The Teaching Professor - May 2010

• The Teaching Professor - May, 2010 - Full Issue PDF
http://www.magnapubs.com/issues/magnapubs_tp/24_5/news/603427-1.html

 • Establishing Relevance
When students don’t see the connection between the content and activities of the course and their future lives, they question what’s happening and what we ask them to do. Research confirms that perceived relevance is a critical factor in maintaining student interest and motivation. It also contributes to higher student ratings on course evaluations. Three straightforward practices can help faculty establish the relevance of course content and activities.
 http://www.magnapubs.com/issues/magnapubs_tp/24_5/news/603428-1.html 

• Five Habits—Easy but Often Neglected Practices That Improve Outcomes
Given the daily grind of teaching, it is easy to forget that little practices can make a big difference when the goals are more learning and better teaching. Here is a reminder of five easy habits to practice mindfully (“mindfulness” comes from the Latin word for having a good memory). http://www.magnapubs.com/issues/magnapubs_tp/24_5/news/603429-1.html


• Learning from Classroom Experiences
When things don’t go well in a class, it never generates good feelings. It takes courage to address the reasons why. What if the teacher discovers it’s her fault? It takes even more courage to explore with a colleague what happened and the most courage of all to share in print the tale of a class gone awry.
http://www.magnapubs.com/issues/magnapubs_tp/24_5/news/603430-1.html

• Using Focused Drafts to Improve Students’ Assignments
Writing is a process, not merely a product. The teacher’s task is not just to grade a final revision but to work with students on their drafts or, better yet, a series of drafts. The key is to emphasize what the writer is doing rather than what has not yet been done. Setting goals for the final product is, of course, necessary, but even more necessary is focusing on what the writer is currently doing to get there. http://www.magnapubs.com/issues/magnapubs_tp/24_5/news/603431-1.html


• Pecha Kucha: A Quick and Compelling Format for Student PowerPoint Presentations
Our students probably don’t remember school without PowerPoint. When they are faced with a presentation, it seems to be second nature to turn to the templates readily available on their computers for format, design, and style. But it is also true that many of those presentations would benefit from editing, revision, and an awareness of audience.
http://www.magnapubs.com/issues/magnapubs_tp/24_5/news/603432-1.html

• What Do I Need to Know About and Do for Students with Learning Disabilities?
At the beginning of each semester, among the flurry of papers flooding my mailbox are a handful of accommodation plans for students in my classes who have learning disabilities. Some of them must have exams read to them. Some must have extra time provided for exams. Some need handouts to be printed in 28-point font. Whatever happened to “I teach, they learn, I test, and they tell me what they’ve learned”? I confess to some crankiness. Are all these accommodations really necessary? I decided I would call Melanie, the coordinator of our Office for Students with Disabilities. The conversation was enlightening, and I thought I would share some of it with you. http://www.magnapubs.com/issues/magnapubs_tp/24_5/news/603433-1.html


Please let us know what topics are important to you! If you have a suggestion for an article for a future issue of this newsletter, contact us at editor@magnapubs.com
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The Teaching Professor - May 2010