It was the middle of the semester, and I had put my class in groups to discuss case studies. After the allotted time, students had to report their findings to the whole class. One student began speaking and pointed to a member of his group
As July fades into August, faculty across the country gear up for the fall semester. We have spent our summer resting and relaxing, reading, and mentally preparing to welcome a new cohort of students into our classrooms. This is about the time when we scan
When faculty tell me their online students “just don’t engage,” I always want to ask a simple question: Do your students actually know you? Not your credentials. Not your syllabus. You.
I sidestepped the question for years.
Two of my past articles for The Teaching Professor describe different types of educational “moments”: teaching moments and critical moments. Although I have been in the classroom for nearly 35 years, I continue to seek out strategies, like these moments, to fine-tune my teaching. In
Why do students come to class? We may hope it’s for the love of learning, because of our inspirational teaching, or because they know it will help them get jobs or live happier lives in the long run. Of course, these are not the common
Building rapport with students from the very first day of class is a cornerstone of effective teaching, and a fundamental, yet often overlooked, step in this process is learning their names immediately. While it might seem like a minor detail amid the hustle and bustle
I often wear sunglasses on my walk from my parking spot on campus to my office. I recently realized that when I have them on, I am seeing but not really seeing. The shaded lenses provide a buffer from the world. I stroll by a
On a recent walk across campus, I ran into a student who had taken my class last year. She is Latina and a first-generation student who I remembered being politically outspoken in class and a fierce advocate for immigrant rights. I asked how she was
In teaching, unaddressed countertransference has profound implications for educators and students alike. Consider the story of my past student who experienced heart-wrenching life circumstances during the semester: He lost both parents and became the primary caregiver for his younger siblings. Naturally, his GPA fell significantly
