Teaching & Learning

Teaching for Transformation:

From Learning Theory to Teaching Strategies No matter what you teach, you face the challenge of bringing students from point A- what they currently know-to point B-the learning goals of a course. In many courses, the distance between points A and B is huge, and the path is not obvious. Students must not only acquire new skills and information, but also radically transform their approach to thinking and learning. This newsletter explores theories and teaching strategies that address this universal teaching challenge.

A Baker's Dozen Ideas to Foster Engagement:

I wanted to present a set of ideas that support faculty and administrators in fostering student engagement, and to have participants reflect on these and other ideas that they may wish to consider in engaging their students in and out of the classroom.
The ideas I presented are research findings, course/program interventions, and other resources that I have found powerful in fostering engagement over the years.

Teaching Naked: Why Removing Technology from your Classroom Will Improve Student Learning -

The posting below looks at the benefits of using technology before and after, but not during class time. It is by Jose Bowen ( jabowen@smu.edu), dean, Algur H. Meadows Chair and professor of music, Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University. It is #36 in a series of selected excerpts from the NT&LF newsletter reproduced here as part of our "Shared Mission Partnership." NT&LF has a wealth of information on all aspects of teaching and learning. If you are not already a subscriber, you can check it out at [ http://www.ntlf.com/] The on-line edition of the Forum--like the printed version - offers subscribers insight from colleagues eager to share new ways of helping students reach the highest levels of learning. National Teaching and Learning Forum Newsletter, Volume 16, Number 1, December 2006.©Copyright 1996-2006. Published by James Rhem & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Reprinted with permission.

'The Brave New World' of Classroom Technology -

The posting below looks at "Teaching in the Era of YouTube," and points to some interesting new technologies for stimulating student thinking. The article is by Kendall Madden a science-writing intern with the Stanford News Service, on a presentation by Professor Tom Byers of Stanford University as pat of the "Award-Winning Teachers on Teaching" series sponsored by the Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning. The article is from the Stanford Report, March 7, 2007, Volume XXXIX, No. 19, http://news.stanford.edu ©Stanford University. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission.

Engaged Learning -

The posting below looks at efforts to increase student engagement in service learning through the Bringing Theory to Practice project. It is an excerpt from the article, Engaged Learning and the Core Purposes of Liberal Education, by Donald W. Harward, president emeritus of Bates College and director of the Bringing Theory to Practice project. The article is from the Winter, 2007 issue of Peer Review, Volume 93, Number 1. Peer Review is a publication of the Association of American Colleges and Universities [ www.aacu.org/peerreview] Copyright © 2007, all rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

How to Create Memorable Lectures -

The posting below looks at, well actually the title speaks for itself. It is from the newsletter, Speaking of Teaching, produced by the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Stanford University -, http://ctl.stanford.edu/Newsletter/ Winter 2005, Vol. 14, No.1. Speaking of Teaching is compiled and edited by CTL Associate Director Mariatte Denman at [mdenman@stanford.edu.] Reprinted with permission.

Seven Tips for Dealing with Email Addiction -

The posting below gives some good advice for all of us in dealing with our e-mail volume. It is by Mary McKinney, Ph.D. of Successful Academic Coaching. Please visit Mary's web site at http://www.successfulacademic.com for additional tenure track tips and dissertation writing strategies.

Questioning the Best Learning Technology -

The posting below is an insightful look at the uses and abuses of technology in the classroom. It is by Jack Meacham, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor, University at Buffalo-State University of New York. The article is from the Fall, 2006 issue of Peer Review, Volume 8, Number 4.

Problem based learning

from Chapter 1, Why Problem-Based Learning? A Case Study of Institutional Change in Undergraduate Education by Barbara J. Duch, Susan E. Groh, and Deborah E. Allen in the book, The Power of Problem-Based Learning A Practical "How To" for Teaching Undergraduate Courses in Any Discipline, edited by Barbara J. Duch, Susan E. Groh, and Deborah E. Allen.

Keeping Discussion Going Though Questioning, Listening, and Responding

from Chapter Five, Keeping Discussion Going Though Questioning, Listening, and Responding, in the book Discussion as a Way of Teaching: Tools and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms, by Stephen D. Brookfield and Stephen Preskill. Published by Jossey-Bass

Playing as Pedagogy

by Barbara Palmer (Stanford Report, May 17, 2006, Volume XXXVIII, No. 28)

Professors Preach Ten Commandments Of Team Teaching

By Barvara Palmer Joshua Landy, Lanier Anderson offer 'thou shalts' of the craft.

"The Tomorrow's Professor Blog " WE HAVE GONE LIVE!!!

A place for discussion about teaching and learning: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University have joined forces to produce a forum to allow readers of the "Tomorrow's Professor Mailing List" to reach out to other subscribers and to hear and share thoughts with colleagues from around the world. Now you can access this discussion center, "The Tomorrow's Professor Blog", at http://amps-tools.mit.edu/tomprofblog/. You also will be able to access the site through a link on each of the regular mailings and through the homepage of the "Tomorrow's Professor Mailing List" website.

A Possible Model for Higher Education: The Physics Reform Effort

What to Measure And How to Measure - Taken from the stanford University Center for Teaching and Learning

Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice

"The benchmarks are based on 42 key questions from the NSSE survey that capture many of the most important aspects of the student experience. These student behaviors and institutional features are some of the more powerful contributors to learning and personal development."

Vision 2010

"San Jos State University will be a prominent student-centered campus. By creating a vibrant educational institution focused on academic rigor, social responsibility and mutual respect, San Jos State University will be a university of choice - a desirable place for study and work..."

Notes on Student Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter

Ideas, Comments and Observations Generated from Chapters 2 - 12 Student Success in College : Creating Conditions That Matter Book Review by Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, Whitt and Associates "Why Were the 20 Institutions Selected as Models of Institutions Where Students Succeed?"

Death By PowerPoint

"It's a rare professor who hasn't been tempted in recent years to put his or her lecture notes on transparencies or PowerPoint. It takes some effort to create the slides, but once they're done, teaching is easy."
- Taken from the Stanford University Center for Teaching and Learning

A Prudent Perspective on "The Perils of PowerPoint"

by William R. Hamilton and Melissa F. Beery

Sufficient Time for Research

"How Do Faculty in These Departments Maximize Their Research Time?"
- Taken from the Stanford University Center for Teaching and Learning

Using Small - Group Development to Facilitate Cooperative Learning Base Groups

by Nancy E. Stetson "Cooperative learning base groups are long-term groups with stable membership that usually stay together for at least a term. Base groups are appropriate when you have large numbers of students in your classes and the subject matter is complex."

Online Tutorials:

SJSU Page with various student tutorials