Good+teaching

Views on good teaching are worth reflecting on. There are at least two perspectives from which to do this. One is around 'principles', for example, (1) the 'seven principles' of Chickering and Gamson (1987), (2) thoughts around 'what the best college teachers do' by Bain (2004), and (3) the 'six key principles of effective teaching' by Ramsden (2003). The other perspective is more conceptual, for example, the 'three views of teaching' constructed by Biggs (2003) and Ramsden's (2003) 'three theories' of university teaching. These are briefly presented below. Of interest, none of this material overtly discusses cultural, linguistic and educational diversity (except perhaps Chickering and Gamson, 1987, in Principle 7). What does this suggest? For me, it suggests that the authors either haven't considered the complexities around cultural, linguistic and educational diversity in the classroom //or// they believe that 'good teaching' in itself is sufficient to assist all students with their learning. Do you think that an affirmative answer for either of these possibilities is problematic?

Chickering and Gamson's (1987) seven principles of good teaching in undergraduate education:
 * 1) Encourages contact between students and faculty
 * 2) Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students
 * 3) Encourages active learning
 * 4) Gives prompt feedback
 * 5) Emphasizes time on task
 * 6) Communicates high expectations, and
 * 7) Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

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Ken Bain's (2004) "What the best college teachers do" is built around research which established the following propositions:
 * Know your subject very well (p. 15)
 * Treat teaching as a serious intellectual endeavour (p. 17)
 * Expect 'more' of students and make course objectives meaningful in terms of their import for 'living' and 'life' (pp. 17-18)
 * Create a learning environment which is engaging, critical, supportive and authentic (p. 18)
 * Trust students and treat them decently (p. 18)
 * Have your teaching evaluated and make appropriate changes (p. 19)


 * Reference:** Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge MA, Harvard University Press.

Paul Ramsden's (2003) 'six key principles of effective teaching' (pp. 93-99):
 * 1) Generate interest and provide explanation
 * 2) Have concern and respect for students and student learning
 * 3) Use appropriate assessment and feedback
 * 4) Have clear goals and intellectual challenge
 * 5) Fostering student independence, control and engagement
 * 6) Learn from students


 * Reference:** Ramsden, P. (2003). Learning to teach in higher education (2nd ed.). London: RoutledgeFalmer.

John Biggs's (2003) three levels of teaching;

Level 1: What the teacher does (Didactic) - students have to assimilate into the ways things are done in the host institution. In the classroom, the lecturer focuses on what the students //are//and stereotypes are a convenient way of interpreting their behaviour.

Level 2: What the teacher does (Accommodates) - "means adapting one’s teaching towards meeting the preferred ways of ISs [international students]" (Biggs, 2003, p. 132).

Level 3: What the student does (Learning in context) - Biggs (2003) believes that Level 1 and Level 2 teaching "cannot be justified empirically or in principle" (p. 138). He says that Level 3 //teaching as educating// is inclusive because it focuses on what students //do//, rather than on what students //are// or what the lecturer //does//. Level 3 teaching is the most desirable form of teaching and it rests on the following propositions:


 * 1) Persistent teaching problems lie not in the student but in the teaching.
 * 2) In our teaching, we should focus on the similarities between students rather than on differences. Differences obviously exist, but to focus on them is counterproductive.
 * 3) Accordingly, allowing for the needs of special groups, such as ISs [international students], is best done within the whole teaching system (Biggs, 2003, pp. 138-139).


 * Reference:** Biggs, J. (2003). Teaching international students. In J. Biggs, //Teaching for quality learning at university// (2nd ed.) (pp. 120-139). Maidenhead: Open University Press.

See the following paper for an exploration of related issues:

Sanderson, G. (2006, 26-30 Nov). [|Are considerations of ethnicity and culture relevant when teaching international students? An exploration of Biggs’s Three Levels of Teaching]. A presentation at the 2006 AARE International Education Research Conference 'Engaging Pedagogies', Adelaide.

Paul Ramsden's (2003) "three generic ways of understanding the role of the teacher in higher education, each of which has corresponding implications for how students are expected to learn" (p. 108).


 * Theory 1: Teaching as transmission (Teacher focused) (pp. 108-109)
 * Theory 2: Teaching as organising student activity (Student focus) (pp. 109-110)
 * Theory 3: Teaching as making learning possible (Teaching, students and subject content linked by overarching, complex framework that focuses on changing students' understandings.) (pp. 110-112)


 * Reference:** Ramsden, P. (2003). //Learning to teach in higher education// (2nd ed.). London: RoutledgeFalmer.