If you have ever found yourself asking, "Why don't students see the relevance in what I am teaching them?", you are not alone. I recently discovered that I had become out-of-touch with what college students find relevant. My purpose in writing this commentary is twofold: (1) to reflect on and improve my own practice, and (2) to encourage…

The success of the first-year experience (FYE) course hangs on the effectiveness of the individual faculty members who are given the task of educating first-year students in a particularly important developmental period. This article applies a flipped classroom strategy for kickstarting meaningful classroom discussion in Mathematics Education to…

For many years, pedagogical scholars and physical education (PE) teachers have worked to enhance effective teaching and learning environments. Yet for some children, youth, and young adults, many of the benefits associated with a physically active lifestyle remain elusive. Enhancing programming and performance to meet physical activity goals may…

New professional learning is characterised by a 'pull' rather than a 'push' philosophy. Academic staff themselves drive their own learning, choosing what, when and how they want to learn to become better teachers. Multiple and various learning opportunities embedded in day to day work are just-in-time, self-directed, performance-driven and…

My departure from traditional methods of teaching and assessment (i.e., lecture and close-ended exams) was prompted years ago by a "gut feeling" that has morphed into an explicit examination of my teaching practice and students' reactions to it. The scholarly approach and empirical evidence in "Teachers and Learning"…

One seventh-grade English language arts teacher engaged in teacher research in order to become a more understanding, responsive, and confident instructor. Systematic inquiry into her own practice revealed a conflict between what students perceived as their literacy needs and desires (discrete reading skills) with what she perceived to be important…

In this paper, I explore the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning through the lens of transformative learning theory and critical theory. In doing so, I expand the notion of a Scholarship of Teaching so as to go beyond the solving of practical problems in teaching and the improvement of teaching effectiveness. I focus on an emancipatory…

Initially, the author began her teacher inquiry project by focusing on the superhero play she had been observing in her classroom and on her concerns about how it might be impacting the classroom community. Through an ongoing process of self-reflection and reading research, she was able to open herself up to interacting and engaging with the…

In terms of teacher quality, Steele believes the best teachers have reached a stage she terms inspired, and that teachers move progressively through the stages of unaware, aware, and capable until the most reflective teachers finally reach the inspired level. Inspired teachers have a wide repertoire of teaching and class management techniques and…

How do college professors prepare for class? Teachers often approach the lesson planning process differently. Some, though quite different in their methods, come out with remarkably similar results. Two highly effective teachers engaged each other in peer-reflection as they explored their own methods of lesson preparation. As they conferred with…

For eight years, Ohio State University (OSU) has systematically infused teacher work samples (TWS) into their physical education teacher education (PETE) undergraduate curriculum in order to develop effective and reflective teachers. Teacher work samples are made up of five main parts: (1) community mapping, (2) unit planning, (3) data collection…

Self-reflection, creativity, and experiential education are effective teaching strategies for counselor educators. Understanding and conceptualizing client cases can feel overwhelming for counselors-in-training. This article describes how the process of case conceptualization can be enhanced through the use of film. A case example is provided of…

This essay tells the story of one person's transformation from ineffective to effective teacher. While ostensibly a narrative of personal revelation and growth, the author reveals that re-envisioning who he is as a teacher required critical reflection on the social forces that shape people. He shows the link between his early discomforts and…

The principles of relationships, relevance, and rigor (the three R's) provide a framework for structuring conversations and initiatives in instructional practice (Wagner, 2002). Typically, this framework is applied to student learning. In this article, the authors apply the three R's to adult learning and highlight three small schools in order to…

Teaching that intentionally integrates cognitive learning with students' affective lives is the kind of pedagogy that can leave a long lasting, even transformative impression on students that outlives the details of course content. Because this author wants her students to truly engage with the subject of domestic violence, she finds it essential…