ONE

Collecting and responding to

mid-semester feedback benefits all. 

Visit this site for more information: https://www.gvsu.edu/ftlc/ftlc-mid-semester-interview-about-teaching--96.htm

 

TWO

Who is doing the thinking in your course? 

This article has some ideas about sharing the thinking WITH students, starting with the syllabus and course planning:

COMMENTARY: Start With the Syllabus: HELPing Learners Learn Through Class Content Collaboration, Kristen C. Blinne, College Teaching, Vol. 61, No. 2 (April-June 2013), pp. 41-43. Article Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23525172

 

THREE

Stories matter. Begin class with a story 

to help motivate & connect students.

Consider viewing the 20-Minute Mentor program: How Can I Enhance Class Using Story, Popular Media & Objects? Contact the Pew FTLC for your access code to a library of 20-minute video-based professional development opportunities. https://www.gvsu.edu/ftlc/20-minute-mentor-commons-39.htm

 

FOUR

Be authentic. Be yourself in the classroom.

Your students will notice.

Consider the following study of instructor authenticity: Kreber, C. (2010). Academics’ teacher identities, authenticity, and pedagogy. Studies in Higher Education, 35 (2), 171-194. DOI: 10.1080/03075070902953048

 

FIVE

You are fortunate to teach at GVSU. 

For a private consultation, 

Visit this site for more information: https://www.gvsu.edu/ftlc/ftlc-services-for-individuals-departments-and-programs-99.htm

 

SIX

Do you teach as though ALL of your students 

can learn? 

Maryellen Weimer's book Learner-Centered Teaching offers fabulous, concrete suggestions for approaching teaching in new ways. For a review of her 2002 book, visit: https://academic.pg.cc.md.us/~wpeirce/MCCCTR/weimer.htm. To read the 2nd edition of this book (2013), visit the Pew FTLC Library.

 

SEVEN

Help your students learn to fail. This idea needs greater attention.

Learning to fail is part of becoming a self-regulated learner. Learn more here: Zimmerman, B.J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory Into Practice, 41 (2), 64-70.

 

EIGHT

Expect great things and great things will come (in your students’ papers).

Here are a few websites that offer advice on designing effective writing assignments. Also consider contacting the Writing Center for a consultation.

https://writing.umn.edu/tww/assignments/designing.html

https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/teaching/wassign/

https://www.gvsu.edu/sws/index.cfm?id=666E4B7A-0434-43BD-1003B57D1D21869A

 

NINE

Education is not the filling of a pail,

but the lighting of a fire. - Yeats

For a plethora of ideas, consider downloading this free report from Magna Publications: Building Student Engagement: 15 Strategies for the College Classroom

 

TEN

What we learn with pleasure

We never forget. - Alfred Mercier

Have you ever considered studying the use of humor in your classroom? Well, do I have the paper for you: Banas, J. A., Dunbar, N., Rodriguez, D., and Liu, S. (2011). A review of humor in education settings: Four decades of research. Communication Education, 60 (1), 115-144. DOI: 10.1080/03634523.2010.496867.