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Attitudes & Notions of Appropriate Behavior (Norms)
Undergraduate college classrooms in the United States can be characterized as informal compared to those in other countries. For example, it is not uncommon to see students walking into a classroom with a soft drink in hand or to see an instructor who is dressed casually.The culture of the U.S. college classroom is also egalitarian and not authoritarian. An instructor’s job is not to teach only the best and brightest, but to ensure that all students get the very best chance of doing well in the course. The challenge to any instructor is to be flexible, patient, and vary the types of instructional strategies used in the classroom in order to meet the needs of different students with different learning styles.
Although teaching styles vary from instructor to instructor, and the types of learning activities may be influenced by an instructor’s philosophy of teaching and learning or the discipline, class activities must be designed to both support the learning goals and elicit student interest and participation. While most students expect their classes to be lectures, many find such classes boring and respond with passivity. Some students will complain about being required to actively engage with material, but the research shows they are more likely to learn and to be motivated to learn by such work.
There is no quick and easy way for teachers to motivate their students. Some ideas for improving classroom participation and communication, as well as making dry material more exciting, are included in Classroom Strategies, as well as in How Students Learn. You will want to review those sections with this discussion of motivation in mind. In general, it is a good idea to vary your instructional strategies to reach as many students as possible. Using that approach, you will not bore the interested and/or bright students by going extremely slow, nor will slower students feel that the class is intended only for the academically gifted. It is also important to assess your expectations for student performance. You may want to talk to colleagues who have taught your class in the past. They can share their experiences and help you determine if you have realistic expectations.
To get to know your students in particular, you may consider asking them to fill out index cards on the first day of class indicating their exposure to the field, their reasons for taking the class, and their expectations about what you will teach them. Alternately, you may want to give them a short un-graded quiz or writing assignment to help you assess what knowledge they bring to your class. The more information you can gather, the more successful you will be.
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