Effective teachers take responsibility for their students' learning. The secret to being a successful teacher is . . . Those teachers who do take personal responsibility for their students' successes and failure . However, in my opinion, true teaching has not occurred unless the pass has been both thrown and received. This view does not relieve students of their responsibility, but rather extends my responsibility to understanding how best to motivate students and stimulate their learning.
Effective teachers make their students active participants in the learning process.
Knowledge cannot be passed like a material substance from one mind to another. . . . Ideas must be rethought, experience must be re-experienced. Most university courses employ just the first two, but only the third leverages the direct correlation between involvement and learning. Along these lines, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recently integrated self-learning computer exercises into the classroom. Not only do students prefer the new format, but long term course costs have been reduced as well.