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
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
