Teaching Strategy Resource Shelf

Helping Students Understand Difficult Text.  A frequent comment by instructors is about their students’ inability to read critically the assigned texts. Bean suggests that students need to become "deep readers," who focus on meaning, as opposed to "surface readers." In this article, he provides 11 causes for our students’ difficulty.

Student Motivation to Learn. Have you ever said, “My students just aren’t motivated”?   Here is a model that defines extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and provides research-based strategies to motivate students to learn. Click here to learn more. 

Active Learning Strategies that Provide Great Feedback. Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATS) are generally simple, non-graded, anonymous, in-class activities designed to give you and your students useful feedback on the teaching-learning process as it is happening.  There are many CATS to select depending on what you want to assess and how much time you have. Consider implementing these activities throughout the semester. Click here to learn more about CATS.

Creating and Asking Effective Questions.  One of the most common strategies to engage students is through questions and answers.  There are many aspects to consider when using this strategy; such as, types of questions and levels, use of cold calls, and incorporating wait time.  To learn more about using questions effectively, click here.

Teaching through Undergraduate Research. An important goal when teaching undergraduates is to show them what it is like to be a professional in your field of study. So consider implementing undergraduate research (UGR) opportunities into your course. In addition, teaching and learning can be significantly enhanced when we engage our students in collaborative research and scholarship. Click here for an introduction to UGR. And here are some ways in which to incorporate research opportunities in your course.

Creating Rapport from the Beginning: The first several days of the semester are critical in setting the tone for the class and creating a positive rapport between you and your students.  In addition, creating rapport will help in establishing trust and community-building. Here are several helpful strategies to get you started.