This article first appeared in the Teaching Professor on February 24, 2015. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved.  It’s hardly a new subject. Every teacher knows it’s essential, and every teacher tries to motivate students. But it’s just as true that all teachers have experienced those days when they don’t feel particularly motivated, when the content seems […]

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This article first appeared in the Teaching Professor on December 17, 2018. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved.  First snowflakes of the season today. Winter is settling in out here in the Pennsylvania countryside. It’s quiet, no birdsongs in the morning, few leaves left on the trees to rustle, and frost muting the crunch of those on […]

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This article first appeared in the Teaching Professor on May 17, 2017. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved.  I continue to worry that we devalue the affective dimensions of teaching—the emotional energy it takes to keep delivering high-quality instruction. Most faculty are on solid ground in terms of expertise. We know and, in most cases, love our […]

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This article first appeared in Maryellen Weimer’s blog in April 13, 2016. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved. “First and last class sessions are the bookends that hold a course together.” I heard or read that somewhere—apologies to the source I can’t acknowledge. It’s a nice way to think about first and last class sessions. In […]

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This article first appeared in Maryellen Weimer’s blog in November 2009. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved. I appreciate what my colleagues do for me. I have colleagues who indulge my need to blow off steam. Some student behavior is nothing short of outrageous, some department policies are nothing short of senseless, some department heads are […]

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This article first appeared in the Teaching Professor on December 13, 2017. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved.  Teachers and students can give each other priceless gifts. “Professor Jones changed my life!” The comment is usually followed by the story of a teacher in love with content, students, and learning. How many times have I told the […]

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This article first appeared in the Teaching Professor on December 10, 2018. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved.  There’s a new book out called Activating a Teaching-Learning Philosophy. The word “activating” caught my attention. To me that says “doing something about your teaching-learning philosophy.” Unfortunately, our current use of teaching philosophy statements doesn’t usually contain that expectation. Most […]

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This article first appeared in the Teaching Professor on November 23, 2016. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved. Many students don’t pay much attention in class. They come to class, but most of the time, only their bodies are present. When they study, that demanding task occurs as they attend to a host of other, often more […]

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This article first appeared in the Teaching Professor on August 19, 2015. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved.  There’s only one first day of class. Here are some ideas for taking advantage of opportunities that are not available in the same way on any other day of the course. It’s students’ first introduction to the course content. […]

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This article first appeared in the Teaching Professor on July 5, 2017. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved.  First impressions are important and you can make favorable ones on the first day of class by doing things just a bit out of the ordinary. Here are some ideas: 1. Dissect the course title If it’s a course […]

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