Tag Archives: university teaching

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A response to the Atlantic: Active Learning Doesn’t Harm Students

The Atlantic published an essay from Christine Gross-Loh entitled, “Should Colleges Really Eliminate the College Lecture?” This follows a similar op-ed published in the New York Times, “Lecture Me. Really.” Is there someone out there assaulting lecturers? Are there colleges out there eliminating the lecture? Is there even a college out there that could force an elimination if they tried? What is this really about? There is a growing and substantial body of research that suggests the importance of engagement and active learning. This scholarship has led to calls to reduce the frequency (more importantly, the length) of lectures in favor of engaging students in the classroom. Clearly, those who believe in the power and potential of lectures feel under threat. Yet, the research is clear that the inclusion of active learning helps students learn content better. The defense of the lecture in the Atlantic essay is long on anecdotal support for lecturing and wrong in numerous ways. In response, I want to respond to a few of the most inaccurate passages as a response to the Atlantic and underline my central argument: active learning doesn’t harm students.

14th Century Lecture in Bologna
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When you lecture, take a break!

When I work with faculty on improving their teaching, one of the areas that I constantly try to get them to improve is in their lecturing. Particularly in certain disciplines, lecturing is the primary instructional approach used by professors. Lecturing is probably the oldest teaching approach and can be effective. However, lecturing can also be done very poorly as the stereotype of the professor reading form the yellowed lecture notes illustrates. I try to convince faculty to include more active learning approaches into their classes and I find the pause procedure is an excellent vehicle for this. In today’s post, I want to share an excerpt from my book on college teaching (Teaching for Learning)  that describes the pause procedure and how to use it effectively in the college classroom.

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Intentionally Designed Activities to Engage Students

Everyone who teaches wants engaged students. But how do we do this? There are so many buzz words out there about flipped classrooms, active learning, and grit. The research literature examining effective teaching practices has grown, yet it is largely inaccessible.  Over 700 different journals address college teaching in various forms. How can instructors wade through this to find the most effective strategies. In today’s post, I will share a few helpful formulas and strategies to create intentionally designed activities to engage students.

Les Roches International

Across different disciplines, there are a multitude of instructional approaches from lecturing to discussion to peer teaching. No matter which approach is used, students learn best when they are engaged with the course content.

Engagement doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intentionally designing class to foster learning.

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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.

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Use the First Day of Class to Set Up a Great Semester

As we approach the beginning of a new academic year, campus is abuzz with the return of students. Faculty are busy finishing syllabi, attending department retreats, and learning to fight for parking again. If you’re teaching a class this semester, it is important that you use the first day of class to set up a great semester. The first day is important for establishing norms and expectations. Don’t be one of those instructors that reads the syllabus and then dismisses class early.

Photo credit: Flickr velkr0

The first day of class can help set you up for the rest of the semester. Specifically, I recommend you do the following five things to make sure you’re ready.