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Improving
Your Classroom Teaching
BUY THIS BOOK FROM BARNES AND NOBLE
Weimer,
Maryellen (1993).
Improving
Your Classroom Teaching.
Newbury Park, CA:
SAGE Publications.
Problem:,
most professors learn by experience.
As a result, most of their learning is
intuitive and thus hard to quantify and pass on.
Though a research literature exists on
teaching, most rarely consult it.
Solution:
Meta-analysis has identified five interrelated
components of effective instruction common across
disciplines, teachers, and students:
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enthusiasm
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preparation and organization
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ability to stimulate student thought and
interest
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clarity
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knowledge and love of the content
ENTHUSIASTIC TEACHERS
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spoke
in a more dramatic way
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moved
around more, gestured more, & used more facial
expressions
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smiled,
laughed, and told jokes while teaching
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didn’t
rely on prepared notes
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were
free of distracting mannerisms
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PREPARATION
AND ORGANIZATION
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developed
well-prepared syllabi:
specific goals and objectives, specific
calendar, and clear policies on grading, conduct, and
academic integrity
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used
a variety of learning modes and learning activities
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communicated
class structure by using outlines
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assess
learning well: test
their objectives with well-written exam questions and
a variety of assignments
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STIMULATING STUDENT
THOUGHT AND INTEREST
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question
students well (e.g., adequate time to answer)
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don’t
intimidate students
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handle
wrong answers constructively
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provide
structure and closure for discussions without
controlling them
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use
group work effectively: make tasks clear, give
appropriate amount of time for activity, and honor
group products
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use
collaborative learning (e.g., writing groups)
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are
entertaining, but in the service of instruction
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CLARITY
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use
different methods to assess whether material is clear
to students: attention to nonverbal cues, questions,
examining students’ class notes and written products
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review
their content delivery (e.g., taping and reviewing
their performances)
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make
content relevant (e.g., by starting with a current
event and segueing to the topic)
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use
examples that are accurate, clear, attractive, and
transferable
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solicit
examples from students
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are
good storytellers
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use
metaphors and analogies
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use
demonstrations, simulations, and case studies
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KNOWLEDGE AND LOVE OF THE
CONTENT
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are
more than content experts:
they recognize that learning how to teach is a
separate area.
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a Summary! |
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f you've written
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can email them to us at cogsim@cogsim.com.
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©
1999-2001, CogSim
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