In This Issue Current Issue Archives

November, 2008

The Teaching Professor - November, 2008 - Full Audio MP3
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The Teaching Professor - November, 2008 - Full Issue PDF
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When to Begin the End: The Role and Use of Summary in Course Design
By Barbara Mezeske, Hope College, MI
How do you approach the final weeks of your course? Most of us include some sort of summation activity: a final review, a course evaluation, sometimes a reflective paper. Recently, I have begun to incorporate these kinds of activities much earlier in my courses, with good results for learning and for those final teaching evaluations.

Is It Live or Is It Professor X?
By James Ricky Cox, Murray State University, KY
A couple of semesters ago, a student I’ll call Marty enrolled in my biochemistry course. I had met Marty before, as he had taken other courses in chemistry and biology in the science building. Marty rarely attended my course that semester. I assumed that he was not very thrilled with me and/or the course. We happened to meet one day in the student center. He approached me with a big smile and proclaimed, “I love your class.” I thanked him and then asked how it was possible to love a class that he rarely attended. Marty explained that he was downloading the archived lecture notes and audio podcasts in his dorm room and having class late at night, the time he preferred to study. He listened to the audio podcasts and made his own notes on the archived lecture notes. He concluded, “I wish this class was offered at midnight.” His statement still rings in my ears and reminds me of the pedagogical diversity that has been made possible by the use of various forms of instructional technology.

Reciprocal Interviews on the First Day of Class
The first day of a course ranks among its most important days. It is the first chance teachers have to set up those norms that will make the class conducive to learning. It’s the first chance teachers have to showcase course content. It’s the first chance students have to see teachers in action and to find out important course details, like the grading policy, the kind and number of assignments, and how the teacher plans to present the material.

An Important Reminder
In our August/September issue, we announced the creation of the McGraw Hill-Magna Publications Scholarly Work on Teaching and Learning Award. Briefly, this $1,000 award will recognize an outstanding piece of scholarly writing on teaching and learning.

Three Reminders for Guiding Classroom Discussion
By Kevin Brown, Lee University, TN
I recently took a group of students on a trip to New England to explore historical and literary sites. One of the sites was a Native American museum, where the students were scheduled for a session on unlearning racial stereotypes. The students and I were excited about this discussion, but the discussion leader made some errors in her presentation. The students and I were excited about this discussion, but the discussion leader made some errors in her presentation. As a result, the students ended up bored and they checked out. Being on the other side of the podium, I had the chance to observe her mistakes, which, unfortunately, reminded me of some of my own. I’d like to highlight three of them here.

Using MySpace to Build Community in College
By Beth L. Gainer, Bensenville Campus, Robert Morris College, IL
Students benefit when the college experience connects them with peers and faculty. They don’t have a lot of trouble fostering peer relationships, but students can feel awkward and intimidated interacting with faculty. This is why I decided to build a stronger sense of community with my students on their home turf—MySpace. Most students are MySpace aficionados; most faculty are not. Therefore, I was stepping out of my comfort zone and warily into theirs.

The Day I Walked Out of My Classroom
By Mary J. DeYoung, Hope College, MI
We teachers often comment about how we learn so much from our students. It’s part cliché, part personal modesty, and part true. Usually, I learn some detail of a particular math problem when a student sees a relationship or pattern that I had never noticed. Occasionally, a student presents a new way to solve a problem. But what I’d like to write about here is the day students forced a 180-degree shift in my thinking about classroom discourse.