Center for Educational Research and Teaching Innovation - CERTI

1. CURATORS’ TEACHING SUMMITTac(k)tical Teaching: Strategies for Success in the Millennial Classroom, part 2 Center for Educational Research and Teaching Innovation - CERTI

2. Josh comes to your class regularly but sits in the back and often dozes off, sometimes for the entire class period. Your response is to: • Alternate solutions from tables: • Ask him in class why he doesn’t get more sleep • Move closer to student and ask a question • Drop a book loudly • Depends on the context; response should vary with the size and nature of the class • Generally, do not use a response that embarrasses a student • Use clickers in class to engage students • It is the student’s responsibility to stay awake • Ignore him as long as he isn’t bothering anyone else. • Catch up with him after class and ask to meet with him to discuss the issue. • Have his neighbors in class wake him up. • Deduct points on his participation grade or another assignment. • Call on Josh to answer a question. 0 of 30

3. Despite a policy of no electronic devices in class in your syllabus, you are sure that your students are texting at various times during class. How do you handle this? • Alternate solutions/observations from tables: • Ask students to move to the back • Have a policy of “If you can’t see my cell phone, I can’t see yours” • Allow for special cases, such as husband whose wife is ready to deliver, etc. • Try to keep students engaged by moving around lecture hall, asking questions • Call on the texter • If it is in the syllabus, instructor must do something! • Interesting finding from one instructor: 96% of the time it was the mother texting the student. • Ask those who are violating the policy to leave class. • Confiscate cell phones until class is over. • Arrange a meeting with the “regular offenders” to discuss the problem. • Ignore the texting. • Let the class decide on the ramifications of violating your policy. 0 of 30

4. After the first quiz in your class, you are seeing less and less of Blake, who did poorly on the test. Your response is to: • Alternate solutions/observations from tables: • If it is a student athlete, contact the coach • Talk to the student personally • Personalize the academic alert • Let advisor know of situation • Response might depend on class size and student’s major • Institute attendance policy with grade penalty • Ask other students “what’s up with ...?” • Instructor who issues an alert should see all the alerts for that particular student • Students that do not come to class generally do not respond to emails or academic alerts • Send an Academic Alert. • Send the Alert and also set up a meeting with the student. • Focus on the students who are attending the class instead of spending time on the one who isn’t showing up. • Contact the student’s academic advisor. • Drop the student per your syllabus policy. 0 of 30

5. You utilize small group discussion in your classes, but you often hear the students discussing anything but the material. Your response is to: • Re-evaluate whether to use small group discussions. • Make the discussion times more structured by assigning roles (timer, scribe, etc.) • Allow students to discuss whatever they want; it is their grade on the line. • Require each group to report to the class or instructor the results of the discussion. • Join their discussion. • Alternate solutions from tables: • Assign point value to discussion findings • Review how you are using group discussions • Remind groups to stay on task • Reassign group members 0 of 30

6. Although most students are hesitant to speak out in your class, Laura will answer every question and pose many of her own if allowed. What do you do to get others involved? • After class, recruit Laura to help you engage the rest of the class. • Ask other students to respond to Laura’s questions. • Pair students together, have them discuss the answer and then offer it to class. • Wait a longer time before calling on anyone to answer – even if the silence seems deafening. • Be thankful for Laura -- at least one person is participating! • Alternate solutions from tables: • Encourage others to engage unless there’s an adverse reaction of other students toward Laura • Ask Laura to teach or lead a discussion in a class section • Ask other students by name to answer questions • Put Laura on “answer probation” • Instructor should have a discussion with Laura outside of class 0 of 30

7. Despite your best efforts at explaining the material, you can tell that some students still aren’t getting it and you feel yourself getting frustrated. How do you handle it? • Set up a help session at an alternate time. • Ask a student who “gets it” to try to explain the material to the class. • Send out a note to the class with further resources. • Re-examine how you deliver the content that’s causing difficulties and see if other teaching strategies might help. • Do nothing. • Alternate solutions/observations from the tables: • Find something physical to demo • Set up an office visit if it is just one or two not understanding • Try restating and presenting new problems • Clickers can help instructor know if students are getting material • Observation: Rapport of instructor with class is essential for #2 to work 0 of 30

8. It’s getting close to St. Pat’s break (or Spring Break) and with 20 minutes left in your class, you know you have lost them. What do you do? • Give a quiz. • Use the last few minutes to review/take questions about an upcoming test. • Plan to do problem-solving rather than lecturing at this time of the semester. • Use a case study or hands-on activity to engage students. • Dismiss class early. • Alternate solutions from tables: • Create an active classroom to avoid this situation arising • Change is important – do something different • Reward at the end, such as an educational YouTube video 0 of 30

9. You stop mid-lecture every class to ask if there are questions. There seldom are, although some students are struggling. How do you get students to ask questions? • Silence ... sooner or later a student will ask a question. • Just move on so you can get through the material. • Stop for questions every 10-15 minutes to allow students to process smaller chunks of information. • Have them ask each other questions, and then offer up their partner’s question. • Make eye contact. • Alternate solutions from tables: • Read a quote from the reading to get discussion under way • Use clickers to get students to discuss the answers to questions 0 of 30

10. You are trying to set up a policy that will discourage those who always have excuses for late work but still not penalize those with bona-fide issues. What should you do? • Have a zero late policy but allow students to drop their lowest grade. • Accept late homework for reasons you deem valid on a case-by-case basis. • Give students some leeway by allowing for two late assignments (with specific deadlines). • Always accept late homework but give less credit. 0 of 30

11. Despite explaining requirements for the first assignment in your syllabus and in class, you still get questions from students who don’t know what to do. The solution? • Refuse to answer questions that are addressed in the syllabus. • Ignore specific queries but send an email to the entire class addressing the issue. • Ask the students with questions to show you what they have done so far on the assignment. • Open up a thread on a Blackboard discussion board and have their classmates answer their questions. • Alternate solutions from the tables: • Open up the question to the class and have students ask their peers • Answer on the class website – which can also be of help to the next class 0 of 30

12. A few open laptops in your large lecture class (ostensibly for note-taking) are becoming more and more distracting. What do you do? • Alternate solutions/observations from tables: • Require hand note-taking (share research that shows that laptop note-taking does not necessarily help students learn) • Have students write with pen and paper for the first 20 minutes of class in comparison to using laptop for note-taking; have students use the results of this exercise in a required paper • Observation: Is there a double standard? Faculty use laptops in meetings and seminars but students aren’t allowed to use in some classrooms • Institute a new policy banning all electronic devices, except for students with a documented need. • Take an informal survey to ask the class about whether laptop screens distract them; use that data as peer pressure on the laptop users. • Require students to show you the notes they took. • Carry on as usual. 0 of 30