By Gerson Moreno-Riano, May 26, 2009 in Musings, Pedagogy and Teaching
As any faculty knows, the craft of teaching is even more fulfilling when one has students eager to learn. Perhaps we can all point to a handful of students in our courses that came to class with this intellectual eagerness ready to be engaged and following our every word. Unfortunately, it is too often the case that one hears of the opposite cases – students that just “show up” to class because they are externally obligated given their degree requirements or some other reason. Is it possible to turn these students into the eager ones we all wish filled our classrooms?
In my previous posts, I have discussed some strategies of highly effective college teaching. Ken Bain in his work “What the Best College Teachers Do” (Harvard, 2004), offers a number of thoughtful strategies that some of America’s best faculty use to create a powerful and exemplary learning environment. While most of Bain’s empirically-based advice focuses on faculty, his suggestion that students need to be committed to the class focuses on students not faculty.
Some of the best teachers ask that each student make a commitment – a sort of intellectual and moral promissory note – to attend each class and engage in all of the discussions and assignments. Great faculty are not drill sergeants barking orders and scaring their students straight into learning (although in some cases I have observed that this method is quite effective!). As Bain writes, “There is a subtle but extremely important difference between this approach and that of professors who try to rule like drill sergeants. The teachers in this study never tried to command students; instead, they asked for their commitment if they planned to take the class” (113).
In this scenario, faculty ask students to enter into a sort of contract, one in which they obligate themselves to attend, interact, engage, deliberate, and – simply put – learn.
This caused me to reflect on whether or not I had ever done this in some way, shape, or form and whether or not this suggestion was in anyway useful, helpful, or even necessary. I do confess that I have had several “drill sergeant” teachers in my life and they certainly motivated me to learn and grow. But I don’t ever remember having any faculty that did what Bain suggests and I still think that many of these faculty were very good if not great. How necessary, then, is it to do as Bain suggests in order for us to be great teachers and to foster learning? I don’t think that Bain’s observation is useless or malignant but is it necessary? Here, I would like to yield to readers for their observations and input. Perhaps some out there reading this blog have implemented Bain’s suggestions with positive results. Perhaps, the results have been mixed. Regardless, I (and others who may read this) would like to know your thoughts on this matter.
1 Response to "Some Characteristics of Effective Teaching: Seek Commitments "
Todd Myers on May 26, 2009
I believe there are a wide range of students with differing abilities and motivations. As teachers, we are always working around the margins to move students toward greater excellence, but there are, dare I say it, natural limitations to what we can do.
I use a different contract at the beginning of the semester. I allow students to sign on to either A level, B level, or C level work. The qualifying criteria for evaluation requires a greater commitment to work. A level students will answer 8 essays and write two biographies totalling 42 plus pages of writing. B level students will answer 4 essays and two biographies totalling 24 plus pages of writing. C level students will write 4 film reviews and two biographies totalling 12 pages of writing. Work not meeting writing, substance, and logic and coherence criteria can be knocked down a grade for each area of weakness. You are not guaranteed to get the grade you sign up for unless the quality matches your grade aspiration.
I think a learning contract could be used to make the weakest students better meet participation requirements. Such an agreement sets a basement of acceptable behavior and I would find such an explicit commitment to academic excellence to complement my choice approach to evaluation.