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/
Category: Tips on Teaching
Assessing Higher-Order Thinking
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
Promoting student self-assessment in the classroom
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
Concept Mapping and the Constructive Learning Process
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
Oblique strategies for teaching
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
Broader Identity as Change Agents
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
Fostering Critical Thinking through the Socratic Method
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
Moving from “Why Aren’t They Reading?” to Creating a Culture of Reading
by Elisabeth Hedrick-Moser, Graduate Assistant, Reinert Center Skeptical that your students did the reading? Chances are you’re probably right to be. Studies show that on any given day, about 1/3 of the students will have read the assignment (Hobson 2). Eric Hobson’s IDEA paper*, “Getting Students to Read: Fourteen Tips,” offers a diagnosis of student… Continue reading Moving from “Why Aren’t They Reading?” to Creating a Culture of Reading
Student Engagement Technique: Liven Up Class Discussions with the IF-AT Form
By Elizabeth Sweeny Block, Assistant Professor, Department of Theological Studies Have you ever posed a question to your students only to be met with blank stares and silence? Have you wondered how you could better facilitate discussion in class? Have you wished that you could motivate your students to participate in class conversations? The IF-AT… Continue reading Student Engagement Technique: Liven Up Class Discussions with the IF-AT Form
What’s on our minds: How current events can help inform our approach to teaching and serving students
by Chris Grabau, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center With the recent events in Ferguson, many educators have been looking to find useful resources to help teach about race, racism, inequality, and justice. In response, Marcia Chatelain, a historian of African-American life and culture at Georgetown University, created the Twitter hashtag, #Fergusonsyllabus. Since the hashtag's creation, there… Continue reading What’s on our minds: How current events can help inform our approach to teaching and serving students
The Notebook 