Dr. Constance M. EllisonAssociate Dean of Educational and Research Affairs

Professor of Educational PsychologyGraduate School

Take a moment and picture your idea of a perfect teaching year. Imagine how you want to feel, the climate of your classroom, and some of the goals and expectations you have set for yourself and your students.

align what you have imagined with the following sentence stem. Complete each stem.

SENTENCE STEMS: Form dyads (2) or triads (3) and complete the rest of the sentence listed below. Read the sentence stems carefully and complete the thought. •Before I came to Howard University, my main interests in college teaching were... •The way I would describe my teaching philosophy is... •The way I would describe my teaching style is...•My beliefs about teaching are… •My expectations about teaching are…•My educational framework is…•My fondest memories of my favorite professor are... •The things I value most about teaching would be... •Some of the things that make me happy are... •The thing I would most like to accomplish as an instructor this year is... •The things that concerns me most about college teaching are... •It appears to me that an important difference between an instructor and a student is... •What I think I will get out of teaching is... •I think the most important thing I would learn from this experience is...

Group Activity

MY ROLE AS AN INSTRUCTOR

MY BELIEF(S)

MY EXPECTATIONS

MY ACHIEVEMENTS

MY EDUCATIONAL THEORY

MY EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK

My philosophy of education is:

A PERSOANL EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I have a tremendous power to make a students’ life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or deescalated and a student humanized or dehumanized.”

makes very different demands on students;

the scope of study is much wider; the focus is on you; students are expected

to study on their own much more than they may have been used to, and;

the scheduling of academic responsibilities is on the student and also the student must organize his/her own schedule.

Diversity, variety, and novelty Over determination for Success Meaningfulness and relevance High Expectations

The first force changing higher education is the movement toward new paradigms of active and collaborative teaming. Educators realize that students who passively listen to lectures do not learn as well as students who are actively involved, and working together with other students helps to increase the learning dialogue for each student.

The second force changing higher education is the advent of electronic search systems that provide an overwhelming amount of information to students, who therefore need critical thinking skills to evaluate the usefulness of resources.

(Scott & Gregg, 2000)(Magner, 2000)

Collaborative or group learning refers to instructional methods whereby students are encouraged or required to work together on learning tasks. It is widely agreed to distinguish collaborative learning from the traditional 'direct transfer' model in which the instructor is assumed to be the distributor of knowledge and skills.

There are many social, economic and technological forces having

an impact on today's college classroom. The new media can be seen as both a problem and solution for some of the changes that these classrooms are facing. The Internet and the web are now being accessed in the home, at the office, and in schools; this access is both extending the learning environment out of the classroom and moving the external world into the classroom.

Seeing and Hearing Reflecting and Acting, Reasoning Logically

and Intuitively Analyzing and

Visualizing

Lecture Demonstrate Lead students to self-

discovery Focus on principles Focus on applications Emphasize memory

and others understanding

Bored Inattentive in class Do poorly on tests Get discouraged about the courses, the

curriculum, and themselves In some cases change to other curricula or

drop out of school

many other responsibilities (families, careers, social commitments)

lack of time lack of money lack of child care scheduling problems transportation problems insufficient confidence having to learn when but not interested or ready living people’s expectations and experiences

Emphasizes time on task

Communicates high expectations

Respects diverse talents and ways of learning

Enhances students’ talents, assets, and strengths

Know your Subject Know your Audience Know the Context in which you’re

presenting

• Some students ARE listening.• The middle of the class is benefiting the

most from your help.• Make sure that uncooperative students do

not affect the learning environment.• Try to make your tutorial/lab more

interesting and interactive.• Ask questions of specific students.

“You have to know who your students are. If you don’t know who they are, you can’t teach them.”

Concentrate on your students and on the subject.

Prepare yourself ahead of time. Make sure you are ready physically.

First, you should show that you are organized.

Second, be yourself. Come in really ready for this class.

• Balance activities well• You can help to achieve this by preparing a clear outline and displaying it for your class

• Think what you would like if you were in your class.

• Be engagingly responsive• Get feedback - how? eye contact nodding body language surveys conversations

• Communicate effectively• Make everything very clear - especially rules - attendance, make-ups etc.(twice)

• Give detailed guidance on prep / homework time

• Tell the students what you can do and what you cannot

• Take questions - stimulate them to ask

• Tell them what they can expect of you outside class hours

Key Question

How well am I teaching?

Which aspects of my teaching are good and which needs to be improved?

Self Monitoring Audio Tape/Video Tape Information from Students

Multi-Year Questionnaire Interviews

Students’ Test Results Outside Observer

I Applaud Your Participation