The Penn State Teacher II LEARNING TO TEACH, TEACHING TO LEARN BY DIANE M. ENERSON R. NEILL JOHNSON SUSANNAH MILNER KATHRYN M. PLANK University Park, Pennsylvania July, 1997 ©1997 by The Pennsylvania State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching 401 Grange Building University Park, PA 16802 Office: (814) 863-2599 Fax: (814) 863-8411 E-mail: [email protected] The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. The Pennsylvania State University does not discriminate against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Direct all affirmative action inquiries to the Affirmative Action Office, The Pennsylvania State University, 201 Willard Building, University Park, PA 16802-2801; tel. (814) 865-4700/V; (814) 863-1150/TTY. This publication is available in alternative media on request. U. Ed. UGE 97-47 Contents FOREWORD ..................................................................................................................................................................5 PREFACE ........................................................................................................................................................................6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................................7 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................9 What is good teaching?—Diane Enerson .................................................................................................. 13 I. DESIGNING A CLASS THAT MOTIVATES LEARNING ....................................................................................... 16 Defining Objectives .............................................................................................................................................. 16 Planning a Class Session ...................................................................................................................................... 17 Getting the Big Picture .................................................................................................................................. 18 Filling in the Details ....................................................................................................................................... 19 Gauging Your Progress .................................................................................................................................. 20 The Syllabus ......................................................................................................................................................... 21 The First Day of Class .......................................................................................................................................... 23 The First Class Sets the Stage—Katie C. Armstrong ................................................................................. 26 II. MATCHING METHODS TO OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................................... 28 Teaching with the Lecture Method ....................................................................................................................... 29 Effective Explanations—John P. Lowe ....................................................................................................... 30 Commonly Asked Questions about Teaching with the Lecture Method ..................................................... 34 Learning from Lectures: Can It Be Done?—Jill Jeneen Fisher ................................................................ 40 Teaching with the Discussion Method ................................................................................................................. 41 Teaching by Discussion: Dangers and Opportunities—John Moore ........................................................ 42 Commonly Asked Questions about Teaching with Discussion ................................................................... 46 The Discussion Class—Melanie O’Donnell ................................................................................................ 53 Teaching with Collaborative Activities and Small Groups .................................................................................... 54 Preparing Effective Collaborative Activities .............................................................................................. 56 The Process and Product of Collaborative Activities or Three Men and an Egg—Kathryn M. Plank .. 57 Commonly Asked Questions about Teaching Collaborative Activities ...................................................... 59 Learning in Groups—Liz Danzico .............................................................................................................. 67 Teaching with Problem-Solving Methods ............................................................................................................. 68 Commonly Asked Questions about Teaching with Problem-Solving Methods .......................................... 69 III. TEACHING TO SCALE ....................................................................................................................................... 75 Teaching Diverse Student Populations ................................................................................................................ 75 Teaching Large Class Sections ............................................................................................................................. 77 A Student’s Reflections on Five Large Class Sections—Robert Billingham ............................................ 78 On Relating Effectively to Students in Large Class Sections—Helen Manfull ........................................ 80 Commonly Asked Questions about Teaching Large Classes ...................................................................... 83 Teaching Assistants and Section Leaders ............................................................................................................. 90 Guidelines for TAs—Liam O’Neill .............................................................................................................. 91 The Challenge of Being an International Teaching Assistant: An Opportunity for Intellectual and Cultural Growth—Helda L. Pinzon ................................................ 94 Teaching with Technology .................................................................................................................................... 95 IV. MEASURING AND EVALUATING STUDENT LEARNING ................................................................................... 99 Establishing Grading Standards ............................................................................................................................ 99 Writing Exams ..................................................................................................................................................... 101 Tips for Writing Short-Answer and Essay Exams ...................................................................................... 102 Tips for Writing Multiple-Choice Exams .................................................................................................... 102 Chemical Engineering Made Easy—Robert Klafter ............................................................................... 104 Academic Dishonesty ......................................................................................................................................... 104 Grading Short-Answer, Problem-Solving, and Essay Exams ................................................................................ 106 Commenting on Student Papers .......................................................................................................................... 107 Grading as Teaching—Marie Secor ......................................................................................................... 107 V. C OLLECTING FEEDBACK TO IMPROVE TEACHING AND LEARNING ........................................................... 113 Using Classroom Assessment Techniques .......................................................................................................... 113 Background Knowledge Probe .................................................................................................................. 115 Misconception/Preconception Check ........................................................................................................ 116 Minute Paper ............................................................................................................................................... 116 Collecting Midsemester Feedback ....................................................................................................................... 117 Machine-Scored Questionnaires ................................................................................................................ 118 Teacher-Designed/Scored Questionnaires