Teaching and learning in a market-dominated environment

The question before those engaged in supporting general education is how to respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by the market. What do good teaching and learning look like in an institution operating in a deregulated and decentralized marketplace with students demonstrating consumer tendencies? How can we foster a supportive environment for general education when student consumers are fueled by a desire for vocational training for economic gain?

Photo credit: Nayu Kim

First, we should acknowledge that student consumerism and a focus on the vocational private economic good of higher education are not simply going to disappear.

These trends are ingrained in our students and the larger society, and the time for reversing these ideas is seemingly past.

Rather, what higher education must accomplish is the incorporation of general education principles within the specialized nature of teaching and research.

This is critical for responding to consumerist attitudes among students as well as the capitalistic actions of faculty (Bok, 2003; Slaughter & Leslie, 1997).

We should be addressing critical thinking, ethics, creating a logical argument, writing, and an appreciation of differences across the curriculum.

This type of approach to courses ostensibly designed for vocational purposes is possible, if not necessary, for achieving the proper professional training of vocational programs.

Viewed in this light, instruction can address the fundamental principles and benefits of general education while at the same time acknowledging the demands for job training on the part of students, parents, policy makers, and the business community.

This new conceptualization of general education is helpful in responding directly to the desires of internal and external stakeholders (while remaining true to the liberal education ideal), yet this does not fully respond to the demands of the business and political communities that often cite the graduate who is not prepared to enter and succeed in the corporate setting.

In order to respond to the concerns of the business community and the growing demands of the marketplace, students need to understand the broader contexts of their work.

As Grubb and Lazerson (2005) suggest: “One goal is to teach in more constructivist, meaning-centered, and contextualized ways, following the idea that students need to be better prepared to understand the deeper con- structs underlying practice” (p. 17).

The business community contends that too often the graduates they employ were trained in universities devoid of practical concerns and dominated by research-centric curricula and faculty.

As critical stakeholders in the future support of colleges and universities, political and business leaders are demanding the creation of a competently trained workforce.

This is achievable with an improved nexus between theory and practice.

General education concepts judiciously brought to bear through the use of interdisciplinary courses, service-learning classes, and pedagogical innovations can bridge the gap between the purely intellectual and solely practical.

A renewed approach to problems in this way leads to satisfying the concerns of the market and its consumers.

Furthermore, it solidifies the role of liberal education as part of the solution.

Excerpt from Out out, damned spot: General education in a market-driven institution

What research on learning tells us about teaching

At the start of each academic year, SMU’s Center for Teaching Excellence (which I direct) hosts a Teaching Effectiveness Symposium. This year our keynote speaker was Todd Zakrajsek from the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina.  Todd is a dynamic and engaging speaker. His talk was based on his book, The New Science of Learning: How Brain Research is Revolutionizing the Way We Learn (which I highly recommend). In today’s post, I will share my five top takeaways from his keynote that I believe should inform the way we teach in higher education.

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What Jon Stewart’s run on the Daily Show can teach us about teaching

Jon Stewart is signing off as the host of the Daily Show after an impressive 16 year run. The fake news show has become a cultural marker and gave voice to many concerned about media, politics, and the future of the country. Having watched the show for much of Stewart’s tenure, it has been fun to look back at some of the old clips of the show’s early days. It doesn’t get much better than Stewart, Colbert, and Carrell doing a comedy bit. What struck me most in looking at old clips was the evolution of the show and Stewart. I think Stewart’s transition can be instructive in thinking about teaching and how we develop our instructional personas in the classroom.

It is so funny to see how Jon Stewart looked and acted in the early days of the Daily Show.  His suits didn’t quite fit right.  He was clearly not very comfortable.  Even the jokes didn’t flow very easily.

Teaching with humor: Lessons from the Dalai Lama

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a wonderful teacher. The same could be said for Pope Francis and many religious leaders. I had the privilege to hear the Dalai Lama during his visit to SMU’s campus. He shared his belief in humanity and the power of compassion and happiness.  Of course, these are themes His Holiness frequently discusses. What struck me most throughout the event was the degree to which he obviously believes in teaching with humor. Despite the well-known benefits of teaching with humor, I believe we don’t do this enough in college teaching.

From the nearly the moment he took the stage to the end (pictured above), the Dalai Lama used humor to bring in and connect with the audience.

The Five Advantages of Teaching with Discussions

I once joked in class that I was a one trick pony when teaching so I hope they like discussions because that’s all we were going to be doing.  I believe in the power of discussions particularly when teaching graduate students.  Since the days of Socrates, the value of teaching using probing questions has served to help students learn and develop critical thinking skills.  In today’s post, I will detail the five advantages of teaching with discussions.

There are many different types of discussions.  From whole class discussions to small group ones, discussions present many advantages when teaching.  Specifically, I believe there are five advantages that make discussions a valued approach for teaching college students.