From: gcdean@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Grad College Dean)
Subject: Improve Your College-Level Teaching
Summary: Help
Keywords: Advice
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 13:33:16 GMT

Here are some teaching tips for you:
Notes:  Taken by Marsha Woodbury (and therefore highly unofficial)

From the Panel on Improving Your College-level Teaching:
Sept. 3, 1992, Psychology Building (sponsored by the College Effectiveness
Teaching Network)

Next presentation:  First Thursday in October, Psychology Building.

Participating faculty were:  Edward Diener, Psychology, Lisa Monda-Amaya,
Special Education, and Donald Ginsberg, Physics.

Tips: 

1.  Model good teaching for your students.
2.  Get feedback from other faculty--have them sit in and watch you teach.
3.  Get tips from good teachers--deliberately take courses from known good
teachers.

4.  Be conscientious.
5.  The best book on teaching, (recommended by Ginsberg):
      "The Art of Teaching" by Gilbert Hyatt
6.  Never fake an answer.
7.  Start balancing your time NOW--learn how to survive with commitments
 to office hours, committees, service, etc.  Balance is the Key.
Monda-Amaya:  "Learn how to say *no.*  Ginsberg: "Don't try too hard; do get
some exercise."  Don't volunteer for everything.
 
8.  Syllabus:

      Before you make one up, research *all* school, state (Illinois has its own
special one or two), and national holidays (that your campus recognizes),
 plus major religious holidays (particularly Jewish, Asian), and even take note
 of campus sports weekends (for courses with many students likely to travel).

       Announce a tougher grading standard than you end up using--that way your
students are pleasantly surprised by their final grade.

9.  Once you have a class, "You have terrific freedom to be creative and teach
 what you like." (Diener)

10.  Teaching takes practice.

Remember to
.........Answer questions in a way that indicates respect (No matter how stupid
the question is.  It is important to students to be taken seriously.
.........Don't let the students take control of the class.
..........Put responsibility on students' shoulders. 

Annoyances:

      Ginsberg  related a story about a student (25 years ago) walking in late
to one of his classes and asking him to start all over again!

     Students falling asleep during your classes--the consensus was that it is
best to ignore it.

       Sit on *anyone* talking to another student while you are lecturing. 
Ginsberg says, "If you let me talk in this classroom, I'll let you talk anywhere
in the whole universe."

Grading:

The panel all agreed that grading is the worst part for them.

            No matter how careful you are, the students will argue with you.
            Use of blind grading is preferred (that's where you don't know whose
paper you are grading--your students identify themselves by number) --it
protects you and them.  It reassures you that you are being fair.
            Don't change a grade because of a student's woes--because you could 
later be charged with capricious grading.
           Although you are supposed to grade to a curve, many teachers
don't--they teach to mastery.  (Notetaker's comment:  I hate curves).
            Point systems are clear to students.  Preferred by panel.
             On multiple-choice tests, when you are returning the tests, give
the answers *only*--discuss any questions privately, after class.

Useful strategies:

       Involve students--don't let them be passive.
        The TV has created students with extremely short attention spans.  Shift

gears.  Keep It Simple.  Take breaks.  Watch out for glassy eyes.
          Use overheads, hand out the content of the overheads so the
students aren't frantically taking notes.
         Use cognitive strategies, like an introduction that ties things
together, 
guided practice, do closure at the end, to show how it fits.
           Xerox interesting articles, save them according to topic.

Biggest Fears:

         Having to teach a class you know nothing about.
          Not being able to fill up a whole class period--running out of
material.
          Getting asked a question you cannot answer.

At the graduate level:  

             Let the students have an opportunity to do practice teaching in
your class.
              It's easier to teach grad students--they are specialists.  They
are smart
 and will catch you if you are wrong.  Diener:  "Some are smarter than you--
keep the class as an intellectual exchange."
              Monda-Amaya:  "I design grad courses differently, with more
emphasis on getting 
the students to think."

On getting tenure:

              Research and publication get you tenure, no matter how good a
teacher 
you are, or how bad.

further information about CTEN can be obtained from Kevin Harkins, 117
Architecture, MC - 624 (kwhg7173@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu)

-- 
Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC)
University of Illinois
206 Coble Hall  MC - 322
801 South Wright Street