MAJOR NEW IDEAS THAT CAN EMPOWER COLLEGE TEACHING

This is a list of major ideas on college teaching, shown by the year in which a new publication either introduced the idea or consolidated existing information on the idea. The point of this list is to illustrate that the scholars of teaching and learning are continuing to generate powerful new ideas year after year, thereby creating the possibility of enhancing the capabilities of college teachers everywhere - IF faculty members take time to learn about these ideas and incorporate them into their practice of teaching.

1991 - 1995

1991 - ACTIVE LEARNING

• Students learn better if teachers have them do something with what they learn and reflect on the meaning of what they do.
• Source: Bonwell, C. and Eison, J. "Active Learning." ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports, #1.

1991 - COOPERATIVE LEARNING

• Having students work in small groups can create powerful energy for learning.
• Source: Johnson, D., Johnson, R., and Smith, K. "Cooperative Learning." ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports, #4.
  

1992 - LEARNING STYLES

• Different students learn in different ways. Knowing what those differences are can help us find ways to increase their success.
• Source: Multiple sources but an especially useful one is: Fleming, N.D. & Mills, C. "Helping Students Understand How They Learn" in The Teaching Professor, Vol. 7 No. 4.

1993 - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES

• There are many easy-to-use techniques that can help teachers assess learning, teaching, and student characteristics.
• Source: Angelo, T. & Cross, P. Classroom Assessment Techniques, 2nd ed. Jossey-Bass.

1995 - CRITICALLY REFLECTING ON YOUR OWN TEACHING

• If we systematically collect information about teaching in general and about ourselves, over time we can become more competent as a teacher.
• Source: Brookfield, S.D. Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. Jossey-Bass.

1995 - EVALUATING YOUR OWN TEACHING

• There are five basic sources of information all of which need to be used if we want to do a thorough job of evaluating our own teaching.
• Source: Fink. L.D. "Evaluating Your Own Teaching," in P. Seldin, Improving College Teaching. Anker.

1995 - EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

• There is a second kind of intelligence that teachers need to have and that they could help their students learn.
• Source: Goleman, D. Emotional Intelligence. Bantam Books.

1996 - 2000

1996 - TEACHING STUDENTS HOW TO ENGAGE IDEAS

• Knowing how to integrate good writing assignments, critical thinking exercises, and active learning will enable students to engage ideas more fully.
• Source: Bean, J.C. Engaging Ideas. Jossey-Bass.

1997 - TEACHING PORTFOLIO

• Assembling a portfolio about oneself as a teacher can help us understand ourselves better and can communicate our teaching to others.
• Source: Seldin, P. The Teaching Portfolio, 2nd ed. Anker.

1997 - DEEP LEARNING

• Students become effective learners only when they understand and engage in deep learning.
• Source: Marton, F., Hounsell, D., and Entwistle, N. The Experience of Learning. 2nd ed. Scottish, Academic Press.

1998 - EFFECTIVE GRADING RUBRICS

• When assessing student work, teachers need to have clear criteria and standards, i.e., a clear and effective grading rubric.
• Source: Walvoord, B. and Anderson, V. Effective Grading. Jossey-Bass.

1998 - IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING OF ONESELF AS A PERSON/TEACHER

• By doing some "inner work", teachers can understand what calls them to teach, what fears they have, and eventually how to engage students more fully.
• Source: Palmer, P. The Courage to Teach. Jossey-Bass.

1998 - SERVICE LEARNING

• Having students engage in community-based service projects which are then related to classroom learning drives multiple kinds of powerful learning.
• Source: Zlotkowski, E. Successful Service Learning Programs. Anker.

1998 - STRUCTURED ASSIGNMENTS FOR SMALL GROUPS

• Small group projects will work much better when they are carefully structured with specific kinds of learning in mind.
• Source: Millis, B. and Cottell, P. Cooperative Learning for Higher Education Faculty. Oryx.

1999 - PEER REVIEW OF TEACHING

• There are some principles that need to be observed when having our teaching reviewed by peers.
• Source: Chism, N.V.N. Peer Review of Teaching. Anker.

1999 - LEARNING COMMUNITIES

• Learning communities, whether of students or of faculty, can lead to powerful forms of dialogue and growth.
• Source: Shapiro, N. & Levine, J. Creating Learning Communities. Jossey-Bass.

2001 - Present

2001 - PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING

• This is a distinctive teaching strategy that teaches students how to solve complex problems, in groups, and how to learn on their own.
• Source: Duch, B., Groh, S. & Allen, D. The Power of Problem-Based Learning. Stylus.

2002 - HOW THE BRAIN WORKS

• An understanding of how learning occurs in the brain can inform can and should inform our actions as teachers.
• Source: Zull, J. The Art of Changing the Brain. Stylus.

2002 - LEARNER-CENTERED TEACHING

• By sharing our power and decision-making with students, we can involve them more fully in taking responsibility for their own learning.
• Source: Weimer, M. Learner-Centered Teaching. Jossy-Bass.

2003 - A TAXONOMY OF SIGNIFICANT LEARNING

• This taxonomy, a possible successor to the Bloom taxonomy, identifies six kinds of significant learning can be used to formulate learning goals.
• Source: "A Taxonomy of Significant Learning," Chapter 2 in L.D. Fink, Creating Significant Learning Experiences. Jossey-Bass.

2003 - INTEGRATED COURSE DESIGN

• Identifies the key decisions that must be made before a course begins, and that need to be aligned to maximize significant student learning.
• Source: Fink, L.D. Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses. Jossey-Bass.

2004 - THEORIES OF LEARNING AND MOTIVATION

• Familiarizing ourselves with different theories of learning and motivation can enable us to shape more effective teaching.
• Source: Svinicki, M.D. Learning and Motivation in the Postsecondary Classroom. Anker.

2004 - TEAM-BASED LEARNING

• An unusually versatile teaching strategy that enables teachers to take small-group learning to a greater level of effectiveness.
• Source: Michaelsen, L., Knight, A., & Fink, L.D. Team-Based Learning: A Transformative Use of Small Groups. Stylus.

2004 - LEARNING PORTFOLIOS

• A special procedure in which students reflect on and assess their own learning.
• Zubizarreta, J. Learning Portfolios: Reflective Practices for Improving Student Learning. Anker.

2004 - FORMATIVE FEEDBACK

• Identifies 7 principles for giving formative feedback in a way that will enable students and teachers to improve learning. Includes examples.
• Source: Juwah, C.; et al. Enhancing student learning through effective formative feedback. The Higher Education Academy, York, England. http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources.asp?process=full_record&section=generic&id=353

Prepared by:
Dr. L. Dee Fink, Ph.D.
(a) Former Director, Instructional Development Program, University of Oklahoma
(b) Past-President, POD Network
August, 2005