Good News for the Masses

Jonathan D. Lawrence

SBL 11/22/04

IntroductionGood News for Professors

• Research on strategies

• Implementation

• Resources

The Situation

• The class– Size, scope

• The students– Biblical (il)literacy

• The departments– Expectations, evaluations

Seven Principles for Good Practice in Education©*

1) Encourages contact between students and faculty2) Develops reciprocity and cooperation among

students3) Encourages active learning4) Gives prompt feedback5) Emphasizes time on task6) Communicates high expectations7) Respects diverse talents and ways of learning• http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/

7princip.htm

Major Issues

• Effect of size

• Lectures vs. Discussions

• Active Learning

• Exams

• Religious issues

• Grading

• Technology

Size Matters

• Anonymity

• Interaction

• Prep-time vs. grading

• Attendance?

• Multiple sections - consistency?

Let’s Talk

• Lecture = an effective way to share info

• Not as effective for engagement, critical thinking, etc.

• Balancing lectures & discussions

• Modified lectures

• Control?

• Student prep?

Learn by doing

• One-minute papers

• Debates

• Case studies

• Experiential / Service Learning

• Food?

• Activities

Testing Times

• Type?

• Grading

• Honesty

What they learn matters more than their grades?

• Ungraded (unread) assignments can still be useful learning experiences

• Rubrics - detailed warning of grading procedure

• Papers - giving the attention they deserve without going crazy

Faith Matters

• Relevant questions

• Handling disputes– Historical “facts” vs beliefs / opinions

• School atmosphere / rules

The Gospel of Technology

• Communication - email, etc

• Interaction - Chat, Discussion

• Presentations – Powerpoint, Multimedia

• ALWAYS PRE-VIEW

• Courseware– WebCT, Blackboard, etc.

But…

• But my students won’t prepare for class and they won’t talk

• But if I don’t lecture, how can I be sure the material gets covered

• But my class is too large for discussions

My Strategies

• Starting prayer / text• Experiential learning

paper• Online weekly

discussion topics• Individual meetings• Learning names

• Posted outlines• Multimedia• Debates• Site visits• Guest speakers• Evaluations

Lecture Addiction?

• 2001 - Strict powerpoint with activities

• 2003 - Powerpoint as outline

away from podium

• 2004 Spring - Q&A

• 2004 Fall - Q&A plus mini-lecture

But how will they respond?

• Improved overall ratings– And “Stimulation”

• Progress to goals– Some better, none substantially worse

• Change in attitude, preparation, ability to discuss

Overall Ratings

Perception of Teaching and "Stimulation"

2.00

2.20

2.40

2.60

2.80

3.00

3.20

3.40

Fall 2001 Spring 2002 Spring 2003 Fall 2003 Spring 2004

Semester (averaged)

Score

Overall Perception of Teaching

"Stimulation"

Progress to Goals

Progress to Goals I

70

75

80

85

90

95

Fall 2001 Spring 2002 Spring 2003 Fall 2003 Spring 2004

Semester (averaged)

% Good to Excellent

Development of Bible

Critical Methods

Who ya gonna call?

• McKeachie, Wilbert J. McKeachie’s Teaching Tips – Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. 11th ed. (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 2002)

• AAR Syllabi: www.aarweb.org/syllabus/default.asp

• Teaching Theology and Religion (Wabash)

• www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu

Help is on the way?

• Tomorrow’s Professor List:– E-mail to Majordomo@lists.stanford.edu– No subject, 1st line of text:

• subscribe tomorrows-professor

• Porter, Adam L. Introducing the Bible – An Active Learning Approach. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2004)

• Nilson, Linda B. Teaching at its Best – A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors. (Bolton, MA: Anker, 1998)

At the end of the day

• No simple solutions

• Pick the strategies that will work for you

• Have some extra activities prepared in case you have extra time

• Integrate - explain to students why you’re doing it!

• Have fun!

I’d like to thank the Academy

• Notre Dame’s Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning

• Theology Department, University of Notre Dame

Contact

• Jonathan Lawrence: jlawrenc@nd.edu– Contact me for specific references to

studies

• Website: www.nd.edu/~jlawrenc– This file will be posted here by the middle

of December