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Contents

Acknowledgements
Foreword
Using This Resource

I. Preparing to Teach
Planning a course
--Defining Instructional Objectives
--Teaching and Learning Styles: The   Academic Culture
--Choosing and Using Instructional   Materials
--Writing a Syllabus
--Syllabus Checklist
--Using the Syllabus in Class
--Summary of Course Planning
Addressing Students' Needs
--Importance of Knowing Your   Students
--Planning Considerations
--Getting to Know Your Students
--Students of Different Backgrounds
--Students with Disabilities
--Teaching Strategies: Non-Native   Speakers of English
--Creating a Learning Environment
--Dealing with Disruptive Behavior in   the Classroom
--Common Disruptive Student   Behaviors and Possible Responses
--Dealing with Apathetic Students
--Cultural Differences for International   Instructors
--Summary of Addressing Students’   Needs
Teaching Tips
--Organizing Class
--Ways to Be Accessible Outside the   Classroom
--Six Common Non-Facilitating   Teaching Behaviors
--Wireless in the Classroom: Advice   for Faculty
--Summary of Teaching Tips

II. Teaching Methods
The First Day of Class
--When the Class Meets You
--When You Meet the Class
--Diversity the Instructor Brings to the   Classroom
--Conversing with Students with   Disabilities
--Moving Forward
--Summary of the First Day of Class
Lecturing
--Strategies for Effective Learning
--Advantages and Disadvantages of   the Traditional Lecture Method
--Enhancing Learning in Large   Classes
--Chalkboard Technique
--Writing Assignments in the Lecture
--Engaging Women in Math and   Science Courses
--Formulating Effective Questions
--Summary of Lecturing
Discussion
--Brief Overview
--The “Nuts and Bolts” of Discussion
--Facilitating Discussion of Sensitive   Issues
--Encouraging Student Contributions
--Alternative Instructional Methods
--Potential Problems in Discussions
--Summary of Discussion
Expanding Teaching Strategies
--Practical Examples
--Show and Tell
--Case Studies
--Teaching with Case Studies
--Guided Design Projects
--Brainstorming
Group Work
--General Information about Using   Groups
--Group Work in an Introductory   Science Laboratory
Science Labs
--The Role of the Lab Instructor
--What Do the Students Need to   Know?
--The First Day
--Planning and Running a Laboratory
--Safety Procedures
--Summary of Science Labs
Teaching Outside the Classroom
--Tutoring
--Office Hours
--Teaching Students to Solve   Problems
--Advising and Extracurricular   Activities
--Summary of Teaching Outside the   Classroom
Overcoming Misconceptions
--Societal Attitudes and Science   Anxiety
--Misconceptions as Barriers to   Understanding Science
--Common Difficulties and   Misunderstandings

III. Teaching-as-Research
Assessing Student Performance
--Establishing Objectives for   Assessment
--Assessment Primer
--Formulating Effective Methods of   Assessment
--Helping Students Succeed on   Assignments and Exams
--The Why and How of Tests
--Grading Lab Reports, Problem Sets,   and Exam Questions
--Grading Checklist
--Grading Specific Activities
--Grading Writing
--Summary of Assessing Student   Performance
How to Evaluate Your Own Teaching
--Evaluating Your Own Teaching
--A Note on Teaching-as-Research

IV. Appendices
Inspirational Essays
--Mathematics: The Universal   Language of Science
--Transforming Quizzes into Teaching   and Learning Tools
--Teaching My Students to Fish
--Chemistry: The Other Foreign   Language
--Teaching to Different Modes of   Learning
--Notes from a Career in Teaching
Additional Resources
Websites
Graduate Assistant Handbook Outline
--Department- and Institution-Specific   Information
--18 Questions to Have Answered

Works Cited

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Getting to Know Your Students

Learning students’ names can go a long way in letting students know that you care about them as people. Although it may be difficult at first, it is well worth the effort in the long run, because it lets students know you value them as individuals. In some very large lectures, it may be impossible to learn every student’s name, but even using some student names in class can still be helpful.

Sometimes instructors choose to engage their entire class in an introductory activity, not only to learn students’ names, but also to have students learn more about each other. Such activities can help relieve both you and the students of first-day tensions, and can also promote a comfortable atmosphere. This is particularly important if you want students to be actively involved in discussions and in asking or answering questions. It is critical to build a sense of community in the classroom and address student concerns.

These activities often involve having students get into pairs and giving them one or two questions to ask each other. Before they start the activity, tell them that they will be expected to introduce their “partners” to the entire class after having interviewed them with the questions you have assigned. Give the students about five minutes to answer these questions (two and a half minutes per partner) and then have them make the introductions to the class. Examples of such questions follow:

• What are your name, hometown, and major field of interest?
• Tell me something unique about yourself.
• If you could be any person in the world other than yourself (living or not, real or fictional), who would it be, and why?
  

Tips for Learning Students’ Names³²  

1. Use photographs. Group three or four students in a single Polaroid shot. The act of posing for a picture breaks the ice. You can have students write their names underneath their pictures.
2. Arrive for class as early as you can, and use this time to sit and talk to the students who are waiting for you to begin.
3. Use name cards. For seminar classes, place name cards in front of each student. For lab courses, post students’ names above their work stations.
4. Use a seating chart. Ask students to sit in the same general area for the first few weeks, and block general locations within the room on a piece of paper. Write the names of students inside the appropriate blocks. During the first class meeting, ask students to write answers to some simple questions about their backgrounds, interests, and motivations on index cards. Collect the cards and use them as memory aids as roll is called or as papers and quizzes are returned.
5. Find out about students’ experiences in other science courses, with the particular subject matter in this course, and in prerequisite courses.
6. Arrange for regular informal lunches with different small groups of students.
7. Early in the course, write personalized comments on assignments returned; invite students to come by to discuss their progress.
8. Require students to pick up their exams in person to discuss the outcome briefly.