I graduated from Loras College last year and plan on attending graduate school in 2019 (fingers crossed!). After I graduated from Loras College (before I earned my A.A.), I devised a list of suggestions for aspiring teachers, suggestions on how to teach well. Granted, I am NOT a teacher. But having learned from a panoply of fantastic teachers, I would like to think the suggestions below are somewhat legitimate. I posted them on Facebook originally--all thirty-two of them--but because I wanted them showcased in a more suitable medium, I ultimately decided to put my suggestions on my Web site. I hope you enjoy the first five suggestions. I'll post more later. (Please note: I have not revised them since I posted them on Facebook, so bear that in mind while you give them a gander.)
1. Create and post assignment sheets and rubrics well before the deadline. Assignment sheets and rubrics differ (the reasons should be self-explanatory). And because students want to know WHAT is expected of them and HOW those expectations will be graded, it would be best for teachers to make and post assignment sheets and rubrics for every major assignment (ideally, for EVERY assignment). 2. Employ stories. Neurological research reveals that one of the fastest ways to form conceptual knowledge is to turn ideas into culturally relevant stories. Case studies, fact patterns, and personal narratives aid in student comprehension and appreciation. 3. Type and pass out objective sheets. One of the most frequent questions I used to hear from fellow classmates was, "How is this lecture or topic relevant to the class?" To address this, teachers should create and post reading objectives, unit objectives, and holistic class objectives for students to use as learning checklists. (The Bloom Wheel can be used to create wonderfully specific objectives.) 4. Assign small group projects and discussions, judiciously. To be frank, I dislike, yet respect, group projects and discussions. But having society at large reinforce the misguided notion that people naturally work well in groups simply because we're social animals, leaves me upset. If a project can be completed or a question can be answered without the need to break off into small groups, then small groups is NOT the way to go. People should err on the side of caution--and practicality. 5. Never assign pop quizzes. In fact, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, adverbs, and pop quizzes. On average, teachers hate making pop quizzes and students hate taking them. And besides, studies show that if you want a certain behavior to persist, reward the desired behavior. Therefore, because pop quizzes are used mostly as punishments rather than rewards, pop quizzes tell students, "You brought this on yourself. Don't fail now!" Granted, certain classroom punishments should be used, but why must a significant go-to for "difficult" classes be punishments? Easy: punishments are usually fast and, more important, "convenient."
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