As a higher education instructor, you may face challenges in delivering effective and engaging lessons to your students. Whether you are new to teaching or have years of experience, there is always room for improvement and growth. In this article, you will learn some practical steps to assess and enhance your teaching methods, based on feedback and evaluation from various sources.
Before you can improve your teaching methods, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you will measure your progress. Think about your learning outcomes, your teaching philosophy, and your pedagogical approach. What are the main skills and knowledge that you want your students to develop? How do you align your methods with your values and beliefs about teaching and learning? How do you evaluate your own performance and effectiveness? Write down your goals and review them regularly.
O primeiro passo para modelagem de um currículo ou componente curricular é ter clareza sobre a competência que precisa ser desenvolvida pelo aluno durante seus estudos. Isso vai permitir a sele??o adequada das estratégias e técnicas de ensino, presenciais e digitais; a mensura??o do tempo necessário; a sele??o de objetos de aprendizagem compatíveis com os objetivos. Tudo isso organizado e de forma articulada com problemas reais que desafiem os alunos, vai desenvolver a competência planejada. E, no Brasil, isso promove o atendimento às Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais (DCNs) e bons resultados em indicadores de qualidade.
Since I devoted myself entirely to university teaching, I have not stopped reflecting on my didactic and pedagogical practices. Every day I realized that it was impossible to continue teaching in a lecture class in transmissive mode. The digital natives who populated my class showed signs of boredom, distraction and disinterest. The learning objectives that I mentioned in my syllabi were becoming more and more unattainable. What to do? while waiting for the current system to adapt? I reversed my class and my learning. I tinkered with the technologies at my disposal: videos, Google classroom, kahoot, video conferences, Face book pages..........and now i migred to moodle.
We often ask students to be lifelong learners, then balk at change. Faculty should be open to learning and improving their craft. When faculty become stagnant in their methods is when issues with student learning begin. There are many free opportunities to learn more; taking courses in teaching and learning is also an option. Learn from your peers, get involved in a learning community, and read. As you implement changes, ask your students for feedback. Explain what you are doing and what you are trying to achieve with student learning. Be willing to fail as you improve your methods and delivery. Also assess what you are doing against the student learning outcomes. Keep what is relevant; discard what is not.
IDENTIFYING YOUR GOALS Before you can improve your teaching methods, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you will measure your progress. Think about your learning outcomes, your teaching philosophy, and your pedagogical approach. What are the main skills and knowledge that you want your students to develop? How do you align your methods with your values and beliefs about teaching and learning? How do you evaluate your own performance and effectiveness? Write down your goals and review them regularly.
I was involved in a very effective mentoring program for Florida Gulf Coast University (which I would still be a part of, had I not moved to the Treasure Coast. Having a mentor, in my estimation, is the number one method of learning as a teacher to go from survivor mode to expert mode.
One of the most important sources of feedback for your teaching methods is your students. They are the ones who experience your lessons first-hand and can provide valuable insights into what works and what doesn't. You can collect feedback from students in various ways, such as surveys, questionnaires, focus groups, or informal conversations. You can also use online tools, such as Google Forms or SurveyMonkey, to create and distribute feedback forms. The key is to ask specific and open-ended questions that elicit constructive and honest responses. For example, you can ask students to rate your clarity, organization, interaction, and relevance of your lessons, and to suggest areas for improvement.
Start with an appreciative inquiry approach: looking back on the semester so far, what is staying with you? What sessions or activities have been the most meaningful and transformative for you? In the process, you will also what is not being highlighted. Think about how to build in more of the former in place of the latter.
Assistant Director for Co-curricular Programs at the ISU Center for Civic Engagement
As a leader by example in the classroom, you are faced with different learning styles, personalities, and different priorities when it comes to the WHY everyone is there. It is so crucial to take the time to observe, listen, and take notes about WHO is in your class. Do not teach the class you wish you had or are told you must have. Develop your lesson plans to teach the class YOU HAVE. Always use examples your students can relate to by bringing real life into the classroom, if that applies. Of course, country settings, age group, and education levels may vary on how you go about doing this.
Ask yourself whether your first allegiance is to communicating effectively to your audience. If you are more loyal to saying whatever you want about the subject matter you're teaching, however you want to, you'll be less effective than you could be. You may speak with the tongues of angels, but if you don't love your audience first, you'll just be a clanging cymbal.
One of the most important sources of feedback for your teaching methods is your students. They are the ones who experience your lessons first-hand and can provide valuable insights into what works and what doesn't. You can collect feedback from students in various ways, such as surveys, questionnaires, focus groups, or informal conversations. You can also use online tools, such as Google Forms or SurveyMonkey, to create and distribute feedback forms. The key is to ask specific and open-ended questions that elicit constructive and honest responses. For example, you can ask students to rate your clarity, organization, interaction, and relevance of your lessons, and to suggest areas for improvement.
Acknowledge and appreciate the feedback provided by students, regardless of whether it is positive or constructive criticism. Let students know that their input is valued and that you are committed to using it to enhance their learning experience. Follow up with students to share the outcomes of the feedback process and how their input has influenced your teaching practices.
Another way to improve your teaching methods is to observe how other instructors teach and learn from their best practices. You can look for opportunities to visit other classrooms, either in your own institution or in other settings, and watch how they plan, deliver, and assess their lessons. You can also ask for permission to record or livestream their sessions, if possible, and review them later. You can use a peer observation form or a rubric to guide your observation and reflection. You can also ask for feedback from the instructors you observe and share your own insights with them.
Seeking opportunities to visit other classrooms, whether within our institution or in different educational settings, can provide valuable insights into diverse teaching approaches. By observing how instructors plan, deliver, and evaluate their lessons, we can gain a deeper understanding of effective teaching practices and identify areas for improvement in our own methods.
The true benefit lies in the reflective process that follows observation, where educators critically evaluate the applicability of these methods within the context of their own teaching environments. Incorporating a structured reflection component post-observation is vital. Educators should not only record their observations but also engage in a structured reflection process to delineate how these observations can be adapted or modified to fit their unique teaching context. This might involve journaling, discussion groups, or structured debrief sessions with peers.
Ask to join a class session, look at their syllabus or LMS course site. Honestly share your struggles, which can be liberating for your colleagues, inviting them to share theirs.
I have found great value in the success of other teachers. When looking for new methods and strategies, I look at those teachers who have high student achievement. In addition, I look at other areas in the country where students are excelling. I seek to find which curriculum, methods, and strategies that produce successful outcomes.
Use the insights gained from observing other instructors to continuously improve your teaching methods and enhance student learning outcomes. Be open to experimenting with new instructional techniques, integrating effective practices into your teaching repertoire, and refining your approach based on feedback and reflection. Embrace a growth mindset and commit to lifelong learning as you strive to become a more effective and impactful educator.
A third step to improve your teaching methods is to review your materials and activities and see how they support your goals and your students' learning. You can use a checklist or a template to evaluate the quality, relevance, and diversity of your materials and activities. You can also ask yourself some questions, such as: How do you select and design your materials and activities? How do you align them with your learning outcomes and assessment criteria? How do you vary them to suit different learning styles and preferences? How do you incorporate technology and multimedia into your materials and activities?
We're aiming at introducing a "Community of Practice" scheme in our CPDIM project in North Cyprus, both through a software for the ministry but also through training at cluster level in groups of schools... All best Anders L?nnqvist, TL
Systematically reviewing and evaluating your teaching materials and activities, aligning them with learning objectives and assessment criteria, considering diverse learning styles and preferences, incorporating technology and multimedia, and seeking feedback from students, you can enhance the quality and effectiveness of your teaching methods and promote meaningful learning experiences for your students.
Take a critical look at your teaching materials and activities. Are they aligned with your goals? Do they cater to various learning styles? Updating resources, incorporating multimedia, and introducing interactive elements can enhance learning experiences.
Constantly revise lessons, framework, and activities. Keep in touch with students, what they watch, listen to, what they might be consuming with media and technology. By incorporating the things these students use like social media, memes, etc., these types of activities/examples are more likely to garner participation and retention in my experience. I also allow revisions with work and different options for assignments. For example, a class reflection I allow to be written in essay format, I also offer the option of creating a video that has a length requirement or a multimodal option.
Involving colleagues and students in the review process of your teaching materials fosters a collaborative environment and brings in a range of perspectives that can significantly enhance the quality and effectiveness of your educational content.
A fourth step to improve your teaching methods is to seek feedback from colleagues and experts who can offer you professional advice and support. You can join a community of practice or a network of instructors who share similar interests and challenges, and exchange ideas and experiences with them. You can also seek mentoring or coaching from more experienced or qualified instructors who can guide you and help you develop your skills. You can also attend workshops, webinars, or courses on teaching and learning, and apply what you learn to your own practice.
Reflect on the feedback received from colleagues and experts and consider how you can apply it to improve your teaching methods and enhance student learning outcomes. Identify specific areas for growth or refinement based on the feedback received and develop action plans to address them. Experiment with new instructional strategies, approaches, or technologies recommended by peers and experts, and assess their impact on teaching effectiveness and student engagement.
Colleagues can offer a wealth of knowledge and insight. Sharing experiences and strategies with them can uncover new methods and approaches. Additionally, attending workshops and conferences can provide access to cutting-edge educational research and pedagogical techniques.
Exploring global teaching practices through virtual platforms can offer you a wider array of pedagogical insights. Utilizing data analytics can help tailor your teaching methods to student needs more effectively. Also, consider interdisciplinary collaborations to infuse fresh, innovative approaches into your teaching, enriching the learning experience with diverse perspectives.
I personally appreciate feedback from peers, mentors and my students. Also, as a behavior analysis (BCBA candidate) I turn to data to see what's working for individual and groups of students and tweak accordingly. Interestingly, I found that what may be work for one student may actually be an incentive for another. Using these as reinforcement techniques further motivates my students and furthers clarity for continuing improvement.
The final step to improve your teaching methods is to implement and monitor the changes that you have decided to make, based on the feedback and evaluation you have received. You can use a plan or a timeline to outline the steps and actions that you will take, and the resources and support that you will need. You can also use a journal or a portfolio to document your progress and challenges, and to reflect on your learning and growth. You can also seek feedback again from your students, colleagues, and experts, and see how your teaching methods have improved and what else you can do to enhance them.
It’s important to consider both qualitative and quantitative feedback, and to gather data over time. We run the risk of being reactionary when we set too short timeframes to improve our teaching. Especially in light of COVID deficiencies stemming from lost time in learning, we need to be careful to not make drastic, permanent changes, but rather adapt as needed, and take a longer term view to our teaching over time. Making a series of small adjustments and taking data after each can be more rewarding and less challenging than trying to upset everything at once.
Personalized learning: blended or adaptive Project-based learning Jigsaws Each of the this strategy employs ways to encourage questioning, exploration, technology usage, and content analysis using available materials and research. Listen, talk, discuss, listen.
The PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle is a powerful framework that can be applied to improve teaching methods. After planning and implementing changes (Plan and Do), use the Check phase to evaluate the effectiveness of these changes through methods like student feedback or classroom performance data. Then, in the Act phase, refine your teaching strategies based on this evaluation.
Para aprimorar os métodos de ensino, é essencial explorar uma diversidade de recursos e estratégias disponíveis. Isso envolve participar de workshops, conferências ou cursos online para manter-se atualizado com as melhores práticas. A colabora??o com colegas desempenha um papel fundamental, permitindo o compartilhamento de ideias e o desenvolvimento de abordagens adaptadas às necessidades dos alunos. A experimenta??o com diferentes métodos e tecnologias é também crucial para determinar o que funciona melhor em diversos contextos de aprendizagem. Essas práticas contínuas de desenvolvimento profissional contribuem significativamente para criar um ambiente de ensino mais eficaz e cativante.
My experience is that as you get further into your teaching career more and more distractions pop up that prevent regular self-reflection. We can fall into the trap of assuming we know it all or feeling that there’s no time to evaluate our lessons and this can lead to stagnation and a loss of joy in the very thing that inspired us to begin. Make time. It might be time where you’re already doing something else - in my case having lunch or commuting home or tidying my classroom. The important thing isn’t the location or the resources available during the reflection so much as the regularity of consciously reflecting and evaluating.
O desenvolvimento de competências depende do alinhamento e coerência pedagógica entre: objetivos de aprendizagem, sele??o do perfil das tecnologias e mídias educacionais, planejamento e execu??o de atividades educativas, processos avaliativos formativos e processuais, gest?o de processos operacionais.