BEST PRACTICES IN TEACHING

BEST PRACTICES IN TEACHING Tracy Lambert Griggs The University of North Carolina Asheville Why become a more effective teacher?  Few of us enter institutions where it doesn‟t matter  It will be important to your success as a job applicant  Teaching can be incredibly rewarding What makes a teacher “effective”?  What would you say are the characteristics of an effective teacher?    What traits did your favorite teachers possess? What does it take from a teacher to make you an effective learner? What characteristics do you really admire in a teacher/professor? What the “Experts” Say  Knowledge of the subject matter  You don‟t HAVE to be an “expert”  They don‟t expect you to know everything  Don‟t be afraid to say “I don‟t know”  The key is to be prepared for each class Preparation:  Reduces anxiety  Prevents confusion  Enhances learning What the “Experts” Say  Be well-organized and set clear expectations  Students aren‟t mind-readers!  Be consistent  Outline everything in your syllabus!     Grading policy Assignment Expectations (due dates, grading rubrics, formatting) Exactly what will or won‟t be “excused” Loopholes: Leave yourself room to wiggle *See resources on preparing a syllabus What the “Experts” Say  The passion is there    Enthusiasm for the subject and for teaching Be dynamic and energetic! Challenge your students to see what you see in your subject… you never know who you might influence! (Einstein had teachers too… ) What the “Experts” Say  Develop and Maintain good rapport with your students   Get to know their names! And do this early! Striking the balance between “friend” and “authority” can be difficult Develop your own teaching „persona‟ Err on the side of being too strict, rather than too lenient in the beginning Be jovial or even fun but maintain your status by maintaining boundaries that will not be crossed    What the “Experts” Say  Listen to the class  You can learn from your students just as they learn from you.  Acknowledge ALL student comments or questions!  Speak to each student with the level of respect that you would give to a colleague What the “Experts” Say  Demand students’ full potential    If you don‟t set high expectations who will? Communicate high standards in everything you do and say (the syllabus, the assignments, your demeanor)… Don‟t‟ be afraid to really challenge your students… some of them may just surprise you! What the “Experts” Say  Know how to make the material relevant    When writing lectures, ask yourself “Okay, So What?” Think about & design all assignments with relevance in mind Try to tie concepts to others learned in the course and in the major Create Process-oriented assignments – make them think Use non-traditional learning methods    Experiential Learning  Applied assignments Designing a Lecture 1. 2. Start by reading the book chapter Determine appropriate learning objectives/goals  After covering this chapter, students should be able to…  “recall the 4 lobes of the brain and the general functions of each”  “describe the body-mind relationship” 3. 4. 5. Create an outline of material to be covered Decide where/how an activity can be used or how students can become actively involved in the class Develop potential test questions prior to class Sample Teaching Module What the “Experts” Say  Always try to improve  You won‟t perform to your potential the very first time you teach!  An attitude of improvement can go a long way!  Be humble… it‟s a virtue.  Your course will never, ever be perfect  Add new materials as research/theory develops  If it don‟t wurk the furst time, fiks it!  Methods of Teaching Assessment  http://www.siue.edu/~deder/assess/catmain.html What the “Experts” Say  Don’t be afraid to enjoy it  Introverts, beware! You TOO can enjoy teaching!  Using Humor  Use tact, be aware of offensive remarks EVERYONE can improve with a little practice and effort  What the “Experts” Say  Be committed to the job  You ARE getting paid  Students as “consumers”  Teaching takes time (XX hours per week?)  Keep up with grading and student e-mails… getting behind can be a real nightmare!  A 75% effort on your teaching activities will earn you an F on student evaluations More Good Practices…  Encourage Student-Faculty Contact  Students as “mentees”  Encourage collaborative/cooperative learning  Group work, discussion & sharing of ideas  Encourage ACTIVE & ENGAGED Learning  Have students present their work to others  Do Concept Checks during lecture  Process the material on differing cognitive levels  Teach the “hidden” curriculum More Good Practices…  Spice things up a bit…  Use demonstrations in the classroom Ex. Statistics, Pavlov‟s Students?  Use pictures. Ex. Fetal Developmental Phases 3 weeks  5 weeks 6 weeks Month 4 Month 5 Month 6-9 Sound Clips, Songs, Lyrics or Poems Ex. Older Workers Issues (Ben Folds Lyrics to “Mr. Jones”)  Video Clips Ex. Performance Appraisals (The Office) More Good Practices…  Spicing things up…  Plan at least one activity for each class period.  Handouts   Short articles read and discuss Fill-in worksheets   Inventories/Surveys Real Life Cases (works well for controversial or ethical issues)  Think-pair-share (works for just about anything) More Good Practices…  Spicing things up…    Competitions (e.g. Jeopardy, Voting on best projects) Debates (take 2 sides of an issue) “Practice” a technique learned in class  (lab techniques, practice problems in stats, performance appraisal in I/O, mock interviews in Careers)   Games/Simulations (Desert Island Survival) Role Plays More Good Practices…  Give prompt feedback  Homework, exams, attendance?  Emphasize time on task  Tell your students how much time they can expect to spend on each task  Respect Diverse Talent and Ways of Learning   Modes of Learning (visual, auditory, hands-on) Encourage students to speak up when they do not understand Things I wish I’d known…  Not everyone wants an “A”  Lots of people want an “A” but not all of these folks really want to “earn” an A.  Students who try the hardest don‟t always do well… WHY is this?     Lack of proper college preparation from HS Learning disabilities Procrastination, lack of motivation Personal Issues (Depression, drug or alcohol abuse, etc)  Being stern doesn‟t make you a bad person  “Caring” doesn‟t make you a sucker Things I wish I’d known…  You can‟t present everything from the chapter during class, nor should you  PowerPoint can be a burden –  share only the lecture framework and go slow  Some student really are interested in what you‟re teaching Dealing with “Difficult” Students  the silent type  the rambler  the talker(s)  the self-discloser  the dominator (Mr./Mrs. know-it-all)  the sharpshooter  the class clown  the griper/whiner  the angry student  the racist, the sexist or the homophobic Dealing with “Difficult” Students  Acknowledge the behavior, rather than ignore it        (Silent) - ask questions specifically of them (Talkers) – make eye contact, move closer to them, ask if they have something to share with the class, stop and wait (Rambler, Self-disclosers) - Re-focus the class by looking for something interesting or insightful from their point and respond only to that. Ask how their point is relevant. Move on. (The know-it-all) - “I see where you are coming from, but I think we might have to „agree to disagree‟” on this (Sharpshooters) – “I‟m not sure, but I can check on that” (Angry) – Acknowledge the feelings, then move on. (Homophobic) – “If by queer you mean homosexual…” Also see: University of Honolulu Hawaii Resources Dealing with “Difficult” Students  Maintain control and a standard of professional conduct at all times  You may use humor to diffuse tension, but be ready to put your game face back on  Remember that “difficult” behaviors may come from a place of fear or insecurity.  If the behavior continues, ask the students to speak with you out of class      Prepare ahead for your discussion Do not assume they are aware of how their behavior comes across (even sharpshooters) Start with something positive Be specific about the behavior you‟d like to see changed Foster a positive environment for change About NC State Students  Characteristics of NC State undergrad students        92% from North Carolina 89% between the ages of 18 and 24 45% Male, 54% Female 78% White, 8% African American, 4% Asian, 2% Hispanic, 5% other 98% heterosexual, 2% gay, lesbian or bisexual Mean SAT Score = 1163, Mean ACT Score = 24 Mean HS GPA = 4.11  For the most part your students are very bright and likely very eager to learn! Questions? Resources for Developing Teachers  Books:    McKeachie‟s Teaching Tips (a must have for first-time teachers!) Fred Stephenson‟s Extraordinary Teachers: The essence of excellent teaching The Ethics of Teaching (Keith-Spiegel et al)  At NC State:    The Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning http://ncsu.edu/fctl/ Preparing the Professoriate Program (PtP) http://www.fis.ncsu.edu/grad/ptp/ Certificate of Accomplishment in Teaching http://ncsu.edu/fctl/grad-students/certificate.php  APA Division 2:  Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP) (Great Listserv!) http://www.teachpsych.org/ Good Luck! Tracy Lambert Griggs (tlambert@unca.edu) References  NC State Student Mean GPA, SAT and ACT scores http://www.ncsu.edu/about-nc-state/quick-view/index.php NC State Student Characteristics http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/enrollmentdata/index.htm 7 Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education by Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/7princip. htm NC State Student Code of Conduct (Academic Integrity) http://www.ncsu.edu/stud_affairs/osc/code_conduct/ Statistics Demonstration: Rice University Virtual Lab in Statistics http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~lane/rvls.html Demonstrations from Athabasca University http://psych.athabascau.ca/html/aupr/demos.shtml      More Resources for Teaching 1. The University of Georgia Teaching Assistant Resources http://www.ctl.uga.edu/teach_asst/teach_asst.htm 2. University of North Carolina Wilmington center for teaching excellence: http://www.uncw.edu/cte/ Effective Teaching, http://www.uncw.edu/cte/et/articles.htm Tools for Teaching, Davis, B.G., Jossey-Bass; San Francisco, 1993. http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/teaching.html Teaching Computer-and-Society Issues Through Popular Films: The Case of Desk Set (1957). http://cte.uncwil.edu/et/articles.htm [2003, June 7]. Stack the Deck in Favor of Your Students by Using the Four Aces of Effective Teaching . http://cte.uncwil.edu/et/articles.htm [2002, May 7]. Behavioral Course Design and Student Learning . http://cte.uncwil.edu/et/articles.htm [2002, September 3]. Integrating Technology in EFL. http://cte.uncwil.edu/et/articles.htm [2002, April 23]. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Great Online Resources  The University of Hawaii Honolulu Teaching Tips Website http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/tea chtip/teachtip.htm  Demonstrations from Athabasca University http://psych.athabascau.ca/html/aupr/demos.shtml  Rice University Virtual Lab in Statistics http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~lane/rvls.html  Preparing the New Psychology Professoriate: Helping Graduate Students to Become Competent Teachers (Online Book) http://teachpsych.org/resources/e-books/pnpp/index_pnpp.php Hyperlinked Slides… Concept Check… What type of correlation?  People‟s shoe size and IQ score Zero  The greater the number of years of education, the higher the income Positive  The greater the score on a depression inventory, the lower the score on a memory test Negative (Back to presentation)