Rationality in Education Issue No. 11 • August 2018 In “Rationality in Education,” Dr. John Eigenauer, Professor, Philosophy, Computer Science, Taft College (CA), explains why rational thinking needs to be integrated into college courses.
Volume XL, No. 17| May 10, 2018 Get Students Moving Most instructors have moved away from the “sage on the stage” teaching style in favor of the “guide on the side” approach. It is rare today for instructors to lecture for an entire class period. For example, I always seek new ways [...]
Volume XL, No. 16| May 3, 2018 Fostering Belonging in Community College Classrooms Recent data from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) indicates that there are 22.7 million students enrolled in the country’s massive higher education system, which is comprised of over 4,300 colleges and universities. The system’s size and capacity to [...]
Volume XL, No. 15| April 26, 2018 Nurturing Classroom Engagement A student’s involvement in classroom discussions is largely based on his or her experiences during the first class of the semester. It is during this crucial period that a classroom’s culture begins to develop. Students analyze verbal and nonverbal cues from their [...]
Volume XL, No. 14| April 19, 2018 The Retention Divide: Building New Cultural Bridges Do you find it challenging to connect with students? If so, you are not alone. As an instructor, I have grappled with the same challenge. The sea of faces in our courses can quickly become a melting pot [...]
Volume XXXIX, No. 15 | April 27, 2017 Raise Your Hand if You Have Questions In traditional face-to-face classes, it’s easy to know when students have questions. Typically, we don’t even need to wait for students to raise their hands because we see a sea of blank stares and bewildered faces. In online [...]
Volume XXXIX, No. 12 | April 6, 2017 Let Your Voice Be Heard: Using Social Media to Encourage Social Action Today’s students demand that their learning be dynamic, personal, and relevant. In an effort to help my first-year students understand that their course reading, writing, and overall content have impacts beyond the classroom, [...]
Volume XXXIX, No. 11 | March 30, 2017 Meeting Students’ Needs Through Learning Styles Think back to a class that you enjoyed or during which you learned the most. Was it interactive or lecture-based? Was the teacher the focus of the class, or did the teacher engage students in the lesson? Did the teacher [...]
Volume XXXIX, No. 10 | March 23, 2017 Let’s Play Get to Know Your Syllabus “I never read the syllabus.” “How long does the essay have to be? Should it be double-spaced?” “Do you accept late papers?” “Will absences affect my grade?” Sound familiar? Hearing these comments from our students can be downright discouraging, [...]
Volume XXXIX, No. 9 | March 16, 2017 Beyond the Hashtag: Incorporating Civic Discourse About Civic Engagement #BlackLivesMatter #BlueLivesMatter #ImWithHer #MakeAmericaGreatAgain The list of “trending” hashtags can go on for days. It's no secret that the world has become more social—and definitely more vocal. Nevertheless, when thinking about our modernized way of expression, to [...]
