Advocate, May/June 2005)

1. Don't respond to every student on the discussion board. Let students answer each others questions. In fact, responding too quickly may thwart further student discussion.

2. Require that students ask general questions on the discussion board so that you do not have to answer the same question multiple times. If someone asks a general question via email, post it on the discussion board with your response.

3. Set limits. Tell student when you are not available (i.e. weekends, specific evenings, etc.) so they will know what to expect.

4. Consider having assignments due at mid-week, particularly if you want to stay away from the computer over the weekend.

5. Save and reuse postings, announcements, and email notices from one semester to the next as applicable.

6. Have students format files in .rtf to minimize problems related to software conflicts.

7. Require that students name their files with their name and the name of the assignment to allow for more efficient file management and retrieval

Providing Student Feedback

As a Dean, one of the number one complaints I hear from students is: "My instructor doesn't give me enough feedback." And really, there's probably no such thing as too much feedback. Of course when you have 150 students in a semester, it's difficult to provide as much feedback as each student might like. Nevertheless, here are some ideas on how to provide more feedback to your students.

From: http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/teachingtips.htm

It seems that no matter what college faculty do, students perceive that they aren't getting enough feedback. Some faculty make the following suggestions:

1. Give short quizzes over the day's material.

2. Have students grade objective quizzes and tests in class to provide more immediate feedback.

3. Reward successful behavior with verbal praise, an honor roll, or personal notes.

4. As a motivator, post all students' grades in bar chart form (using assigned student numbers rather than names to insure confidentiality). Unsuccessful students often see that others are succeeding and seek help.

5. Give midterm grades and offer suggestions for improvement.

6. Keep your gradebook current and encourage students to check it regularly.

7. Give a test early in the term (i.e. during the second or third week of the quarter). Return it the next class day. Discuss the answers and allow students to ask questions in class.

8. Ask students to critique each others' papers, projects or essay test answers for readability and/or content.

9. Discuss or post answers to ungraded quizzes or homework problems.

10. Ask that students write questions at the end of a lesson. Answer them individually in writing or discuss them during the next class.

11. Encourage students to use study groups to solicit feedback on their comprehension of class material.

12. Establish an atmosphere that is open and safe for students to ask questions that will help check their understanding of materials covered in class or reading assignments. Start each class with a question & answer session.

Making Lectures Interactive

There's nothing wrong with a good lecture, but you can lecture and still make sure that students are actively involved. In fact, that's the key to a good lecture.

From: http://www.lansing.cc.mi.us/cte/resources/teachingtips/tip20.aspx

An interactive lecture is one that combines lecture with student active breaks; it seeks to involve students in a variety of ways that will maintain and reset their attention. If you are interested in incorporating interactive lecture activities on a regular basis, a possible structure for a class period might include:

1. Start Class with a Question
Ask your students what they know or hope to learn about the topic.

Provide an image and ask them what they see.

Pose a problem based on the homework.

2. After approximately 10 to 15 minutes of lecturing, stop and have students take a few minutes to do one of the following:
Write a Question:Ask the students to take two or three minutes to write a question they have about the material just covered. Ask for volunteers to ask and answer questions.

Write - Pair - Share:Pose a challenging question and have students write their response for a few minutes. Have them share their response with their neighbor. Ask volunteers to share their responses with the large group.

Pair and Compare:Students are asked to pair up and compare notes, expanding upon them as needed.

Making Material Relevant:"After lecturing on an idea or concept, stop and ask students for examples from their own experiences or readings. Or, you might show a news clip or a movie segment and ask students how it relates to the lecture material." (The Office of Instructional Consultation, http://www.oic.id.ucsb.edu/Resources/Teaching/interactlecture.html)

Periodic Recall:Students stop taking notes, close their books and write down two or three main points from the lecture thus far. Students could then compare and discuss what they have written with a partner.

Re-order the Steps:Present a series of steps in a mixed order and have students re-order the steps correctly.

Graphic Representation: Ask students to represent a key topic in a non-narrative format (i.e. picture, graph, etc.)

3. Conclude your class session with a two to five minute recap
Ask students to summarize major points.

Have students take a short ungraded quiz individually, or in small groups. They should be able to answer the question(s) (without much difficulty) based on the lecture and their class participation.

Assign a one-minute paper by asking students one or more of the following questions: 1) "What do you consider to be the main point(s) of today's class?" or "What one or two things stood out for you from today's class?" 2) "What was the muddiest point?" or "What question(s) still remains uppermost in your mind?" Collect these papers and start the next class session by noting any trends in their responses and/or by addressing their muddiest points and/or questions.

Please note: If you expect student resistance to a new format, take a few minutes to describe to them what you are going to be expecting of them and why. In addition, start small, and as the course progresses, add more activities.

References
Nilson, L. Teaching At Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors. (1st ed) Bolton MA: Anker publishing Company Inc. 1998.
Paulson, D. R. & Faust, J. L. "Active Learning for the College Classroom," California State University, 06 Oct. 2006 <http://www.calstatela.edu/dept/chem/chem2/Active/main.htm>
"Interactive Lectures." The Office of Instructional Consultation, University of California, Santa Barbara. Oct. 2006. 6 Oct. 2006 <http://www.oic.id.ucsb.edu/Resources/Teaching/interactlecture.html>

Be Prepared, Even When You're Not

Be prepared for every class you teach; but if you're not prepared for some reason (and this will happen to you sooner or later), know how to fake it. :)

From: http://www.lansing.cc.mi.us/cte/resources/teachingtips/tip24.aspx

Preparing for when you are Unprepared

While we should always strive to "be prepared," situations will sometimes arise - illness, family emergency, an overwhelming project, etc. that can prevent our being prepared for a particular class session. Should that happen, consider having the following strategies as a back-up plan:

1. "Focus on a key concept addressed in a previous session and with the students input, identify relevant examples and many perspectives from which the issue might be viewed. This will help the students foster a more comprehensive understanding of the concept. For example, if your Business Law class had studied bankruptcy, they might focus on a recently announced corporate bankruptcy. Divide the class into groups of three or four students, and have each group focus on the case from a different viewpoint such as a stakeholder group, an employee, suppliers, shareholders, the business media, etc." (Lyons, 1999)

2. "Recruit a guest speaker from your circle of friends and/or colleagues who you know has made a presentation on a topic of relevance in your course. Ask him/her to share their presentation and answer student questions that might emerge. Take good notes during the presentation, and use these to stimulate further discussion and reinforce important concepts after the guest leaves." (Lyons, 1999)

3. "Identify a late-breaking news story related to your course. Assign student groups one of several key roles such as the press, a governmental agency investigator, a private interest group, etc. to formulate a response to the situation. Ask each group to select a representative to share their response with the large group or serve on a panel to present the case to the public. Thoroughly debrief the perspectives expressed." (Lyons, 1999)

4. "Divide the class into small groups of three or four students, and ask them to develop five questions that you would consider for inclusion on the next examination. You might consider "chunking" the material so that each group has a different key concept." (Lyons, 1999) After they have developed the questions, consider assigning new groups so that there is one representative from each "chunk" in each new group. Have them share their questions with each other, modifying as needed. Prior to turning them in for your consideration, have the original groups reconvene and make any changes to the questions based on the input they received.

References
Lyons, R. Faculty Development Associates Tip of the Week. "How to Survive When You're Not Prepared for Class." Accessed April 25, 2007 <http://www.developfaculty.com/tips.html>

How to Handle Tangents -- Create a Parking Lot

Do you have students that like to take the class off on tangents? Some do this on purpose, of course. Others are simply interested in seeing where certain ideas can go, but its not always productive to go off in that direction.

Nevertheless, you want to keep your students engaged, but you also need to keep the class focused and on task. The "parking lot" idea is one worth using, as it allows you to do both.

From: http://www.lansing.cc.mi.us/cte/resources/teachingtips/tip14.aspx

Parking Lot

Do your students sometimes digress from the topic at hand?

Are you torn because you want to address their questions but you are also concerned about interrupting the flow, or getting too far off topic?

Consider putting a "parking lot" on the board. It could be a circle or square where you record questions and ideas not directly related to the task at hand. If you use a "parking lot," consider one of the following options during the last few minutes of class:

1. Address the questions in the "parking lot" as appropriate, particularly if they relate to upcoming sessions.

2. Decide what "vehicles" will be driven away and by whom. If a question is not related to the topic, ask a volunteer to find the solution and share their findings either in the next class session or via your [d2l] course site. (If no one volunteers, maybe the question isn't worth pursuing.)

References
Adapted from the University of Kansas - Center for Teaching Excellence, Vol.2, No.4 "Teaching Matters" newsletter.

Student Feedback: Handle with Care

Students are people, too. :)

It's important to keep that in mind when you provide feedback on essays, tests, and other assignments.

I was always taught to say something positive before saying anything "negative." This can seem somewhat artifical, though, and students have probably picked up on this "trick."

Below are some things to keep in mind when providing student feedback.

From: http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/teachingtips.htm

1. Handle with care.
Use a "desire to help" attitude with the student.

2. Focus your attention.
Don'st split your focus with any other activity (e.g. incoming phone calls beepers, etc.) while delivering feedback.

3. Be direct.
Vague or general statement don't show the student what needs to be done.

4. Stay objective.
Don't guess or assume that you know why the student is doing something. Stick to what's factual, and withold judgments about the student's behavior

5. Watch your timing.
Feedback is processed most effectively when you deliver it promptly, so that whatever incident you're discussing is gresth in both your minds. Feedback that is saved up over tiem can confus and anger the student.

6. Feedback should be easy to act upon.
Offer realistic suggestions and options for change that the student can put into use right away. Don't hammer away at things beyond everone's control.

7. Involve the student in corrective action.
Allow the student to work collaboratively with you to come up with some options for change. The more the student feels empowered, the more likely the chances of behavior change.

Using a Variety of Instructional Strategies

It can be rather easy getting into a teaching rut. But the following article provides a pretty good list of ways to mix up the approaches you use to deliever course content.

From: http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/teachingtips.htm

We know that students learn and retain material best when they employ a variety of senses and have varied experiences. College faculty make the following suggestions to help facilitate learning through mixed strategies:

1. Increase your repertoire of teaching strategies. Refer to the partial list of teaching methods below and try to use at least two methods during each class.

2. Ask students to assume the role of a professional in the field: social worker, psychologist, engineer, nurse, accountant, etc.

3. Assign or encourage participation in community events such as state or county fairs, plays, concerts, business-sponsored activities or open houses, and local government meetings.

4. Show films in different ways: ask students to predict endings or be critics, replay sections, show only a few frames at a time, discuss what might happen in a sequel.

Teacher-Centered Methods
Chalkboard
Commercial materials
Demonstration
Lecture
Visual aids (charts, graphs, pictures, PowerPoint
Models

Group Discussion Methods:
Informal discussion
Committee work
Debates
Panels
Oral reports
Role playing

Other Group Learning Methods:
Class problems
Club/organization work
Contests
Demonstrations
Displays & exhibits
Experiments
Field trips
Surveys
Skits
Outside speakers
Questionnaires

Individual Learning Methods:
Information interviews
Manuals and handbooks
Reference reading
Research
Work experience

2009: How to Make It the Best

The title of the linked item is a bit more colorful than my edited title, so I hope no one is easily offended.

Title aside, check out the content. Pretty darn good stuff, and definitely worth chewing over -- and sharing with your students:

http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2009/01/09/how-to-create-a-kick-ass-2009-my-top-10-favourite-timeless-tips/

Using Students as Catchers in the Rye?

If you have, say, 40 students in a class, how can you keep track of all of them?

You'd like to keep tabs on them, right? If one doesn't show up for a few classes, you'd like to know why, but is it really practical to email or call them? Not really.

Here's an idea that Peter Burton mentioned to me this morning, and I thought I'd share it here:

Use student groups as a way to support student retention.

How would this work?

1. After the Add/Drop period (i.e. the second week of class), assign students to a "support group." An ideal size for this group might be six members. (So in a class of 40, you'd have seven support groups.)

2. Members in the group exchange contact information -- phone numbers, email, etc.

3. When a member misses a class, other members in the group will contact that person to make sure they're okay, and to give them the information they missed in class. (This should eliminate students who come back to class the next period and ask the instructor: "Did I miss anything important??")

4. To make sure that students take their "support" role seriously, tie their grade (probably through the form of extra credit) to overall group retention. That is, if all members of a group complete the class, award that group 25 extra points, for example. If 5 out of 6 members complete the class, award 10 extra points. Less than 5? Then just thank the group for its effort!

Anyway, I thought this idea had a lot of potential, and I would encourage you to consider doing something like this. I'm sure something similar could be developed for online classes, too.

As always, if you try this idea, let us know how it works for you.

Terribly Write, Unnecessary Quotation Marks, and Engrish

Boy, oh boy. What fun you can have with the English language! Here are three blogs you can share with your students.

1. Terribly Write -- Looks at all the horrible grammatical mistakes that people make -- mistakes that are somehow published. http://terriblywrite.wordpress.com/

2. Unnecessary Quotation Marks -- Why do people feel the "need" to use unnecessary quotation marks?? Kind of a "fun" little blog. http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/

3. Engrish -- And this one is my personal fav. What happens when people try to translate words and sentences from Chinese and Japanese into English? Non-stop fun, that's what! http://engrish.com/

Helping Students Learn

Part of the job of teaching requires us to show students how to be students. I think this part often gets left out. We sometimes expect that students know how to learn already. Experience shows that this is not always a reasonable expectation.

From: http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/teachingtips.htm

Although it is clearly the students' responsibility to learn the material presented in class, faculty can facilitate learning in many ways. College teachers suggest:

1. At the beginning of each class, write down and describe the format and your goals for the day.

2. Hand out study questions or a study guide.

3. Make specific suggestions for taking notes in your class.

4. When showing a film or video, begin with an overview. Then, ask a few key questions for
students to keep in mind as they watch it. End with a small group and/or whole class discussion.

5. Make learning as active as possible. In addition to lectures, provide opportunities for students to SEE and DO things with key concepts. Group discussions and projects, demonstrations, skits, cases, surveys, short papers and experiments are a few ways to employ active learning methods.

6. Giving a learning styles inventory helps students identify how they learn, and helps you select appropriate teaching methods.

7. Describe good learning habits: how to study you subject area, preparing before topics are discussed in class.

8. Explain how to study for your tests. Give concrete examples and answers.

9. Assign written summaries of difficult material.

10. Provide study aids such as practice exercises, study tips, supplemental readings, and lists of new vocabulary words.

11. Increase retention: if students are absent for 2 or more consecutive classes, phone them.

12. Usually miscommunications are brought to the surface and resolved with one quick call.

13. Arrange for a tour of the library and provide instructions for using their materials, especially as they relate to your class.

14. Give midterm grades and offer suggestions for improving.