What If They Get It Wrong?
One of the concerns I hear voiced about letting the students explore and discuss ideas in the texts they are assigned is that the...
Those Whiteboards
I never liked writing on blackboards, whiteboards, or easel pads. I have, of necessity, done so when teaching, especially when I started...
Introversion in a Collaborative Environment
I have heard a few colleagues, who being so pleased with the opportunity the active learning environment offers for student expression,...
How Do I Know When It's Working?
As I've adjusted my teaching over the years, I have often asked myself how I know when any changes have been effective. Won't there...
Student Perspectives
A year ago two of my American Literature students were interviewed by the campus newspaper about their experience of taking a course in...
Transferring Strategies
This is my first semester to apply active learning strategies from my literature classes to my research composition class. With half of...
Balancing Routine and Innovation
Routine is a good thing. For college students learning new time management skills, moving out of the home, and taking new classes, an...
Streamlined Reinforcement
After having slowly developed and incorporated active learning into my classes on a limited scale, two years ago I was ready to devote...
Performing
The lecture is a performance. It may be a good one or a bad one; it may be sprinkled with student input, but it is a performance, which...
Over and Under Achievers
Since shifting from a traditional lecture format to active learning, I have greatly reduced the dead air that follows the probing...
