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U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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| Vol. XII, No. 2 | A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
November 2006
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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| Vol. XII, No. 2 | A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
November 2006
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Connecting with Students as Active Participants in Learning
The engagement of students (i.e., drawing them into active, analytical, and interrelational consideration of material within and across topics) forms a central and essential component of effective teaching. In a real sense, instructors do not “teach.” Instead, through meticulously crafted activities, they facilitate learning, done by the hard work of the students—learning is always an active process. The challenge then becomes how to develop such activities that draw students into the material, into using a critical habit of mind, and into viewing the information as their own. Expressing Desire to Help Many instructors believe that the antithesis of engagement—an uncomfortable student-instructor distance—increases as class size increases. At its worst, that distance can spawn an atmosphere where students view instructors as enemies, not allies. Fortunately, there are concrete ways to connect with students, even in large classes. One is to make clear, through explicit and frequent statements, that you are there to help them, that you are an ally for their advancement, that you want them to succeed, and that you are willing to do whatever you can to make that happen. Regular and heartfelt expression of the desire to help can do marvels for a class. Almost reflexively, students start to adopt the material as their own and recognize that their active participation and interaction with the instructor are essential for learning. Presentations that are forceful, organized, integrative, and progressive in development are essential for drawing students into the material. If presentations are in some sense compelling, students will want to follow, understand, and apply the material. The material I teach, biology, is so remarkable and fascinating that, if I do a good job in presentation, many students are motivated to become active in their approach to their own education. The same is true of all topics, not just those I teach. Draw out the remarkable aspects of a topic, and you will draw in the students. Socratic Method For many students, that alone will not be enough. A good approach in conjunction with a well-presented lecture is the Socratic method. I question students frequently during lecture. If the tone is right (because I have set it by being open about wanting to help them understand), students will answer. This approach is just one way of making formative assessment, but there are others. Student response systems (SRS) or even paper-based anonymous surveys allow instructors to get students actively thinking while providing the instructor’s feedback on class comprehension. Devising other activities that engage students is limited only by one’s imagination. Contrary to what many instructors may think, they do not take that much time. With experience, an instructor can develop and use formative assessments in a time- and student-effective manner. Although none of these ideas is that earth-shattering, they work. When such interactive activities are applied, students want to understand and participate; and they enjoy the material and feel a sense of fulfillment. And enjoyment and fulfillment are themselves great motivators toward a broader and deeper comprehension of the world around us. | ||||||||||||||||||
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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