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Show iessons, Fan 2006 page 13 PHOTOGRAPH BY ELIZABETH TAYLOR is the opportunity for informal intellectual exchange with faculty." Borgwardt also uses teaching evaluations of other faculty as a learning tool for herself. "I've read a lot of teaching evaluations of other faculty to try to learn from them, and I've noted that undergraduates pick up on it pretty quickly if the professor does not respect them and their contributions. The vast majority of the professors at the U know their topic inside and out; many of them are nationally-recognized experts in their fields. But all that great information is not going to get through if the student is feeling belittled, intimidated, or even as if the professor simply doesn't care what they think." As a writing professor, Nancy Jensen knows that students won't learn about writing by listening to lectures, thus she has them actively involved in analyzing, critiquing and discussing issues related to writing. "Students will improve their writing skills through being actively involved in writing, learning about the writing process and writers. Such improvement typically comes as students are actively involved in class discussions and activities, as they analyze writing samples and develop their critical thinking skills. Students who learn to analyze and critique will often become the better writers." Jensen feels that teaching styles are always changing and evolving. However, those who remain static are no longer effective and that professors sharing information is also a great tool to use. "I know that I am a better teacher because my experience has helped me to learn more and more about what effective teaching involves. I enjoy hearing about what other professors do and within their classes, and I hope they also learn from my experience. Such sharing helps to make all of us better teachers." For Marci Butterfield, assistant professor for the accounting department, organization, relaxing atmospheres, games and food is the key to a student's mind. "I bake cookies when I introduce process costing in my managerial classes, and we turn the classroom into a factory when we talk about manufacturing. Students are not just a number to me; each of them adds something unique to my course and another facet to my life. They are free to call me at home, come visit me at my office whenever is convenient for them, and if need be, study sessions with pizza have been known to occur before finals." Butterfield finds that as a national gymnastics judge as well as a professor, she clarifies the correlation for her students about being team players. "I want my students to learn about networking by interacting with one another. I also post a perfect 10 list after every quiz and tell them I can't give perfect 10s in collegiate gymnastics very often so I like giving them in my classes." Butterfield also finds that when a certain class happens to be a complete disaster, those are the times to try something different. "We can't be content with mediocrity!" Every one of these professors agrees that participation and attendance in the classroom is a must as well as really taking into consideration student evaluations. The teaching styles of these well-liked professors focus on interaction and active learning. They are phasing out the lecture-only style of teaching and are creating a desirable learning classroom atmosphere that can engage even a Ferris Bueller-type of student. |
