Teaching Tip: The past is always with us.

This week’s principle from the Lifelong learning at Work and at Home website focuses on prior knowledge: New information learned depends heavily upon prior knowledge and experience. This principle stresses the importance of getting to know our students so we can help them learn more effectively.  From infancy onward, learning is based on building new [...]

Teaching Tip: Variety is the spice of learning

This week’s post summarizes and comments on two closely related principles from the Life Long Learning at Work and at Home website. Principle 2: Varying learning conditions makes learning more effortful but results in enhanced long-term retrieval. Principle 3:  Learning is generally enhanced when learners are required to take information that is presented in one [...]

Teaching Tip: Why aren’t you teaching us?

If you are using active learning methods in your classes, you may have gotten negative comments from your students along the lines of  “s/he should do her job and teach instead of just making us (fill in whatever active learning methods you are using here).”   Helping students understand WHY you are asking them to engage [...]

Teaching Tip #8: Helping students use their brains

In honor of Brain Awareness week, this week’s teaching tip asks the question:  how is what you do in the classroom affecting your students’ brains? Learning is a physical act.  Some neural connections become stronger and others weaken or disappear as new experiences literally shape the brain.  In The Art of Changing the Brain, biologist [...]