What Else Can Go Wrong?

If you type “teaching mistakes” into your favorite search engine you will get more than 45 million hits.  I found articles with titles like “Teaching Mistakes: Four Lessons for Instructors ,” “Ten Worst Teaching Mistakes,” “How the Best Teachers Avoid the 20 Most Common Teaching Mistakes,” and “The 67 Worst Teaching Mistakes.”  Where does it stop?  Is the teaching profession the most mistake-ridden of all?  Is there an award for the writer who identifies the most mistakes?

By the way, I am part of the problem. I have written articles like 10 Terrible Mistakes College Teachers Make and How to Avoid Teaching Mistakes.

However, recently the thought has occurred to me that there is just one mistake, a really big mistake, that college teachers make.  All other mistakes spawn from, or propagated by, this seminal slipup.  The biggest mistake college instructors make is to take an ambivalent attitude toward their personalities and demeanors, because these traits form the foundation upon which make-or-break relationships with students are built.

I base my conclusion on years of experience as an adjunct instructor and as a college administrator.  I have many real-life anecdotes to support my theory.  However, it was not until I read a report published by Faculty Focus that I was motivated to put my beliefs in writing.  The article was “Teaching Mistakes from the College Classroom,” and it appeared in the March 2010, edition of a Faculty Focus Special Report published by Magna Publication.

What Successful College Instructors Had to Say About Their Own Mistakes

Faculty Focus put out a call for articles on teaching mistakes.  Reflective essays from 15 college teachers were compiled in a report entitled “Teaching Mistakes from the College Classroom.”  If you casually read through these articles, you will find quite a few bits of teaching wisdom.  However, together they tell a powerful story.

Ten of the 15 instructors mentioned or alluded to at least one of the personality traits listed below.  Each identified how their personality was the cause for a bad relationship with their students.   These six traits are typically construed as negative, and no explanation is necessary as to why college students would find these characteristics offensive.

• Arrogant
• Defensive
• Dictatorial
• Egotistical
• Headstrong
• Sarcastic

On the other hand, three of the traits that surfaced seem like positive attributes for college teachers.  They were:

• Energetic
• Kind
• Passionate

However, the energetic, passionate instructor mentioned that he let his “vigor for the subject matter override any problems [he] might have with the students.”  He was so caught up in his teaching and love for the subject, that he was blind to his students, who happened to be adult learners.  Their expectations were not being met, and the entire class turned against him.  Then there was the kind instructor was loved by all her students.  She too was passionate about her subject.  She wrote, “They saw me as an easy mark,” and “I knew my students had mistaken my kindness for weakness.”

Introspection & Responsibility Were Common Themes

The 10 instructors who were critical of their classroom/teaching persona had two things in common.  Through introspection They were exposing personalities and propensities that can make or break virtually every personal and professional relationship.  In addition, they did so because they recognized a need to change.  Whether they arrived at their conclusions on their own or with help from others, they obviously internalized what it was they were doing and, in particular, the way they were doing it.

There is circumstantial evidence that they were successful in their attempts to change, but it is evidence.  They each exposed their personality flaws, and they each reported on them some time after their original epiphanies.  It is highly unlikely any of them would have written their report if their outcome had not been truly successful.

Student Complaints Lead to Evidence

I could relate 10 or 20 situations wherein a college instructor’s failure to take responsibility for his/her relationship with students was a problem.  These scenarios are always similar.  They begin with students complaints about their instructor.  It is almost always obvious that the students don’t like their instructor as a person.  They frequently relate stories of how their instructor was sarcastic or displayed other dislikable qualities.  When they give me permission to address their complaints, I always approach my instructors to get their perspectives.  I never take sides, at least not in the beginning.  Sadly, what I occasionally see is a display of the very traits that students complained about.

For example, there was a Ph.D. chemistry instructor of mine who related, “I told them what they needed to do to get better grades; work harder!”  His body language, coupled with his words, convinced me that he was the problem.  I believed that he was capable of the alleged criticisms he made of individual students in front of the class.  When he became defensive, I agreed that his students could work harder.  However, I could not make him understand that he had created an antagonistic relationship that was demotivating his students.

Then there was the time four HVAC students complained to me that their instructor was rude and sarcastic.  When I called him in to get his perspective, he became defensive, rude, and sarcastic.  Could his students have been correct?

One of my most problematic instructors was a civil engineer who filled in to teach a technical math course.  Her students came to me in a group to complain.  They presented a petition signed by 10 of them demanding she be fired.  When I talked to her, she became extremely defensive.  Sure, her students had not acted appropriately.  They talked amongst themselves during her lecture and would get up and walk out of class as they pleased.  Apparently one had even yelled at her, but she admitted yelling at the student too.  “They have not right to act this way,” she told me.  She was right, but I could not make her understand that her headstrong, dictatorial approach with her students was not working.  What made it worse was that this situation had occurred in a previous semester, though to a lesser degree.  I hoped my coaching would have paid off, but it did not.

Conclusion

When someone likes you, usually that person will work with you to overcome problems, even problems of your own making.  When you treat people with respect, most of them will respect you.  When you take responsibility for your actions they will respect you even more.

The successful college instructor understands that his/her relationship with students is critical. It is critical to success as an instructor and it goes a long way to maximize student success (a.k.a. learning).

College instructors who ignore their responsibility for developing positive relationships with students are making the biggest mistake a teacher can make. There are other critical mistakes college teachers make relative to pedagogy, classroom management, etc. etc., but those can be remedied through training. Not to diminish the effort, but the teacher need only learn a new skill and apply it. However, without the foundation of a good relationship with students, it is like the Biblical parable. It is like building a house on sand.

© 2012 Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

Posted May 24, 2012

Adjunct Assistance - College Teaching Tips for Adjuncts & Others from Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

Does the application of Bloom’s Taxonomy to teaching help students learn at a higher level? The answer is yes. It can turn a student into a thinker. *

For decades, teachers at all levels, from kindergarten through college, have improved the quality of their teaching and increased the level at which their students learn with one simple teaching job aide. That aide is a list comprised of what are most commonly called Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs. These instructors create richer learning experiences for their students, and students retain more useful knowledge in the process.

An Overview of Bloom’s Taxonomy

In 1956, Dr. Benjamin S. Bloom and his colleagues published Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook 1: Cognitive Domain. This work categorized instructional objectives into what is commonly known as Bloom’s Taxonomy. It provided educators with a valuable tool to help them understand higher order thinking skills, create meaningful learning objectives and assess students’ mastery of those objectives.

Bloom’s basic premise was that not all learning has the same merit. Rather, there is a hierarchy that begins with memorization and proceeds to higher levels whereby learners can apply their knowledge in increasingly more sophisticated and, arguably more useful, ways. From lowest to highest, those six levels are described below.

The 6 Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Rote memorization is valuable, but it does not always translate to knowledge and skills the student can apply in the real world.  As a student’s learning advances from Knowledge to Evaluation, he/she becomes increasingly capable of making productive use of the course content.

1. Knowledge – This is result of memorization and is sometimes referred to verbal knowledge. The outcomes can be described by verbs such as define, identify, list and state.
2. Comprehension – This is the understanding level. At this level learners are able to demonstrate their knowledge through actions such as discussing or explaining what has been learned.
3. Application – This is the first of four levels evidenced by a learner’s ability to put knowledge to use. By remembering and understanding, the learner should be able to apply or transfer that knowledge to different situations, perhaps to solve a new problem.
4. Analysis – Think of this as the critical thinking level. Learners can examine what they have learned, and they are able to compare and contrast literature, processes, theories, concepts, events and the like.
5. Synthesis – This is the first level at which learners make creative use of their knowledge. For example, the learner can now compose a poem, design a bridge, make a ceramic bowl, paint a picture or repair an automobile.
6. Evaluation – At this level, learners display a degree of expertise. The art student can critique a painting, the chemistry student can predict the outcome of a reaction and the engineering student can select the best material for a new product.

Using Bloom’s Taxonomy

When developing learning objectives, creating lesson plans and assessing student learning, instructors should use action verbs. And a number of online resources are available to assist. For example, the TeAch-nology website provides a simple list of Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs. On TeacherVision website there is printer friendly version Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs.

This is not to imply that applying Bloom’s Taxonomy and using the appropriate action verbs is easy. It requires different instructional techniques, ones that engage learners and turn students into active learners rather than passive information recipients.

Testing Students’ Learning

The instructor’s challenge is 2-fold.  A college instructor should strive to guide students to the basic learning objectives and create a learning environment that can lead them to higher levels.

But how do you know they have achieved your goal? You need to assess them at those higher levels. To get started you may want to check out some examples of questions that assess higher level learning.

The Benefits of Bloom’s Taxonomy

The benefits of helping students achieve higher level learning seem obvious. However, in a 2010 article entitled “12 Things Teachers Must Know about Learning,” Bill Page suggested that this was not common practice. He referred to a study by eminent educational researcher, John Goodlad. Goodlad reported that 95 percent of all teaching and testing was done at level-one thinking.

Why don’t instructors teach to higher levels of learning? According to Page, it is because teaching to the knowledge level is the easiest form of teaching. At the same time however, memorization is the most difficult type of learning for many students. Conversely, Page explained that “learning that utilizes higher level thinking effortlessly goes into long-term memory.”

Bloom’s Taxonomy explains why a math student may be able to do the homework and answer questions in class, but still fail an exam with problems that did not exactly mirror the examples in the book. That student did not move past the second level of learning. The same would be true of a literature student who provides an accurate written summary of a short story but is unable to identify the metaphors or explain the author’s intent.

Clearly, Bloom’s Taxonomy can help a teacher transform a student from a memorizer into a thinker. It may require additional time and effort to create more challenging lesson plans, ones that guide students to higher level thinking and learning. But there are rewards. Students learn and retain more, and the instructor has the satisfaction of seeing students succeed.

Reference

Page, Bill. “12 Things Teachers Must Know about Learning.” Education Digest, April 2010.

* I originally published this article September 11, 2010, on Suite101.

© 2010 Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

Posted May 3, 2012

Adjunct Assistance - College Teaching Tips for Adjuncts & Others from Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People prompted me to create The 7 Habits of Highly Effective College Instructors which applies Stephen Covey’s words of wisdom to the makings of a successful college teacher.

What other habits do you think are important?  Based on your votes, I will add to the list.

Adjunct Assistance - College Teaching Tips for Adjuncts & Others from Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

I have interviewed no less than 200 applicants for part-time and full-time college teaching positions, and I have met both good and bad interviewees.  Many are nervous, which is to be expected, but many are also unprepared.

The first of my interviewing tips for teachers is to be prepared to answer the most common questions.

In this article I will address two issues for teaching candidates to consider.  First, I will share my thoughts about nervous habits, and then I will suggest some positive practices that some candidates overlook.

Bad Habits Teaching Candidates Demonstrate

By definition, a habit is an action of behavior that is repeated so often it that it becomes typical of that person. Often the person does not even realize he or she has a habit. Typically, nervous habits fall into this category. And nervous habits are often bad habits, at least when it comes to interviews.

By the way, this is a slide I used when I led a book discussion at my college. The book was one of my favorites – The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. If you have been following Adjunct Assistance, you know that this book was the basis for my series entitled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective College Instructors.

Haven’t read the book?  You really should!  Regardless, here are the 7 Habits of Highly Effective College Instructors:

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Habit 6: Synergize

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Examples of Bad Nervous Habits

Nervousness, in and of itself, is not a bad habit. Actually, it is not even a habit. It is a way people react to certain stimuli. It is perfectly normal to be nervous when you are interviewing for a teaching position.

Bad nervous habits are actions or behaviors you display that reflect poorly on you and/or annoy others. There is little you can do to curb nervous habits unless you:  1) identify your nervous habits; and 2) develop strategies to curb them.  Some of the habits that fall into this category are fiddling with your hair, repeatedly saying “ah,” playing with a pen, and drumming your fingers on the table.

I am not an expert in this area, but I have a compensating strategy to recommend.  Come to the interview with a notepad.  Use it to write down the names of those with whom you are interviewing.  But prior to the interview, write a few notes to yourself at the top of the page.  List cues that will remind you of you tendency to, for example, make jokes.  Just one key word at the top of the page should be enough to remind you to keep your quips to a minimum.

During one group interview, there is a nervous habit I observed which the entire committee found distracting and annoying.  The candidate would start her answer to every question with the same phrase.  She would repeat that same phrase several times during her response to our question.  If we asked her about her use of technology in the classroom, she would respond, “What you need to know about technology in the classroom is …”  A minute or two later she would go off in another direction, starting out, “Another thing you need to know about technology in the classroom is …”  You say that this is not in the least way annoying?  The problem was that during 45 minutes of questions and answers, she must have used that phrase a hundred times.  That habit distracted us, making it difficult to listen to the answers she was trying to communicate.

Good Interviewing Practices

So much has been written on this topic. I want to share a few good practices that I have seen lacking in many candidates.

• Overdress – The college classroom has become a very casual environment.  Some instructors believe that they connect better with students when they dress down.  However, when you are interviewing for a teaching job wear conservative business attire.
• Take Notes – I cannot believe how many candidates don’t take notes.  Bring a notepad and take notes.
• Respect Titles – Make sure you know who has a doctorate, and address that person as Dr. [last name] until that person asks you to address him/her otherwise.
• Ask Questions – An interview is a two-way endeavor.  The interviewers want to learn about the candidate, but the candidate should want to learn about the institution.  Asking questions shows that you really want to learn about the job and the college.  Failure to ask questions sends a negative message.
• Follow Up – Send thank you letters to the committee members if you are interviewing for a prestigious position at a world renown university.  In lieu of that. use the commonly accepted form or written communication – email.  If there is something you forgot to tell the committee, say it in the email.
• Be Patient – Wait to be contacted.  If you are a leading candidate, they will not forget about you.  You will annoy committee members if you send emails or make phone calls asking about your status.

DO YOU HAVE ADVICE TO SHARE? LEAVE A COMMENT AND LET US KNOW.

© 2012 Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

April 22, 2012

Adjunct Assistance - College Teaching Tips for Adjuncts & Others from Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

I have often said that anyone can teach at a research university, but you have to be good to teach at a community college. This case study supports my contention.  Problems with college students are … well … a real problem

This is the first part of a two-part article. It is a case study of a lose/lose/lose situation that really occurred. In the end, the college instructor lost, her students lost, and the Department Chair lost. But as Dragnet’s Joe Friday used to say, the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

The Case of the Out-of-Control Students

Single mother, Sarah, holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering from a highly regarded university. She works at a local refinery, but it has been tough making ends meet. When her twins started high school she found a part-time teaching assignment at a Jesuit university where she had earned her bachelor’s degree. She taught engineering courses, and she enjoyed it. But that opportunity ended when the professor she replaced returned from a yearlong sabbatical.

She found a position at the local community college teaching basic technical math courses, but soon the problems began. One of her students, a 24 year old female graphic design major named Cassie, annoyed Sarah. Cassie would slouch back in her seat, her arms defiantly folded in front of her. She would roll her eyes and shake her head from side to side as a display of disapproval of something Sarah said or did. Not to be deterred, Sarah attempted to ignore Cassie’s behavior and go right on teaching.

Sarah became increasingly frustrated by Cassie’s behavior. Ignoring Cassie seemed to be making matters worse, so Sarah called on her to answer a problem. Cassie, arms defiantly crossed, sat motionless for a few seconds. Then came a snide smirk followed by an expression of disgust that she obviously wanted all the class to see. What Sarah said next is unclear, but what was clear was the message Cassie sent. She slammed her book closed, got up out of her seat, grabbed her things, and stormed out of the classroom, but not without first giving Sarah a piece of her mind. In an aggressive and agitated voice she shouted, “Solve your own damn problem, you %#@ing @#*$%!”

Sarah approached the Department Chair for advice, but Cassie got to him first. Cassie complained that Sarah picked on her, and belittled her with sarcasm. She claimed that Sarah chastised her in front of the rest of the class saying, “Well, maybe if you studied a little bit instead of spending so much time on your makeup, you might be able to answer this problem. Most 5th graders I know can solve this one.” Cassie said she didn’t say anything, but Sarah started yelling at her. She added that Sarah can’t explain anything, gets confused, continuously changes her mind regarding assignments, and never answers students’ questions. The Department Chair listened to Cassie, took notes, and obtained her permission to talk to Sarah.

When Sarah came to the Chair’s office, he listened and took notes. Sarah talked about Cassie without mentioning her name. The Chair acknowledged that the behavior Sarah described was not acceptable, and he gave her some advice for dealing with it. Then he shared that one of her students had come to see him and reiterated her side of that very same story. Sarah took exception with most of Cassie’s story but admitted she did raise her voice. Sarah went on to complain about her students in general. Several were failing, and Cassie wasn’t the only one who displayed unacceptable behavior.

That was in the spring semester. In the fall the Chair hired Sarah back to teach another basic technical math class. He assumed she had learned how to deal with such inappropriate student behaviors. But midway through the term she came back to him to complain that students in this class were even worse. Every class period, a group of four young men would talk amongst themselves while she was lecturing. On Monday, when she tried to stop them, they got up and walked out of the room. It got worse on Wednesday. One of those young men yelled at her. He even threatened her by demanding, “You better pass me or else!”

How to Avoid College Classroom Calamities

I will address this issue in part two of this article. But first I want you to think about this. Ask yourself:

• What really went wrong?
• Who was at fault?
• How can situations like Sarah’s be avoided?

© 2012 Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

March 31, 2012

Adjunct Assistance - College Teaching Tips for Adjuncts & Others from Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

I recently responded to a question posted on HubPages.  The person who posted it wanted to know what the most common interview questions where for teachers.

Common Teacher Interview Questions

If you preparing to interview for a college teaching position, you may be asked some of the following questions:

Why do you feel you are qualified for this position?

This is a pretty standard type question that you must be well prepared to answer concisely.  Your inclination may be to relate all of your educational background, teaching experience and related professional experience.  Don’t!  They know that from your application.  Make brief reference to what you provided on your application and highlight what you feel are the most important of your qualifications.

If you have little or no prior teaching experience, you will need to identify transferrable experience.  In what ways have you trained or assisted others?  What in your background demonstrates your ability to speak to a large group of people?  Which of your character traits will help you relate to students?

Why did you apply for this job?

If you are a career changer, rest assured that they will want to know if you applied out of necessity or because of your true love for, and commitment to, teaching.  I call this the “twinkle in the eye” factor.  No twinkle, not job offer.

Why did you apply at our college?

You have probably applied at other colleges, and they know that.  You need to convince them, based on what you know about their school, that it is an ideal institution for you.  Of course, you must be sincere or they won’t buy that.

Describe your ideal teaching position.

All I can say is good luck.  Hopefully your ideal aligns with their reality.  Don’t dwell on trite things like “One where I can contribute,” or “One where I can be part of a team.”

What do you like most about teaching? Least?

Almost anything you say that meets the “twinkle in the eye” test is good.  Hopefully, you find teaching personally rewarding and can communicate that.  Have an answer ready for what you like least.  Some of the better ones are “Grading” and “Caring more about some of your students than they seem to care about themselves.”

What would you students tell us about you?

They will listen between the lines.  What you do not tell them may speak more than what you actually say.  And if you have a teaching background, check to see if your students have posted comments about you on sites like Rate My Professors.

What would your colleagues tell us about you?

Obviously, you are only going to say positive things.  The responses to this question will give them some indication of your personal values.

If you were to get this position, what do you think the major challenges would be?

Do not tell them that you will hit the ground running and are certain you will excel in all aspects of the job.  To admit no challenges is to admit that you don’t know much about the position you say you want.

What has been your proudest moment as and teacher and why?

This is a good question to answer even if they don’t ask it.  In answering another question you might say something like, “… which reminds me of the time I gave a student a D.  He came back to me several years later to tell me that was his wakeup call and he had just completed is doctorate.”

What has been your most discouraging moment as a teacher and why?

You can talk about the times you had to give students failing grades.  But don’t be afraid to talk about a failure of your own if it is something that helped you grow as a teacher.

Tell us about you teaching style.

You should be familiar with learning-centered or student-centered learning.  You should demonstrate you knowledge in these areas and illustrate how you apply that in the classroom.  If you are required to give a teaching demonstration, it is extremely important to show them your teaching style.  If you claim to use techniques to engage students, you better use one or two of them in your demonstration.

Tell us about your experience working with diverse student populations.

You should come to the interview with prior knowledge about diversity at that institution and any particular issues related to it.  Give specific examples of your experiences with similar populations.

What if you know there many Asian students at this school but you have little or no experience working with or teaching Asians?  Do not avoid the topic.  Demonstrate your knowledge of Asian culture as it relates to teaching and learning.

How to you accommodate diverse learning styles?

You need to demonstrate your knowledge of how people learn and give examples of techniques you use to accommodate each of them.

What techniques do you use to motivate students?

This is somewhat of a trick question.  If you do not have a background in educational psychology, you may trip up.  Many experts will tell you that motivation is intrinsic.  Give an answer that explains how you help students find their own motivation.

What is your definition of learning-centered [or student-centered]?

I wrote a short article on what learning-centered means.  The Texas Collaborative for Teaching Excellence provides an excellent reference on Student-Centered teaching.    The terms are closely linked.

Tell us about your use of technology both inside and outside the classroom.

Sorry, in most case in today’s colleges and universities it’s no Luddites allowed.

How do you see yourself contributing to our institution outside the classroom?

Except for some high level teaching/research positions at universities, you may be expected to contribute in ways that do not relate directly to your teaching.  Examples might include advising a student organization, serving on a committee, or doing community outreach.

Are you familiar with [our courses, curricula, our facilities, etc., etc.]?  If so, do you have any suggestions for improvements?

You should have done a good bit of research about the institution before your interview.  Don’t do like applicant whom I interviewed over the phone.  She responded, “I tried.  How can you find anything on that website of yours?”  (Believe it or not, that is a true story!)

Avoid criticizing what is in place. They really want to know you qualifications to develop new courses and curricula.

Preparing for the Interview

The following pieces of advice may seem obvious. So, why don’t all college teaching candidates follow them?

1. Dress for Success – Were stylish business attire even if you will be teaching welding in blue jeans if you get the job.
2. Learn Everything You Can – Almost everything there is to know about the institution where you have applied can be found online.  Check it out.
3. Arrive Early – Unless you are familiar with the campus, give yourself time to get lost once or twice.
4. Scout the Territory – If you can walk around campus a few days before your interview, do so.  Otherwise leave yourself time to explore before your interview.  Check out common areas like the student union, the book store, the field house.  Try to find the building in which you would be teaching and take a careful walk through it.
5. Don’t Walk Into the Wrong Restroom – I had to get a bit silly, but this tip is based on a true story.  One of the most highly respected instructors at my college inadvertently walked in the women’s restroom shortly before his interview.  As luck would have it, he came face-to-face with a woman whom he would soon, more formally meet.  She was a member of his interviewing committee.  So what is the moral of the story?  You are going to be nervous.  Don’t obsess over it.  If you do something silly, laugh it off.  Clearly, the instructor of whom I made reference did just that.

I hope this advice helps. Now go get that new teaching job!

© 2012 Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

March 10, 2012

Adjunct Assistance - College Teaching Tips for Adjuncts & Others from Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

How can a college instructor improve students’ attitudes and make them eager to attend class? One tactic is to use humor. More importantly, research indicates that humor helps people learn.

Research on Humor and Teaching

Much has been written about humor and learning. Kher, Molstad and Donahue (1999) referenced some of the literature in their article entitled “Using humor in the college classroom to enhance teaching effectiveness in ‘dread courses”. With reference to an earlier work by Wandersee (1982), they indicated that cartoons are one form of humor that promotes facilitates learning.

The Cartoon Guide to Statistics

I learned about “Cartoon Guides” more than 10 years ago. I was teaching Managerial Statistics and Quality at Keller Graduate School of Management. Their “lead” statistics teacher whose name I have long forgotten, mentioned that he used The Cartoon Guide to Statistics. But why would a graduate school instructor want such a reference?

Keller, which has since merged with DeVry University, ran new instructors through their Educator in Training (EIT) program. No matter how much prior teaching experience you had, you were required to complete this multi-class training program. There were two things that I carried away from my training. (Note:  I expect they wanted me to carry away a lot more.) First, Keller expected that you prepared lesson plans that “chunked” your lecturing into no more than 20-minute segments. The second, was encouragement to use cartoons. From that day forward, every class I taught at Keller or anywhere else began with a cartoon. When students arrived at my classroom they would always find a cartoon that I had projected.

Humorous Books for College Teachers and Their Students

Adjunct Assistance - College Teaching Tips for Adjuncts & Others from Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

How do you know you are grading your students fairly? Do your students grades reflect your performance as a teacher? What can you learn about your students’ learning from the class grade distribution?

College Student Grade Distributions

You say you are not a mathematics teacher. The word “statistics” strikes fear in your heart. I will try to simplify this subject for you.

We all know a little bit about statistics, right? Average? Okay, that is a good place to start. What is the average grade your students earned on the last test? What is the average grade your students are earning for the course? Does it seem reasonable? If the average works out to a B or C, things may be in order. Or, they may not be. This is where grade distribution comes into play.

If ¼ of your students are averaging 98 percent (high A’s) and ¾ of them are averaging 66 percent (mid D range), the average grade is (trust me on this) 74 percent (mid C range). The fact that a significant number of students get very good grades does not necessarily mean that the other students deserve the poor grades they are earning. It is all too easy to rationalize that if some students do well, you are doing well as an instructor. However, more likely than not, you have a problem you need to address.

Why Would the Majority of Students Fail?

If you graph your students’ grades on a simple bar chart, some interesting information may emerge. Look at Grade Distribution 1 on the right.  What conclusions would you draw?

Perhaps you have had classes like this.  If so, did you conclude that 25 percent A’s was a good thing?  Did you question why so many students failed?  Why might that be?

Some of the reasons why a large number of students got A’s while twice that number failed are:

• There were two different groups of students – those who worked hard and studied and those who did not apply themselves.
• One fourth of your students could teach themselves.  You only needed to tell them what they needed to learn, and they did the rest.
• Half of the students could not learn in your class.  You may not have appealed to their diverse learning styles.  You may not have answered their questions in a way they could understand.  You may not assessed their learning “on the run.”  We call that formative assessment.

My point is this.  You may have missed the opportunity to help many of your students.  If you care about your students, this is definitly an aspect of teaching that you want to focus on.

Grades – The Normal Distribution

Those of you who have taken a statistics course remember the normal distribution.  If not, you probably remember the term “bell shaped curve.”  Those of you who went on to major in statistics may remember that “technically” this is a Gaussian distribution.  Okay, far too technical.  Let’s move on!

The “perfect” normal distribution is a symmetrical bell shaped curve.  Grade Distribution 2 is not perfectly symmetrical, but it is close.  Here is another statistics term – “mode.”  The mode is the value that occurs most frequently.  So, the mode for Grade Distribution 2 is …?  Sure, it is a grade of “C.”  If the number of A’s equaled the number of F’s and the number of B’s equally the number of D’s this would have been the symmetrical bell shaped curve that is indicative of a normal distribution.

Are you an instructor who grades on the curve?  Then you shift all the grades to make sure that the mode (a.k.a. the majority of students) earn C’s.  I am not saying this is a bad practice, but it can be in some situations.  If you realize that your grading criteria exceeded the requirements for assessing the learning objective a curve is in order.

What did I just say?  If you students actually acheived the learning objectives but your grading policy was “too tough” you should, by all means, curve the final grades.  In other words, were your tests too tough?

There is nothing necessarily wrong with Grade Distribution 2.  But wouldn’t you want more of your students to succeed?  Or, do you fear that you will be judged as an easier grader?

A Good Grade Distribution

Grade distribution 3 is more desireable that Grade Distribution 2.  The reason should be obvious.

The grades depicted in the graph at the right show that 83 percent of the student passed this course (or this test or assignment).  Isn’t that your goal – to guide students to passing?

If this were the distribution for your students, only 18 percent would have earned D’s and F’s.  That means fewer students are likely to lodge grade appeals than in the previous two situations.  (Keep in mind, your primary goal is not to avoid grade appeals, but it is relatively high on the list.)

If your students’ grades are distributed like this, you are almost certainly doing a decent job.  The majority of your students are passing.  In fact 82 percent of your students are getting the C or above that they need to graduate.  This does’t mean there is not room for improvement, but there this distribution provides no indication that you are doing something.

Okay.  So why am I continuing with this article?  The answer is because there is a better grade distribution to strive for.

Why Should Any Students Fail?

In the grade distribution at the right you can see that every student passed with a grade of C or better.  Wait!  Shouldn’t grades be normally distributed?  Shouldn’t some students be expected to fail in a well run, challenging, high quality college course?  Isn’t something wrong if everyone passes?

Statistically, the answer is NO.  The normal probability distribution is representative of random chance.  If the grades your students get are random and not representative of what they learning, you have a problem.

There is no reason that any student should fail other than the student himself or herself.  Some students don’t put in the effort.  Some don’t know how to study.  Some have test anxiety.  Some have personal life issues that do not allow them to do their best.  Some have learning disabilities.  The list goes on!

There are only some many things you can do as a college teacher.  You cannot intervene in a student’s personal life.  You cannot erase a learning disability.  You cannot force students to put in the time and effort necessary to do well.  However, there are several things you can do.  For example, in no particular order you can:

• present material in a variety of ways that appeal to diverse learning styles;
• demonstrate enthusiasm for your subject;
• display confidence in your students;
• make sure your students take advantage of college resources such as tutoring;
• give your students study tips;
• review before tests;
• institute competency based grading;
• help students relax before tests;
• show students that you care;

This book may be helpful to you:

© 2011 Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

November 30, 2011

Adjunct Assistance - College Teaching Tips for Adjuncts & Others from Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

How does a college instructor develop and maintain rapport with students? This has challenged even the most experienced instructors.

Successful Beginnings

The author of Successful Beginnings, Angela Provitera McGlynn, has provided some wonderful advice.

Note: I highly recommend McGlynn’s book !

Engaging Your Students From the First Day

This is the subtitle of McGlynn’s book; and, in my opinion, the most critical skill required of college teachers. Someone once asked me what I look for when I conduct a classroom observation. Without hesitation my answer was, “Engagement, student engagement.”

McGlynn has given her readers many effective techniques for developing and nurturing a positive relationship with students. The advice in Chapter 2, A Positive Start: First-Day Classroom Activities and Icebreakers, will help you set the stage for the entire semester. I could not agree more strongly with McGlynn when she wrote, “The first class meeting of the semester is the most important one of the term! It sets the tone for the entire course – for better or worse,” (pg. 35).

In my article, Do Boy Scouts Make the Best Instructors?, I provided strategies for preparing for your first class. You know that the Boy Scout motto, right? Be Prepared. In my article, An Instructor’s Guide to the First Day of Class, I borrowed from Barbara Gross Davis’s book, Tools for Teaching. I recommend Davis’s book, although parts are geared more toward university professors.

What I really like about McGlynn’s book is the emphasis on developing relationships with students that will create, as she puts it, a “Welcoming Classroom Environment.” McGlynn explains that simple little techniques like greeting you class as a whole and greeting students individually will help you develop rapport.

I cannot begin to do justice to the entire book in this article. Of course, if I did that would be plagiarism. However, let me just whet your appetite for this book by saying this. The chapters on Promoting Student Participation and Motivation and Dealing with Civility in the College Classroom cover make-or-break teaching and classroom management techniques. The college instructors whom I have seen struggle quite often lacked in these areas.

© 2011 Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

Revised September 16, 2011

Adjunct Assistance - College Teaching Tips for Adjuncts & Others from Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

Learn what instructors say scares them the most.

What Scares You About Teaching College Courses?

I want to address what instructors fear. What about teaching scares you, maybe just a little or maybe a lot? Leave me a comment. I will publish the good ones, and I will respond regardless whether your comment makes this website or not. Rest assured, I will do my best to be of assistance.

If, on the other hand you are an experienced instructor who fears nothing, let me know how you got to that point.  You must have lessons learned to share with others.  So, please share you advice.

And finally, maybe you are a new college instructor, someone who is just embarking on their first teaching assignment, and you are not scared. What you are is (sorry, this is a term I apply to that small percentage of our students who cause their own problems) CLUELESS.  Either stop reading my articles because you are a lost cause, or open up.  If you do not want your comment published, I will respect that.

© 2011 Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

August 19, 2011

Adjunct Assistance - College Teaching Tips for Adjuncts & Others from Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.