As an undergraduate, I took a seminar dedicated entirely to Ulysses by James Joyce. Joyce’s modernist novel is mystifying, so question marks hung on the ends of students’ contributions. As we ...

At some point in their career, every teacher will find themselves having a difficult discussion with their students. My first took place not long after I began teaching. It involved one of my students ...

One of Kevin Gannon’s favorite class discussion activities doesn’t involve much talking. Inspired by complete-the-story games in which players each write a line of a tale that builds off a previous ...

In collecting data for a new study on kindness in high school, this quotation from a student emerged as especially insightful. It illustrates the link between a student's perception of the classroom ...

Student “voice” means encouraging students to share their thoughts in a class discussion. It also means teachers take students’ opinions about class structure, public policy, and the design of ...

Asking students to dissect the motivations of a character in a book is doing more than teaching them about plot and characterization. This exercise also helps students learn to see different ...

L ectures are boring. Assignments are busy work. And all of that tuition is for this? When Justin Shaffer hears these kinds of complaints from students, he thinks they have a point. He also thinks ...

I read with interest Anna Broadbent’s essay on the benefits and pitfalls of class participation grades. From my perch as a provost, former dean and former department chair, I find that the grade for ...

OUTSIDE A CLASSROOM IN TONIGHT’S FIVE FOR GOOD. HOW A HISTORIC COMMUNITY THEATER IS WELCOMING STUDENTS FOR FREE TO LEARN THROUGH FILM. GOOD MORNING. HI. WELCOME. COME ON IN, MY FRIENDS. THE DOORS OF ...

A student watching videos alone is not having the same experience as a student using technology to discuss a complex text with classmates, revise a written response, receive feedback, and prepare for ...