Teaching Tip for November 21, 2011

Creating a climate for learning is very important. This includes not only the physical setting but also the psychosocial and cultural climate. Knowles described several characteristics of climate that he believed were conducive to learning:

•  A climate of the physical environment
•  A climate of mutual respect
•  A climate of collaboration
•  A climate of mutual trust
•  A climate of supportiveness
•  A climate of openness and authenticity
•  A climate of pleasure
•  A climate of humanness

These ideas are summed up in the following quote:

Learning  is  a  very  human  activity.  The  more people  feel  they  are  being  treated  as  human beings – that  their  human  needs  are  being  taken into  account – the  more  they  are  likely  to  learn and learn to learn.    –    Knowles  MS.  The  Adult  Learner:  A  Neglected Species. 4th  ed.  Houston,  TX: Gulf Publishing Co. 1990:129.

Teaching Tip for November 7, 2011

Two times a month, the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning will provide a Teaching Tip.

We begin with the classic work of Chickering and Gamson from their publication entitled The Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. This work came from a review of 50 years of research on the way teachers teach and students learn. Although published in 1987, these principles have been widely accepted and are still very much valid today. Much research has been conducted to support the principles.

Good practice in education:

• encourages contact between students and faculty,
• develops reciprocity and cooperation among students,
• encourages active learning,
• gives prompt feedback,
• emphasizes time on task,
• communicates high expectations, and
• respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

The citation for the original article is:  Chickering AW, Gamson ZF.  Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education.  AAHE Bulletin. 1987; 39(7): 3-7.