In My Freshman Year, anthropologist Rebekah Nathan documents her experiences exploring student life undercover as a freshman at an anonymous university. She sheds light on student culture using examples from dorm life, community development, academics, and college management. I found this book to be interesting and informative. In this entry, I reflect on my reactions to this book. My reflection is guided by the three bolded questions below.
What was the most surprising aspect of the book, and why did it surprise you?
In chapter 2, Nathan discusses formal and informal student culture. She states, "If the formal culture stressed advice, academics, and warnings, informal culture stressed sociability, fun, and humor." This is interesting to me because student culture is often discussed as monolithic, either academically oriented or fun oriented. Nathan seems to hint at a dual culture whereby competing demands for academic success and fun are balanced.
Although this is not entirely surprising to me, it is an interesting way to think about student culture. If students are exposed to a dual culture during their time in college, this may lead to academic conflict. Consider a student who is motivated to a) work hard and succeed academically, and b) not take school too seriously and have fun. For this student, the first motivation may be impeded by the second. Although studying, attending class, attending instructor office hours, and other academic pursuits may fulfill the first motivation, they may be at odds with the second motivation.
Resulting from this dual culture, students likely interact differently with their instructors than with their peers. For example, academic discussions are reserved for instructors whereas discussions about parties and other extracurricular activities are reserved for peers. This may be a good thing for instructors who do not wish to interpret their students slang or hear about the latest party they attended. However, it may be a problem when students wish to initiate academic discussions with their peers. Students may feel uncomfortable initiating these discussions, and this unease may strengthen the dual culture.
As a more minor point, I also found Nathan's brief discussion in chapter 1 about college slang interesting. She discusses a study that showed "...only 10 percent of a college slang lexicon remained in use..." over a 7 year period of time. I graduated with my B.S. in 2007, so it is likely that much of the slang I used is now out of style. :)
In light of the challenges faced by undergraduate students highlighted in the book, what advice would you give new college instructors?
Understand student culture and all that it encompasses. Many students take 15-18 course credits, work part time, participate in clubs and athletics, and try to make time for friends and family. Consequently, your course may be only a small part of your students' lives. At first reflection, this may be discouraging to new college instructors considering the amount of time we devote to the development of our courses. However, we can adapt to the environment in which we teach. Here are some ways in which new instructors may adapt.
1) It may be unwise to overload students with homework. Although one may think that giving students a lot of homework will motivate them to spend a considerable amount of time learning course material, it may in fact have the opposite effect. Students overloaded with homework may focus more on getting the work done then learning the material. Assigning students a more reasonable amount of homework may result in more learning.
2) Be clear about the purpose of assignments. Because students are often very busy, assignments without obvious purpose may not be taken seriously. Distribute assignments along with a brief overview of the importance of those assignments.
3) When possible, make classes interesting. Many instructors argue that classes are not meant to be fun, but rather informative and enlightening. Although I agree with this perspective, it doesn't hurt to present material in a way that is interesting. Presenting material in a way that is interesting may motivate student engagement.
Has this book changed your perspective on undergraduate students? If no, why not? If so, how so?
I found many of Nathan's descriptions of student life to be consistent with my own perspective and experiences as an undergraduate. I was consistently enrolled full time, worked between 20-40 hours a week, and tried to maintain strong relationships with my friends and family. Although this book did not change my perspective about students, it did remind me of the demands many of them face.
I did find myself resistant to some of the descriptions of student culture that Nathan presented. I feel that she presented one perspective in a world where there are many. In chapter 6, Nathan states, "The second salient point to remember is that not all college students buy into the dominant paradigm of the day. College culture, like any culture, is neither singular nor monolithic." I am not completely convinced that Nathan's description is the "dominant paradigm of the day." Although my experience may be unique, I knew many students that were strongly engaged with their studies. It is possible that Nathan's descriptions may be somewhat unique to freshman rather than college students as a whole. It would be interesting to see another ethnography where college seniors are observed.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Blog Entry #10
This week's reading was part 6 (Teaching for Higher Level Goals) in McKeachie's Teaching Tips. In this entry, I focus on just a couple of the things I found interesting in this section.
Somewhat to my surprise, I thought the chapter on ethics was very informative. Often, when we think about ethics in education, we imagine obvious lines that should not be crossed. For example, an instructor should not pass a student who performed poorly but offers money. McKeachie points out that ethics in education often involve gray areas that may not appear unethical, but in fact probably are. Some good examples of these gray areas include arriving at class underprepared and not remaining current on the best instructional methods for facilitating learning. McKeachie also provided a nice discussion about the teaching of ethics in this chapter. McKeachie emphasizes that our values are expressed to students regardless of whether or not we teach ethics explicitly. This is important in terms of both obvious ethical violations and the less obvious gray areas. The ethical decisions we make in the classroom influence our students to behave in similar ways. In my own teaching, I hope that I am able to appropriately identify potential ethical gray areas and respond appropriately. Below, I provide a link to the journal Ethics and Education. Although I do not intend for my readers to seek out and read articles from this journal, I think it is important that they be aware that this journal and others like it exist. Ethics is an important and respected component of education.
In chapter 23, there is a nice discussion about using students' existing knowledge to teach them new things. Especially in lower level classes, students may have no background knowledge about topics that are being covered. Drawing connections between students' previous knowledge and new information allows them to more easily make sense of the new information. I will elaborate on an example that the authors used: if an instructor seeks to teach students about conflict in organizations, they might consider starting the discussion by referencing social disagreements. Few students will have direct knowledge about the nature of conflicts in organizations. However, all students should have had some experience with social disagreements. Drawing connections between these two related topics may allow students to make sense of the new information easier. In my own teaching, I will seek to draw connections between students' previous knowledge and new information when possible. Below, I provide a link to a website that provides tips and techniques for building on students' previous knowledge to help them learn new information.
Additional Resources:
Ethics and Education journal
Building on students' previous knowledge
Somewhat to my surprise, I thought the chapter on ethics was very informative. Often, when we think about ethics in education, we imagine obvious lines that should not be crossed. For example, an instructor should not pass a student who performed poorly but offers money. McKeachie points out that ethics in education often involve gray areas that may not appear unethical, but in fact probably are. Some good examples of these gray areas include arriving at class underprepared and not remaining current on the best instructional methods for facilitating learning. McKeachie also provided a nice discussion about the teaching of ethics in this chapter. McKeachie emphasizes that our values are expressed to students regardless of whether or not we teach ethics explicitly. This is important in terms of both obvious ethical violations and the less obvious gray areas. The ethical decisions we make in the classroom influence our students to behave in similar ways. In my own teaching, I hope that I am able to appropriately identify potential ethical gray areas and respond appropriately. Below, I provide a link to the journal Ethics and Education. Although I do not intend for my readers to seek out and read articles from this journal, I think it is important that they be aware that this journal and others like it exist. Ethics is an important and respected component of education.
In chapter 23, there is a nice discussion about using students' existing knowledge to teach them new things. Especially in lower level classes, students may have no background knowledge about topics that are being covered. Drawing connections between students' previous knowledge and new information allows them to more easily make sense of the new information. I will elaborate on an example that the authors used: if an instructor seeks to teach students about conflict in organizations, they might consider starting the discussion by referencing social disagreements. Few students will have direct knowledge about the nature of conflicts in organizations. However, all students should have had some experience with social disagreements. Drawing connections between these two related topics may allow students to make sense of the new information easier. In my own teaching, I will seek to draw connections between students' previous knowledge and new information when possible. Below, I provide a link to a website that provides tips and techniques for building on students' previous knowledge to help them learn new information.
Additional Resources:
Ethics and Education journal
Building on students' previous knowledge
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Blog Entry #9
This week's readings were part 5 (Skills for Use in Other Teaching Situations) in McKeachie's Teaching Tips and chapter 9 (Feedback from Students) in First Day to Final Grade. There were several interesting topics in this week's readings.
I thought the chapter on active learning in large classes was helpful. I agree with McKeachie that active learning is important for the retention of information and the ability to think about information critically. The course I am teaching in the Spring will have approximately 70 students. I feel that this qualifies as a large class and I do anticipate some difficulties with incorporating active learning in this class. Ideally I would like to incorporate group work into class time, although I am unsure whether or not this is feasible. For example, if I instructed students to work in groups of five, there would be approximately 14 groups. Allowing 14 groups to share their ideas with the rest of the class following the class activity could take much of the class time. If I were to instruct students to work in groups of 10 instead, there would only be seven groups. Although this would make sharing ideas with the class easier, individual students in such large groups may play less of a role.
There was also an interesting section in this chapter about communicating with large classes (pg. 262-263). McKeachie suggests using technology to help manage student appointments (e.g., electronic appointment scheduler). I think this is a really good idea. As an undergraduate, I was the type of student to just stop by instructors' offices when I was in the area. Although I'm sure some instructors didn't mind this, some probably did. As a TA, I now know that it can be fairly annoying when you are working hard on a manuscript or other work and a student just shows up expecting you to be available. I will probably look into using an electronic appointment scheduler (perhaps through blackboard if one is available).
The section on teaching by distance education was informative. I have never taken a distance education course, so it was nice reading about the similarities and differences between distance education courses and normal courses.
Curzan and Damour presented an informative discussion about feedback from students. The most important point I took from this section was that even the best instructors sometimes get a bad rating or two from their students. I think it is important that instructors consider these ratings when they are constructive; however, they should also be considered alongside the average rating.
Additional Resources:
Distance Education and Training Council Website
Tips for Teaching Large Classes
I thought the chapter on active learning in large classes was helpful. I agree with McKeachie that active learning is important for the retention of information and the ability to think about information critically. The course I am teaching in the Spring will have approximately 70 students. I feel that this qualifies as a large class and I do anticipate some difficulties with incorporating active learning in this class. Ideally I would like to incorporate group work into class time, although I am unsure whether or not this is feasible. For example, if I instructed students to work in groups of five, there would be approximately 14 groups. Allowing 14 groups to share their ideas with the rest of the class following the class activity could take much of the class time. If I were to instruct students to work in groups of 10 instead, there would only be seven groups. Although this would make sharing ideas with the class easier, individual students in such large groups may play less of a role.
There was also an interesting section in this chapter about communicating with large classes (pg. 262-263). McKeachie suggests using technology to help manage student appointments (e.g., electronic appointment scheduler). I think this is a really good idea. As an undergraduate, I was the type of student to just stop by instructors' offices when I was in the area. Although I'm sure some instructors didn't mind this, some probably did. As a TA, I now know that it can be fairly annoying when you are working hard on a manuscript or other work and a student just shows up expecting you to be available. I will probably look into using an electronic appointment scheduler (perhaps through blackboard if one is available).
The section on teaching by distance education was informative. I have never taken a distance education course, so it was nice reading about the similarities and differences between distance education courses and normal courses.
Curzan and Damour presented an informative discussion about feedback from students. The most important point I took from this section was that even the best instructors sometimes get a bad rating or two from their students. I think it is important that instructors consider these ratings when they are constructive; however, they should also be considered alongside the average rating.
Additional Resources:
Distance Education and Training Council Website
Tips for Teaching Large Classes
Monday, October 19, 2009
Blog Entry #8
The reading for this week was part 4 (Adding to Your Repertoire of Skills and Strategies for Facilitating Active Learning) in McKeachie's Teaching Tips. In this entry, I focus on just a few of the many things I found interesting from this section.
On page 205, author's Peter Elbow and Mary Deane Sorcinelli briefly discuss issues concerning spelling and grammar in student writing. I agree with the authors that it is not possible or appropriate for college instructors (outside of English departments) to teach spelling and grammar. Nonetheless it is important that students produce papers with appropriate spelling and grammar so that their writing is understandable. Writing centers like the one at NDSU may provide students with the assistance they need to produce writing that is free or nearly free of spelling and grammatical errors. I actually just took one of my own manuscripts to the writing center, and was surprised by how much their suggestions helped the clarity of my writing. Although I was fortunate to have the director of the center help me, I assume that the undergraduate and graduate assistants at the writing center are fully capable of helping students to improve their writing. I intend to require my students this Spring to write a paper, and I will encourage them to take their writing to the writing center.
These authors also suggest that instructors make writing assignments idiosyncratic so that students cannot easily plagiarize papers that have already been written. In a previous blog, I have mentioned that I intend to have my students write a paper in which they apply social psychological research in some way (a broad topic that allows students much flexibility). After reading this chapter, I have decided that I should at least consider narrowing the focus of this assignment to reduce the liklihood that students will plagiarize already written papers.
In chapter 16, McKeachie writes about cooperative and collaborative learning. I agree with McKeachie that group work should facilitate learning, and I intend to incorporate groupwork into my own course when possible. I acknowledge, nonetheless, that many instructors and students dislike group work. As an undergraduate, I had a philosophy instructor who told us that instructors who employ group work are lazy because they are trying to get out of developing lectures. Although I certainly agree that it would be problematic if an instructor overly used or only used group work, I disagree that group work is an ineffective teaching tool. As Mckeachie suggests, group work allows students to express their own ideas about course material and to do so in a low pressure situation.
Additional Resources
Facilitating group work in college classrooms
Information about plagiarism and its detection
On page 205, author's Peter Elbow and Mary Deane Sorcinelli briefly discuss issues concerning spelling and grammar in student writing. I agree with the authors that it is not possible or appropriate for college instructors (outside of English departments) to teach spelling and grammar. Nonetheless it is important that students produce papers with appropriate spelling and grammar so that their writing is understandable. Writing centers like the one at NDSU may provide students with the assistance they need to produce writing that is free or nearly free of spelling and grammatical errors. I actually just took one of my own manuscripts to the writing center, and was surprised by how much their suggestions helped the clarity of my writing. Although I was fortunate to have the director of the center help me, I assume that the undergraduate and graduate assistants at the writing center are fully capable of helping students to improve their writing. I intend to require my students this Spring to write a paper, and I will encourage them to take their writing to the writing center.
These authors also suggest that instructors make writing assignments idiosyncratic so that students cannot easily plagiarize papers that have already been written. In a previous blog, I have mentioned that I intend to have my students write a paper in which they apply social psychological research in some way (a broad topic that allows students much flexibility). After reading this chapter, I have decided that I should at least consider narrowing the focus of this assignment to reduce the liklihood that students will plagiarize already written papers.
In chapter 16, McKeachie writes about cooperative and collaborative learning. I agree with McKeachie that group work should facilitate learning, and I intend to incorporate groupwork into my own course when possible. I acknowledge, nonetheless, that many instructors and students dislike group work. As an undergraduate, I had a philosophy instructor who told us that instructors who employ group work are lazy because they are trying to get out of developing lectures. Although I certainly agree that it would be problematic if an instructor overly used or only used group work, I disagree that group work is an ineffective teaching tool. As Mckeachie suggests, group work allows students to express their own ideas about course material and to do so in a low pressure situation.
Additional Resources
Facilitating group work in college classrooms
Information about plagiarism and its detection
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Blog Entry #7
The readings for this week were chapter 12 (Motivation in the Classroom) and 13 (Teaching Culturally Diverse Students) in McKeachie's Teaching Tips, and an excerpt from Learner-Centered Teaching (LCT). In this entry, I respond to three questions concerning LCT.
What is "learner-centered teaching" (LCT)?
In my own words, LCT refers to teaching practices that place special emphasis on student needs. I developed this definition based on what seemed to be a common theme in the writing of Hofer and Suinn in McKeachie's Teaching Tips and the author of the excerpt from Learner-Centered Teaching.
Although Hofer and Suinn do not use the term LCT (that I noticed), they are in fact advocating LCT by acknowledging specific needs of students and addressing how those needs can be met to facilitate learning. Hofer discusses motivational theories, and suggests that students arrive in the classroom with different types and levels of motivation. By responding to the different types and levels of student motivation appropriately, Hofer suggests that learning can be facilitated. Suinn discusses teaching to culturally diverse populations, and suggests that learning can be facilitated by acknowledging and responding to the unique needs of students from various backgrounds. The author of the excerpt from Learner-Centered Teaching focuses on the balance of power in college classrooms. This author argues that learning can be facilitated by encouraging active participation of students in the process of developing course content, policy, and evaluation methods.
Which aspects of LCT could you incorporate in your own teaching?
There were several ideas in this week's readings that would work well in my PSYC 214 course this Spring. Hofer discusses the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on learning. Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation influenced by internal factors such as natural curiosity and enjoyment regarding learning, and extrinsic motivation refers to motivation influenced by external factors such as grades and expectations. As an instructor, my goal will be to facilitate intrinsic motivation when possible by making the relevance of the material to student's lives clear. Fortunately, social psychology has many applications to our daily lives so this should not be exceptionally difficult. Of course, I will also provide external motivators for students such as grades to motivate students to keep up with the material when they are busy or lack interest.
The excerpt from Learner-Centered Teaching provides many ideas for encouraging students to take an active role in their learning. Although the author does not use the term intrinsic motivation, the ideas presented should facilitate intrinsic motivation among students. This is because allowing students a role in determining course content, policy, and evaluation should facilitate their natural engagement and interest with the material they are learning. In my own course, I do not plan to involve students with all aspects of course design. However, I do plan to allow students to determine the topic of the paper they write. Other instructors who have taught PSYC 214 typically require students to write a paper demonstrating their understanding of social psychological principles in a popular movies. I intend to broaden the options for writing this paper by allowing students to demonstrate their understanding of social psychological principles in other situations (e.g., their work experiences, novels they read).
Which aspects of LCT would be difficult (or, in your opinion, unwise) to incorporate in your own teaching?
As the author of the excerpt in Learner-Centered Teaching argues, I feel it would be unwise to allow students to make significant course decisions such as determining which textbook is used. As stated above, I do intend to allow students some flexibility in determining paper topics, but I feel it is important that this flexibility is limited. Because students typically lack knowledge and experience about the topics being taught, it is important that the instructor make major decisions.
I also feel it would be unwise to assume that student behavior is necessarily influenced by their cultural background. Suinn describes how as a way of showing respect, Asian-American students may be more likely than Caucasian students to avoid eye contact. Although it is possible that lack of eye contact may be indicative of cultural differences, it may also indicate that a student is not paying attention. Of course, it is difficult for an instructor to identify what the true cause of every behavior is. I think the important lesson here is to not make assumptions either way.
Additional Resources
Information about LCT from the University of Oregon
What is "learner-centered teaching" (LCT)?
In my own words, LCT refers to teaching practices that place special emphasis on student needs. I developed this definition based on what seemed to be a common theme in the writing of Hofer and Suinn in McKeachie's Teaching Tips and the author of the excerpt from Learner-Centered Teaching.
Although Hofer and Suinn do not use the term LCT (that I noticed), they are in fact advocating LCT by acknowledging specific needs of students and addressing how those needs can be met to facilitate learning. Hofer discusses motivational theories, and suggests that students arrive in the classroom with different types and levels of motivation. By responding to the different types and levels of student motivation appropriately, Hofer suggests that learning can be facilitated. Suinn discusses teaching to culturally diverse populations, and suggests that learning can be facilitated by acknowledging and responding to the unique needs of students from various backgrounds. The author of the excerpt from Learner-Centered Teaching focuses on the balance of power in college classrooms. This author argues that learning can be facilitated by encouraging active participation of students in the process of developing course content, policy, and evaluation methods.
Which aspects of LCT could you incorporate in your own teaching?
There were several ideas in this week's readings that would work well in my PSYC 214 course this Spring. Hofer discusses the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on learning. Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation influenced by internal factors such as natural curiosity and enjoyment regarding learning, and extrinsic motivation refers to motivation influenced by external factors such as grades and expectations. As an instructor, my goal will be to facilitate intrinsic motivation when possible by making the relevance of the material to student's lives clear. Fortunately, social psychology has many applications to our daily lives so this should not be exceptionally difficult. Of course, I will also provide external motivators for students such as grades to motivate students to keep up with the material when they are busy or lack interest.
The excerpt from Learner-Centered Teaching provides many ideas for encouraging students to take an active role in their learning. Although the author does not use the term intrinsic motivation, the ideas presented should facilitate intrinsic motivation among students. This is because allowing students a role in determining course content, policy, and evaluation should facilitate their natural engagement and interest with the material they are learning. In my own course, I do not plan to involve students with all aspects of course design. However, I do plan to allow students to determine the topic of the paper they write. Other instructors who have taught PSYC 214 typically require students to write a paper demonstrating their understanding of social psychological principles in a popular movies. I intend to broaden the options for writing this paper by allowing students to demonstrate their understanding of social psychological principles in other situations (e.g., their work experiences, novels they read).
Which aspects of LCT would be difficult (or, in your opinion, unwise) to incorporate in your own teaching?
As the author of the excerpt in Learner-Centered Teaching argues, I feel it would be unwise to allow students to make significant course decisions such as determining which textbook is used. As stated above, I do intend to allow students some flexibility in determining paper topics, but I feel it is important that this flexibility is limited. Because students typically lack knowledge and experience about the topics being taught, it is important that the instructor make major decisions.
I also feel it would be unwise to assume that student behavior is necessarily influenced by their cultural background. Suinn describes how as a way of showing respect, Asian-American students may be more likely than Caucasian students to avoid eye contact. Although it is possible that lack of eye contact may be indicative of cultural differences, it may also indicate that a student is not paying attention. Of course, it is difficult for an instructor to identify what the true cause of every behavior is. I think the important lesson here is to not make assumptions either way.
Additional Resources
Information about LCT from the University of Oregon
Monday, October 5, 2009
Blog Entry #6
The readings for this week were chapter 7 (One-on-One Interaction with Students) in First Day to Final Grade, and chapter 14 (Dealing with Student Problems and Problem Students (There's Almost Always at Least One!)) in McKeachie's Teaching Tips. There were several aspects of this week's readings that were interesting and could be implemented in my own teaching.
On page 111 of First Day to Final Grade, Curzan and Damour emphasize that it is important to keep email records. Although they do not go into much depth regarding why this is important, I assume it is because email records provide evidence of communications between the instructor and students. For example, consider a student who asks for a time extension on an assignment via email. The instructor replies, granting the student two extra days. The student then turns in the assignment one week later and thanks the instructor for the time extension. Based on the email communication, the instructor can easily justify not accepting the late assignment. Personally, I delete emails as soon as possible. This allows me to find important email correspondences more quickly. Considering the advice of Curzan and Damour, it may be useful to keep emails for a duration of time.
Also on page 111, Curzan and Damour discuss attendance problems. One of the recommendations they make is to allow students a certain number of absences without penalty. They suggest that this reduces the liklihood of instructors having to decide whether absences should be excusable or not. I see an important limitation to this strategy. If students are allowed a certain number of absences, they may be especially likely to miss the allowed number of classes (even more so than if no attendance policy were implemented). In psychology, research suggests that anchor values (e.g., allowing up to 5 absences) encourage people to adjust their behavior toward the anchor value. To use an example outside the classroom, consider pricing schemes in marketing. A business may advertise a product as 5 for $20 to encourage people to buy 5 of the item. Each item costs $4 regardless of whether or not it is purchased in bulk, but research indicates that simply providing these anchor values encourages consumers to buy more of the product. I do not plan to implement an attendance policy in my own course. However, I will seek other ways of motivating students to attend class. For example, I may remind students that not all test material comes from the textbook.
On page 172 of McKeachie's Teaching Tips, McKeachie states "...before focusing on changing the student's behavior, take a few moments to look at what you are doing that might be related to the student's behavior." If one spends most their time with instructors, they will hear lots of stories about what is wrong with students. If one spends most their time with students, they will hear lots of stories about what is wrong with instructors. Both students and instructors can cause problems. I agree with McKeachie that instructors should consider both the behavior of students and their own behavior when attempting to solve problems.
Additional resources:
Encouraging attendance
Managing conflict between instructors and students
On page 111 of First Day to Final Grade, Curzan and Damour emphasize that it is important to keep email records. Although they do not go into much depth regarding why this is important, I assume it is because email records provide evidence of communications between the instructor and students. For example, consider a student who asks for a time extension on an assignment via email. The instructor replies, granting the student two extra days. The student then turns in the assignment one week later and thanks the instructor for the time extension. Based on the email communication, the instructor can easily justify not accepting the late assignment. Personally, I delete emails as soon as possible. This allows me to find important email correspondences more quickly. Considering the advice of Curzan and Damour, it may be useful to keep emails for a duration of time.
Also on page 111, Curzan and Damour discuss attendance problems. One of the recommendations they make is to allow students a certain number of absences without penalty. They suggest that this reduces the liklihood of instructors having to decide whether absences should be excusable or not. I see an important limitation to this strategy. If students are allowed a certain number of absences, they may be especially likely to miss the allowed number of classes (even more so than if no attendance policy were implemented). In psychology, research suggests that anchor values (e.g., allowing up to 5 absences) encourage people to adjust their behavior toward the anchor value. To use an example outside the classroom, consider pricing schemes in marketing. A business may advertise a product as 5 for $20 to encourage people to buy 5 of the item. Each item costs $4 regardless of whether or not it is purchased in bulk, but research indicates that simply providing these anchor values encourages consumers to buy more of the product. I do not plan to implement an attendance policy in my own course. However, I will seek other ways of motivating students to attend class. For example, I may remind students that not all test material comes from the textbook.
On page 172 of McKeachie's Teaching Tips, McKeachie states "...before focusing on changing the student's behavior, take a few moments to look at what you are doing that might be related to the student's behavior." If one spends most their time with instructors, they will hear lots of stories about what is wrong with students. If one spends most their time with students, they will hear lots of stories about what is wrong with instructors. Both students and instructors can cause problems. I agree with McKeachie that instructors should consider both the behavior of students and their own behavior when attempting to solve problems.
Additional resources:
Encouraging attendance
Managing conflict between instructors and students
Monday, September 28, 2009
Blog Entry #5
The readings for this week were chapter 7 (Assessing, Testing, and Evaluating: Grading is Not the Most Important Function), 8 (Testing: The Details), and 9 (Tests from the Students' Perspective) in McKeachie's Teaching Tips, and an excerpt from What the Best College Teachers Do. There were several aspects of this week's readings that were interesting and could be implemented in my own teaching.
In both chapter 7 of McKeachie's Teaching Tips and the excerpt from What the Best College Teachers Do, the authors suggest that testing should be about both learning and evaluation. For example, McKeachie advocates that "taking a test in a group situation is a good learning experience...students learn a lot from one another and from having to explain their own answers." I wonder whether learning and evaluation should always be sought simultaneously. If students work together on all tests, it may not be possible to ever truly assess learning among individual students. As I illustrated in a previous post, I agree that working in groups should facilitate learning. In my own teaching, I will incorporate group work to facilitate such learning. However, for tests, I intend to require students to take tests individually so that I can assess their individual learning. Below, interested readers can find a link to a website that includes several group activities for social psychology courses.
On a related note, McKeachie gives several useful tips regarding returning tests to students. If students are to learn from tests, I believe the best time for this is following the test. McKeachie advocates reviewing test answers so that students can learn from their mistakes. I intend to review the answers to test questions that students are unsure about. For example, I may ask students which questions they would like to review and/or focus on questions that few students got correct. I found McKeachie's tips for grading essay questions very useful. As an undergraduate, I often had difficulty determining how instructors graded essay questions. Scoring of essay questions always seemed very subjective, and in a way it is. However, there are numerous techniques instructors can adopt to assess essay responses more objectively. There are three techniques that I find especially useful. The first is to read several essays before beginning to grade. The second is to read and comment on all essays, and then assign grades last. The third is to develop a grading rubric. I feel that these techniques should reduce the likelihood that an instructor will be unduly influenced by essays that were read before the one being graded. For example, an instructor may perceive an essay as poorly written if it follows an essay that was written very well (or vice-versa). In my own teaching, I would like students to be able to apply the knowledge that they develop. Including at least some essay questions will be necessary for accomplishing this goal. Using some of the techniques that McKeachie presents, I will seek to be as objective as possible in grading essay questions.
Lastly, I also found the excerpt from What the Best College Teachers Do very interesting. Specifically, I enjoyed the discussion regarding student evaluation of instructors. I think it is easy for instructors to discount the validity of these assessments. For example, instructors who receive low ratings may rationalize their ratings by arguing that students were not up for the challenges presented to them. However, I feel that student evaluations should be taken seriously by instructors. If instructors are to develop their teaching abilities, they should take into consideration what students find helpful and harmful. Nonetheless, I acknowledge limitations of such instructor evaluations. Below, I provide a link to a sample teaching evaluation form.
Additional Resources
1. Group activities for social psychology courses
2. Sample teaching evaluation form
In both chapter 7 of McKeachie's Teaching Tips and the excerpt from What the Best College Teachers Do, the authors suggest that testing should be about both learning and evaluation. For example, McKeachie advocates that "taking a test in a group situation is a good learning experience...students learn a lot from one another and from having to explain their own answers." I wonder whether learning and evaluation should always be sought simultaneously. If students work together on all tests, it may not be possible to ever truly assess learning among individual students. As I illustrated in a previous post, I agree that working in groups should facilitate learning. In my own teaching, I will incorporate group work to facilitate such learning. However, for tests, I intend to require students to take tests individually so that I can assess their individual learning. Below, interested readers can find a link to a website that includes several group activities for social psychology courses.
On a related note, McKeachie gives several useful tips regarding returning tests to students. If students are to learn from tests, I believe the best time for this is following the test. McKeachie advocates reviewing test answers so that students can learn from their mistakes. I intend to review the answers to test questions that students are unsure about. For example, I may ask students which questions they would like to review and/or focus on questions that few students got correct. I found McKeachie's tips for grading essay questions very useful. As an undergraduate, I often had difficulty determining how instructors graded essay questions. Scoring of essay questions always seemed very subjective, and in a way it is. However, there are numerous techniques instructors can adopt to assess essay responses more objectively. There are three techniques that I find especially useful. The first is to read several essays before beginning to grade. The second is to read and comment on all essays, and then assign grades last. The third is to develop a grading rubric. I feel that these techniques should reduce the likelihood that an instructor will be unduly influenced by essays that were read before the one being graded. For example, an instructor may perceive an essay as poorly written if it follows an essay that was written very well (or vice-versa). In my own teaching, I would like students to be able to apply the knowledge that they develop. Including at least some essay questions will be necessary for accomplishing this goal. Using some of the techniques that McKeachie presents, I will seek to be as objective as possible in grading essay questions.
Lastly, I also found the excerpt from What the Best College Teachers Do very interesting. Specifically, I enjoyed the discussion regarding student evaluation of instructors. I think it is easy for instructors to discount the validity of these assessments. For example, instructors who receive low ratings may rationalize their ratings by arguing that students were not up for the challenges presented to them. However, I feel that student evaluations should be taken seriously by instructors. If instructors are to develop their teaching abilities, they should take into consideration what students find helpful and harmful. Nonetheless, I acknowledge limitations of such instructor evaluations. Below, I provide a link to a sample teaching evaluation form.
Additional Resources
1. Group activities for social psychology courses
2. Sample teaching evaluation form
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