Category: Tips on Teaching

by Jerod Quinn, Instructional Developer I have known for a long time that I like to ramble when I talk, but it has been a recent discovery of mine that I also like to ramble when I write. While that’s not inherently a bad thing, it has been adding some undesirable tension between me and… Continue reading Framing Assignments for Clarity

Looking for an easy way to get in some professional development during your summer travels? Teaching in Higher Ed is a free podcasting site with episodes on topics ranging from How to Take a Break to Eliciting and Using Student Feedback. Teaching in Higher Ed http://teachinginhighered.com/episodes/

by Kelly McEnerney, Graduate Assistant, Reinert Center The tendency for students to become consumed with grades at the expense of learning is all too common. It is evidenced in certain questions students ask, such as “do we need to know this?” or “will this be on the exam?” Whatever the response, it then influences students’… Continue reading Assessing Higher-Order Thinking

by Dipti Subramanium, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Reinert Center The idea of student self-assessment is not something that we always think to incorporate into our teaching practices. However, being intentional about involving students in their own learning process is an integral part of a learning cycle as well as effective teaching. Why involve students? Integrating student self-assessment has… Continue reading Promoting student self-assessment in the classroom

by Kelly McEnerney, Graduate Assistant, Reinert Center Scientific thought…is not momentary; it is not a static instance; it is a process (Piaget, 1968).  This notion of thought as a process is the basis for certain pedagogical techniques. One such technique is concept mapping. Reasons for using this technique become clear when we reflect on the… Continue reading Concept Mapping and the Constructive Learning Process

by Chris Grabau, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center Some teachers may find themselves feeling like they are in a bit of a rut in their teaching.  It’s an all too common feeling in which something feels out of step.  Perhaps, we feel bored or feel that our efforts don’t produce the same results as before. We… Continue reading Oblique strategies for teaching

by Jerod Quinn, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center Like many of you, I spent some of my time this semester preparing a workshop for a conference. This was the primary professional conference for faculty developers from all over North America. It’s one of those conferences where you are surrounded by hundreds of colleagues and yet you… Continue reading Broader Identity as Change Agents

by Dipti Subramanium, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Reinert Center As one of the oldest styles of teaching, the Socratic method is an open-ended, inquiry-based model that prompts the students with questions as opposed to providing answers. It is an effective technique for those interested in fostering and promoting critical thinking in the classroom. Often, the biggest misconception… Continue reading Fostering Critical Thinking through the Socratic Method