Overview
These resources were assembled to give instructors a foundation to teaching and course development. Before developing a course, it is critical to understand the different ways students learn and how unique teaching styles can mesh to create teaching and learning excellence. Use these resources as a road map to your own classroom. Start by reading through some of the educational theories. They can provide an opening to further explore the realm of education. Progressing from the theories into the specifics of teaching and learning should provide for moments of self-reflection to gauge current teaching styles to see how they best fit into the available research. This might even create a spark for future interest into researching what works in your own engineering classroom. Student motivation and Bloom's Taxonomy provide a launchpad for jumping into course development. Like a recipe, the outcome of these resources will help create teaching excellence. Good luck!
Theories of Education
Understanding the 'how' of learning will provide a teaching foundation to help prepare for the next steps in teaching excellence. Whether it relates to the basic principles of memory or the understanding of cognitive overload, gaining an understanding of the past research into learning will ensure your success as a teacher.
Resources
The first resource contains an extensive list of learning theories. To help you get a jump-start on your path towards teaching excellence we recommend you pay special attention to Cognitive Load Theory, Constructivist Theory, Experiential Learning, Multiple Intelligences, and Social Learning Theory. The second resource begins to mesh learning theories with specific learning styles. This will help transition us into the specifics related to individualized learning styles.
Explorations in Learning and Instruction: The Theory Into Practice Database (TIP).
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/index.html
How People Learn (University of Hawaii, Honolulu Community College, Faculty Development, Teaching Tips).
http://www.honolulu.hawaii.edu/facdev/guidebk/teachtip/teachtip.htm#learn
Resources
The first resource contains an extensive list of learning theories. To help you get a jump-start on your path towards teaching excellence we recommend you pay special attention to Cognitive Load Theory, Constructivist Theory, Experiential Learning, Multiple Intelligences, and Social Learning Theory. The second resource begins to mesh learning theories with specific learning styles. This will help transition us into the specifics related to individualized learning styles.
Explorations in Learning and Instruction: The Theory Into Practice Database (TIP).
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/index.html
How People Learn (University of Hawaii, Honolulu Community College, Faculty Development, Teaching Tips).
http://www.honolulu.hawaii.edu/facdev/guidebk/teachtip/teachtip.htm#learn
Student Motivation
Suffice it to say, many of us struggle to find motivation from time to time. Understanding students' needs and in particular, their need for motivation can lend itself to achieving teaching excellence. For students, the lack of motivation can arise from an endless list of reasons, whether it is dislike for specific classroom topics, or just overload from multiple exams, digging deeper into the research on student motivation can help to combat these the lulls students experience.
Resources
The first article is of practical use as it provides 14 specific tips to help increase students motivation as it pertains to reading. The second article delves into the research and will open the door to future exploration into this topic.
"Getting Students to Read: Fourteen Tips," Eric H. Hobson, Georgia Southern University (IDEA Paper #40, July 2004). PDF/Adobe Acrobat.
http://ideaedu.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Idea_Paper_40.pdf
Research into student motivation and strategies for "incorporating methods of motivation into courses."
http://web.stanford.edu/dept/CTL/cgi-bin/docs/newsletter/motivation_to_learn.pdf
Resources
The first article is of practical use as it provides 14 specific tips to help increase students motivation as it pertains to reading. The second article delves into the research and will open the door to future exploration into this topic.
"Getting Students to Read: Fourteen Tips," Eric H. Hobson, Georgia Southern University (IDEA Paper #40, July 2004). PDF/Adobe Acrobat.
http://ideaedu.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Idea_Paper_40.pdf
Research into student motivation and strategies for "incorporating methods of motivation into courses."
http://web.stanford.edu/dept/CTL/cgi-bin/docs/newsletter/motivation_to_learn.pdf
Bloom's Taxonomy
Bloom's taxonomy is essentially a classification or framework for teachers to follow when progressing through a lesson. The classifications of higher order thinking provides a road map for teachers to use when designing a lesson. At the base level, students will recall basic facts. Progressing through the taxonomy, the level of required understanding will increase as students use a deeper understanding to demonstrate mastery of the content. At the highest level, students may be required to justify their knowledge of a particular subject.
Resources
This resource provides a nice overview of Bloom's taxonomy. The second resource ties into Bloom's, but from a post question development perspective. Creating good questions is one thing, getting students to respond to them is another. Use this resource to gain tips on how to prompt the students' for the responses you want.
"Bloom et al.'s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain," W. Huitt, Educational Psychology Interactive (Valdosta State University).
http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cognition/bloom.html
A Practical Approach for Increasing Students' In-Class Questions. (2016).
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/practical-approach-increasing-students-class-questions/?utm_campaign=Faculty Focus
Resources
This resource provides a nice overview of Bloom's taxonomy. The second resource ties into Bloom's, but from a post question development perspective. Creating good questions is one thing, getting students to respond to them is another. Use this resource to gain tips on how to prompt the students' for the responses you want.
"Bloom et al.'s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain," W. Huitt, Educational Psychology Interactive (Valdosta State University).
http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cognition/bloom.html
A Practical Approach for Increasing Students' In-Class Questions. (2016).
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/practical-approach-increasing-students-class-questions/?utm_campaign=Faculty Focus