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| Ashwin Lall recently shared this excellent article with me, “What to Expect in Your First Year of Work at a Small College,” in the hopes that our colleagues in the Denison Teaching Seminar (DTS) may benefit. While it aims to help recent hires from large PhD programs transition to small liberal arts colleges, the advice and suggestions reach far beyond this target audience. |
Teaching Tips
Articles and resources to empower your teaching experience.
Teaching: How Knowing Useless Stuff Helps Me Learn
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| I know a lot of seemingly useless stuff. The name of Aragorn’s adopted horse? Brego- Old English for “chief or leader.” For a superior French omelet, opt for carbon steel over a non-stick pan. Building a deck? Position the boards so they cup upwards, not down- counterintuitive, isn’t it?
Why is this important? As our friends in psychology will tell you, the more prior knowledge you have, the easier it is to learn. |
Teaching: It Can Wait
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| In this new bi-weekly column, “Caught in the Act,” Denison faculty share neat techniques their humble colleagues use in their classes. This week, Lori Kumler and Hoda Yousef caught Cheryl McFarren in the act of some great teaching!
As a professor of theater, it’s crucial for Cheryl’s students to be fully present- both mind and body. |
Teaching: Plagiarism and AI
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Carleton College provides students with a guide to “Plagiarism and AI.” It contains some sample scenarios to help students (and faculty) think through the thorny question of whether particular uses of AI may constitute plagiarism or a violation of academic integrity. Here is an example:
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Teaching: Mid-semester Feedback
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| It is the mid-point of the semester; an important time to gather student feedback. The feedback can help you make minor adjustments. It can also help you know you need to explain why certain things are structured the way they are. If you have a feedback form already, awesome! If not, there are plenty of examples available in this post from the TTT archive. |
Teaching: Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst
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| As a math instructor, I face many challenges in my classroom– math anxiety, dislike of math, and disparities in preparation. Typically, the “outside” world rarely infiltrates our discussions. However, everything changed on November 9, 2016, when student reactions to the election blindsided me. I was unprepared, and it did not go well.
I know many of you are more informed and better prepared to handle such issues, and for that, I am grateful. |
Teaching: Student Mental Health Part II
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| Recently, I shared an article by Mays Imad that explored the challenges our students are facing, how struggle is natural, and how we can help them develop resilience. In this second installment, she digs deeper into the biological underpinnings of stress and resilience, sharing a systemic approach to resilience from Michael Ungar that she applies with her students. |
Teaching: Blue Books
Caught in the Act is a new bi-weekly column where Denison faculty share something cool that their humble colleague does with their classes. This week, Andrea Lourie, by way of May Mei, caught Matt Jungers in the act of a cool teaching practice.
Beyond the formal assessments, Matt has implemented a more informal method to monitor his students’ progress and well-being: the use of Blue Books.
Teaching: Creating Classroom Cultures
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| Here is a quick look at some of the things discussed at our Teaching Matters session on Creating Classroom Cultures:
Do you know what kind of culture works for your teaching style and learning goals? Erin Henshaw explained how she strives to create a warm, welcoming environment. Meanwhile, Heather Poole and Heather Rhodes both shared their strategies for getting students to co-create “dynamic” and “motivated” classroom communities. |
Teaching: Being Human Together
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| During the Spring 2020 semester, I audited Ali Miller’s Intro to Stats course. She kicked off the first day with an activity she called “Being Human Together.” She introduced herself through a series of fun facts and then invited her students to do the same through an in-class survey. One of the questions asked for their “favorite musical artist.” |