Teaching Tips Archives - Denison's Center for Learning and Teaching

Mentoring Students

Posted on November 4, 2025 by dalkej

These resources address ways to connect with our students as mentors:

The Wellbeing Enhances Learning (WEL) Model from University of Minnesota
Mentoring Students Can Make a Difference by Camey Andersen and Kenneth Alford
Mentoring Undergraduates by Maryellen Weimer
Using Interviews to Assess and Mentor Students by Barbara Gardner & Kenneth Alford
The Benefits of Student-Faculty Mentoring Relationships from Watermark
How to Get the Most Out of College from The New York Times
Students Think Faculty Should be Mentors.

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Engaging Students in Classroom Learning

Posted on November 4, 2025 by dalkej

These articles give ideas on student engagement during class time:

Overcoming Student Fears Surrounding Class Discussions by Brent Saccucci
How to Make Your Teaching More Engaging Advice Guide by Sarah Rose Cavanagh
How to Hold a Better Class Discussion Advice Guide by Jay Howard
Want to Engage Students and Strengthen Your Teaching in the Age of AI?

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Helping Students do Hard Things

Posted on November 4, 2025 by dalkej

We can help students engage in the hard sustained work of learning; these articles have some useful insights:

‘I Did Feel Seen’ How creating ways to meet students individually can help them buy into a course by Beckie Supiano
More Than a Name: How Assignment Labels Influence Student Learning and Performance by Salina Randall and Julie Ann Stuart Williams
Beyond Behaviorism: Why Motivation Matters by Katie Muenks and Carlton Fong
Learning Lessons How professors are encouraging students to buy into the project of learning by Beckie Supiano
How One College Aims to Help Students Fail Better by Ashley Mowreader
Unpacking Complexity from CfLT Archives

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Supporting Student Reading

Posted on November 4, 2025 by dalkej

These articles give some good ideas for supporting our students with reading:

Searching for Wonder: Teaching Literature with Student-Selected Texts by Mary Isbell
To get students reading, let them pick the texts by Beckie Supiano
How to Move from the ‘Main Idea’ to ‘Background Knowledge’ by Youki Terada (written about young readers but relevant for college students)
Assigned Readings: Questions to Ask Yourself by Nicole Donawho
How to Use a Course Workload Estimator with Betsy Barre
Reading Assignments, Activities, and Approaches to Promote Learning by Maryellen Weimer

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Managing Student and Faculty Anxiety

Posted on November 4, 2025 by dalkej

Both students and faculty feel anxious sometimes; here’s some articles exploring ways to manage or relieve anxiety:

How I manage my anxiety as an educator by Lauren Jewett
Instructor Strategies to Alleviate Stress and Anxiety among College and University STEM Students by Jeremy Hsu and Gregory Goldsmith
The Wrong Way to Motivate Your Kid by Russell Shaw
Helping Students Overcome Presentation Anxiety by Traci Levy
Implementing Meditation in the Higher Education Classroom by Steven Haberlin
Building a Learning Sanctuary: Fostering Resilience in Our Students by Mays Imad

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Navigating Change and Avoiding Burnout

Posted on November 4, 2025 by dalkej

These articles include ideas for teaching success and avoiding burnout:

After a Tough Year for Classroom Innovation, It’s Time for a Reset by Sarah Rose Cavanagh
When disruption is perpetual, it’s time to think differently about work by Beth McMurtrie
The Self and Syllabus with Christopher Richmann Do Students Meet “You” in Your Syllabus?
Burnout-mitigation strategies by Beth McMurtrie
Got You Time?

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Running an Effective Classroom

Posted on November 4, 2025 by dalkej

Explore the following resources that offer general classroom advice:

Teaching Newsletter Archive from the Chronicle of Higher Education
The Little Orange Book: Short Lessons in Excellent Teaching (downloadable PDF) from The University of Texas
How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive Advice Guide by Viji Sathy and Kelly Hogan
How to Teach a Good First Day of Class Advice Guide by James Lang
6 Research-Backed Ways to Break Up Your Lectures by Youki Terada
Unlocking Learning Potential with Concept Maps by Michele Poulos

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Getting Students Invested in Thinking in our Classes

Posted on November 4, 2025 by dalkej

In our Denison classes across campus, we often face the challenge of connecting with students across experience and interest levels all in a single classroom in ways that generate thinking and discussion. J. Muthoni Mwangi shares the concept of the “parking lot” (the low-tech version involves sticky notes and a manila folder) as a way to invite questions, create student investment in class, and break down barriers across knowledge and experience levels.

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Identifying Unsupported Claims

Posted on November 4, 2025 by dalkej

In my W101, I am using AI-generated writing to teach students two things: (1) the pitfalls of submitting unrefined AI output in their assignments and (2) how to evaluate and revise writing. For example, I developed this group activity to help students learn how to identify unsupported claims.

When prompted to write a college-level essay, AI tends to generate a lot of unsupported claims.

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The Challenges of Slowing Down and Thinking Hard

Posted on November 4, 2025 by dalkej

One of the themes emerging in my conversations with departments and programs across campus this semester (17 so far!) is our commitment, as teachers and scholars, to helping our students embrace the challenge, satisfaction, and necessity of thinking—deeply, creatively, productively.

Faculty across campus articulate this goal in a variety of ways: Teaching students to value slow thinking in untangling math and programming problems, rather than speed in getting to an answer.

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