For all of the tangible ways that faculty work to help students succeed at CSU, it might be the intangible sense of belonging that most underscores a student’s pathway to success.
Student evaluations of instructors have come under significant scrutiny because of their tendency to promote unconscious biases. Unfortunately, evaluations might often tell you more about how popular you are (or how well you fit into normative identity categories) than how effective of a teacher you are.
Class discussions provide a framework for students to think critically—out loud—about topics being covered in class. They also provide an opportunity to gauge how well your students are comprehending course concepts, assignments, and outside readings.
Properly facilitated, classroom discussions foster a sense of academic community, one in which students may openly share their thoughts and ideas as well as express, defend and explore differing opinions.
Metacognition refers to thinking about one’s own thinking or being mindful of one’s thinking processes. Research studies have shown that metacognition is one of the most effective ways to improve students’ academic performance and to help students achieve their academic potential (Wilson and Conyers 110).
When students do not work together equally within the group. This imbalance in the group workload can lead to aggravation and resistance to the project from students, and a poor outcome overall. To combat this challenge, Huang presents five tips that focus on a different aspect of group work to both improve group dynamics and produce positive results.
“Do not take what I say as if I were merely playing, for you see the subject of our discussion—and on what subject should even a man of slight intelligence be more serious?—namely, what kind of life should one live . . .” – Socrates
