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Contents

Acknowledgements
Foreword
Using This Resource

I. Preparing to Teach
Planning a course
--Defining Instructional Objectives
--Teaching and Learning Styles: The   Academic Culture
--Choosing and Using Instructional   Materials
--Writing a Syllabus
--Syllabus Checklist
--Using the Syllabus in Class
--Summary of Course Planning
Addressing Students' Needs
--Importance of Knowing Your   Students
--Planning Considerations
--Getting to Know Your Students
--Students of Different Backgrounds
--Students with Disabilities
--Teaching Strategies: Non-Native   Speakers of English
--Creating a Learning Environment
--Dealing with Disruptive Behavior in   the Classroom
--Common Disruptive Student   Behaviors and Possible Responses
--Dealing with Apathetic Students
--Cultural Differences for International   Instructors
--Summary of Addressing Students’   Needs
Teaching Tips
--Organizing Class
--Ways to Be Accessible Outside the   Classroom
--Six Common Non-Facilitating   Teaching Behaviors
--Wireless in the Classroom: Advice   for Faculty
--Summary of Teaching Tips

II. Teaching Methods
The First Day of Class
--When the Class Meets You
--When You Meet the Class
--Diversity the Instructor Brings to the   Classroom
--Conversing with Students with   Disabilities
--Moving Forward
--Summary of the First Day of Class
Lecturing
--Strategies for Effective Learning
--Advantages and Disadvantages of   the Traditional Lecture Method
--Enhancing Learning in Large   Classes
--Chalkboard Technique
--Writing Assignments in the Lecture
--Engaging Women in Math and   Science Courses
--Formulating Effective Questions
--Summary of Lecturing
Discussion
--Brief Overview
--The “Nuts and Bolts” of Discussion
--Facilitating Discussion of Sensitive   Issues
--Encouraging Student Contributions
--Alternative Instructional Methods
--Potential Problems in Discussions
--Summary of Discussion
Expanding Teaching Strategies
--Practical Examples
--Show and Tell
--Case Studies
--Teaching with Case Studies
--Guided Design Projects
--Brainstorming
Group Work
--General Information about Using   Groups
--Group Work in an Introductory   Science Laboratory
Science Labs
--The Role of the Lab Instructor
--What Do the Students Need to   Know?
--The First Day
--Planning and Running a Laboratory
--Safety Procedures
--Summary of Science Labs
Teaching Outside the Classroom
--Tutoring
--Office Hours
--Teaching Students to Solve   Problems
--Advising and Extracurricular   Activities
--Summary of Teaching Outside the   Classroom
Overcoming Misconceptions
--Societal Attitudes and Science   Anxiety
--Misconceptions as Barriers to   Understanding Science
--Common Difficulties and   Misunderstandings

III. Teaching-as-Research
Assessing Student Performance
--Establishing Objectives for   Assessment
--Assessment Primer
--Formulating Effective Methods of   Assessment
--Helping Students Succeed on   Assignments and Exams
--The Why and How of Tests
--Grading Lab Reports, Problem Sets,   and Exam Questions
--Grading Checklist
--Grading Specific Activities
--Grading Writing
--Summary of Assessing Student   Performance
How to Evaluate Your Own Teaching
--Evaluating Your Own Teaching
--A Note on Teaching-as-Research

IV. Appendices
Inspirational Essays
--Mathematics: The Universal   Language of Science
--Transforming Quizzes into Teaching   and Learning Tools
--Teaching My Students to Fish
--Chemistry: The Other Foreign   Language
--Teaching to Different Modes of   Learning
--Notes from a Career in Teaching
Additional Resources
Websites
Graduate Assistant Handbook Outline
--Department- and Institution-Specific   Information
--18 Questions to Have Answered

Works Cited

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Communicate effectively with all students

• Choose a simpler word when lecturing, while offering a more complex term in hand-outs.
• Learn and use students’ names.
• Eliminate slang and informal expressions. For example, “That is not necessary” is easier to understand than “You don’t have to do that.”
• Limit the use of two and three-word verbs (run into, get across, etc.). For example, “I will organize that” is easier to understand than “I'll set it up.”
• Use Latin-based root words in place of more casual choices. Latin-rooted words in English generally indicate a more formal or academic speaking style. The non-native speaker is more likely to have studied a more formalized, generic form of English in his or her home country or intensive ESL program.
• Refer students with difficulty in oral or written expression to tutorial or training programs for extra help.
• When using fictitious names, include ones such as Nguyen (“new-win”) or Durai (“do-rye”) in addition to the “traditional” Smith, Jones and Brown.

Don’t just teach the material, teach how to learn

• Ask questions in class and wait to get answers (at least five seconds) — allow silence.
  
• Show students how to perform important course skills — model the process of analyzing a research report, rather than assuming that students know how to do this.
• Have extra sessions on note-taking and effective study practices.
• Encourage students to use campus tutorial, study skills, and writing services.
• Provide extra material or exercises for students who lack essential background knowledge or skills.
• Recognize that not all students seek advice and guidance when needed; be prepared to reach out to those who might not otherwise seek help.

Remember it’s all about people

• Personalize the course for students.
• Find out about students’ learning styles, interests, and backgrounds at the start of the course. (See “Getting to Know Your Students,” earlier in this chapter, for specific suggestions.)
• In large classes, find ways for students to get to know one another, and encourage students to form study groups.
• Incorporate the contributions of foreign-born scholars in citations of scholarly accomplishments.
• Include real-life examples of documents prepared for and by internationally-based clients rather than focusing on just North American and western European samples.
• Use topics such as the impact of international trade on local economies to solicit and encourage the opinions and participation of students who have lived abroad.
• Encourage international students to undertake research projects which will provide experience relevant to their future environment, since many will return to their countries of origin after graduation.
• Pair undergraduate students with mature students already in the workforce so that shared experience contributes to realistic research and writing.