How We Learn and How We Teach
Maryellen Weimer
August 14, 2013
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“My students act so unprofessional,” a faculty member complained. “Two of them were all but making out before class started and they never stopped touching each other during class.” Heads nodded and more examples followed.
In our experiences, we have moved from teaching face-to-face to working in front of a computer with headsets to ditching the headsets in favor of classes taught in a totally asynchronous manner. We can see the advantages and disadvantages of all formats. With each new
Finals that cover all the material presented in the course are decidedly unpopular with students. They much prefer exams that include one chunk of content at a time. But there are good reasons to make finals comprehensive. Consider these results from a recent study of
A threshold concept is discipline-specific, focuses on understanding of the subject and … has the ability to transform learners’ views of the content.” (Zepke, p. 98) It’s not the same as a core concept, although that’s a useful place to first put the idea. “A
This article explains areas that instructors need to work on in order to be successful: knowledge base of teaching and learning, underprepared students, instructional management, teaching strategies, assessment, and passion.
Can you teach students to be creative? Most of us would say no. It’s more like trying to teach for it—encouraging it, promoting it, acknowledging when it happens, and rewarding it. Despite the difficulties associated with teaching creativity, teachers shouldn’t be excused from trying to
Inquiry-based instruction begins with the instructor posing a problem that students figure out how they will study. Students select variables and decide on procedures guided by faculty questions. The method has been used mostly in the sciences, but the basic approach is adaptable to many
Students don’t like comprehensive exams because most of them don’t use good cross-course study strategies. They wait until finals week and then they start reviewing. Here are some ways teachers can help students develop and use study strategies that make preparing for and doing well
Many faculty seek to encourage students to reflect—to consciously think about what they are learning and sometimes about how they are learning. Through reflective journals students often answer a set of teacher-supplied prompts. In other assignments they may be reflecting on a course activity, say
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