Weekly Teaching Tips

Connecting Old Knowledge and New The book How Learning Works (a frequent CAT reading group selection) begins with this fundamental principle: Learning must be built on prior knowledge. When we learn, we are “interpreting incoming information and…perceptions through the lens of…existing knowledge, beliefs, and assumptions.” To learn effectively, students must connect what they learn to […]

Guiding Students’ Preparation for Class The beginning of a new semester is a great time to help our students develop good habits that will make their learning experiences productive. Coming to class prepared helps them participate more fully and learn more deeply from in-class activities and discussions. Though reading, watching videos, or doing other preparation […]

Welcoming Students on the First Day of Class Around six thousand students will be starting at FSU on Monday: your class may be their first experience in a college classroom. What kind of impression do you want to make? These new students (as well as our returning students, and our transfer students) are probably both […]

Five Big Questions for Course Design First, a warm welcome to all of our new colleagues joining us at FSU this semester, and a warm welcome back to our returning colleagues. We hope your preparations for fall are going well, and that you’re looking forward to meeting your new students and helping them to grow […]

Don’t Let Your Good Ideas Get Away Congratulations! Spring 2022 is a wrap and summer break is just around the corner. We can all be proud of the learning our students did this semester, and now that we’re done (or almost done, if you’re still grading) we get the pleasure of starting to ruminate a […]

Congratulations, Summer Teaching & a Workshop Congratulations! Classes are over and only finals week remains. We hope you have plans for some well-deserved rest this summer. But if you’re teaching this summer, you may be in the midst of planning a six-week course. “Compressed” or “intensive” classes, like those in summer A or B, challenge […]

Do Students Know How Far They’ve Come? With only a week of classes left, it’s a good time to think about how you’d like to bring the semester to a close with your students. A good closing activity can help them to recognize what they’ve learned, take pride in their accomplishments, and celebrate the ways […]

Wishful Thinking at the End of the Term Around this time of the semester, you may have a student or two reemerge after many missed classes (or assignments) to inquire about how they might still pass your course. Sometimes when students get a little bit behind, they get embarrassed or discouraged and stop attending altogether. […]

Reconnecting with the Course Goals The final weeks of the semester can be overwhelming. When there are too many tasks, too many competing demands for our attention, it can be difficult to prioritize and to focus. Many students are just trying to get through the term at this point, and they may have lost their […]

Strategies for Getting Students’ Best Work Picture this: It’s the end of the semester. Students have submitted their final projects, whatever form those take in your course, and you’re reading through them, feeling delighted (or relieved) because so many meet or exceed your expectations, and because you see evidence that students have done so much […]

Rebooting After the Break Spring break is back! After two years of COVID-19 disrupting our typical time off from classes, students and faculty alike are welcoming the return of our weeklong respite. Whether you’re traveling, staying put, catching up on projects, or claiming your well-deserved rest, we hope the time will be restorative. After a […]

Our students are watching as the war in Ukraine unfolds in real time on every form of media. They are likely frightened, confused, and distracted from their work. Their levels of information literacy vary widely; so will their access to and grasp of the facts. While we faculty may view the war through our various […]