The author began working with preschool-aged children long before becoming a professor, and nearly every element of the author's approach to teaching in higher education is rooted in early childhood theory and practice. In addition to provocations, he seeks to activate the "whole student," promote peer supports, and incorporate…

"Teaching and Learning" is a photographic essay that the author began in 2005, as a photography instructor at Inver Hills Community College near Minneapolis-St. Paul. At that time, the author gave his students and himself an assignment: to document their lives and the lives of their peers outside the safe confines of their studio…

A problem that history teachers in the United States face is that they lack an appropriate reference point from which to address many of today's global issues. The source of this problem is an antiquated model of society, still taught in the universities, that largely reflects the society that existed a century ago. For the last decade, the author…

It was Friday, right before Memorial Day weekend. The Social Science Division was quiet. The author was standing in his office when he realized he had finished his 10th year of teaching a week before. He pondered the milestone for a minute. Like most faculty, he has floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in his office. His favorite shelf sits at the top of…

It is argued that college writing courses can accomplish technical and critical goals and also address politically-charged issues responsibly. The rationale for this approach is discussed, and a University of Texas at Austin composition program designed to include examination of race and gender issues is outlined. Several other writing course…

Techniques for successful team teaching, drawn from an informal survey of Middlesex Community College (Massachusetts) instructors with team teaching experience, are outlined. Issues addressed include techniques for beginning class, taking attendance, seating, forms of address, passing out material, grading assignments, working together in the…

A college teacher describes his approach to student subject-area writing, which includes assignment of several short papers to be written according to carefully prescribed guidelines (appended to the article), clear grading criteria, high expectations, availability for individual conferences, rewards for improvement, encouragement of writing for…

Reviews research concerning the effectiveness of Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) in higher education, focusing on what it demonstrates about WAC's value in improving subject-area knowledge and writing skills. Concludes that the approach can be effective, but that collaborative, inclusive effort to implement it is needed, including teacher…

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires reasonable accommodations for the disabled in public and private colleges and universities. Faculty must understand the difference between equal opportunity and equal treatment. Specific suggestions are made for teaching learning-disabled, mobility- impaired, visually-impaired, and hearing-impaired…

A study examined the nature and scope of teaching-related activities of undergraduate faculty, based on a 1992-93 national faculty survey. The research investigated faculty's professional and personal goals, principal activities and primary interests, preferences for teaching and research, expectations for students, allocation of time, teaching…

One college teacher's strategy for teaching multicultural education and creating a classroom climate that promotes critical thinking and exploration of feelings, thoughts, and opinions is described. Faculty are encouraged to examine their own moral and ethical views of multiculturalism, actively and supportively listen to students, and model…

Teaching portfolios, now largely used for evaluation of college teaching, can also be viewed as a form of action research, opening their use to other purposes, including examination of institutional, faculty, and student needs and demands; the dynamics of race, gender, and sexuality in structuring classroom interactions; and the relationship of…

Four faculty members from different disciplines at the University of Northern Iowa discuss whether and to what extent they were engaging in the critical pedagogy proposed by bell hooks [sic], a writer on feminism, racism, pedagogy, and black intellectual life. They also consider the ways in which hooks's work informs their understanding of…

Recent research on how college students learn and what constitutes an effective educational experience is reviewed, and implications for bringing about desired changes in the undergraduate experience are discussed. Topics examined include students' ability to reason with abstractions, development of moral values, extent to which the curriculum and…

Explores the apparently disparate link between successfully hosting a talk show and successfully teaching a college class and describes methods this professor has used to foster class discussion and student interest. (EV)