THE SKILLFUL TEACHER

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THE SKILLFUL TEACHER

• Stephen Brookfield
• Distinguished University Professor
• University of St. Thomas
• Minneapolis-St. Paul

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ASSUMPTIONS OF SKILLFUL TEACHING

• Good teaching whatever helps students learn
• Best teaching is critically reflective
• Most important teaching knowledge we need how
  students experience learning

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CRITICAL INCIDENT QUESTIONNAIRE (CIQ)

• Moment Most Engaged as a Learner
• Moment Most Distanced as a Learner
• Action Most Affirming/Helpful
• Action Most Puzzling/Confusing
• What Surprised You Most

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HOW TO USE THE CIQ

• Last 5 minutes of last class
• Anonymous
• Reviewed at beginning of next weeks class
• Illustrates diversity in class
• Allows you to emphasize why class is organized as
  it is
• Negotiation is NOT capitulation

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BENEFITS OF CIQ

• Helps you take informed actions
• Builds a case for using multiple methods and
  techniques with students
• Allows you to catch problems, confusions
  misunderstandings early
• Builds trust
• Models Critical Thinking

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WHAT STUDENTS VALUE IN TEACHERS

• CREDIBILITY
• Expertise (you really know your stuff)
• Experience (as a real life worker as a teacher)
• Rationale (you have a thought through plan of
  action)
• Conviction (that the learning is important)

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AUTHENTICITY

• Congruence (between your words actions)
• Full Disclosure (of your expectations criteria)
• Responsiveness (to students learning
  difficulties)
• Personhood (appropriate autobiographical examples)

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EMOTIONAL RHYTHMS

• IMPOSTORSHIP
• CULTURAL SUICIDE
• LOST INNOCENCE
• ROADRUNNING

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WHY LECTURE?

• Provide overview/outline of a broad body of
  material
• To explain and illustrate with examples difficult
  ideas concepts
• To introduce alternative perspectives
  interpretations
• To model intellectual attitudes and behaviors
• To encourage learners interest in a topic

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USE A VARIETY OF APPROACHES

• Chunked in 15 minute segments
• Structured Silent writing (3 minutes) - most
  important/confusing point, question /
  illustration of concept. Shuffle these ask
  students to read them or read them yourself.
• Buzz groups
• Lecture from Siberia
• Assign Roles to Students each week - summarizer,
  devils advocate
• Team lecturing with peer critique

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VARIETY OF APPROACHES

• Video clips
• Spot the deliberate teacher error (when you
  contradict yourself, say something clearly
  inaccurate etc.)
• Example inventories - students provide examples
  to show theyve understood concepts youve
  covered (on 3x5, newsprint, blackboard on online)

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ORGANIZED AS HELPFUL INFORMATIONAL MAPS

• Scaffolding Notes - Main headings sub-headings
  with space for examples
• Clear verbal signals - global (now a whole new
  area is being introduced), key point (a main idea
  is being explored), example, meta-review
• Frequent summaries
• Where are we now?

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MODEL LEARNING BEHAVIORS

• Begin with questions the lecture will try to
  answer
• End with questions the lecture has raised
• Structured Devils Advocacy
• Assumption Hunting
• Team teaching - peer critique

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LESSON PLANNING

• Multiple Modalities (aim for 3 per lesson) - e.g.
  lecturing, demonstration, small group
  application, silent writing, visual illustration,
  newsprint dialog
• Lesson Structure depends on learning you wish to
  achieve
• CIQ will tell you what is working for how many

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LESSON PLANNING contd.

• Frequent recaps
• Frequent explanations
• Regular example exercises - students write (on
  3x5, on newsprint, or on board) examples to
  illustrate a skill or idea youre teaching
• Tie each learning activity to homework

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FINAL THOUGHTS

• Beware the Perfect Ten syndrome
• Teaching is Informed Muddling Through
• Dont be who you arent
• Resistance / Hostility are normal not caused by
  you
• Never underestimate your power

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RESOURCES

• www.stephenbrookfield.com
• THE SKILLFUL TEACHER
• DISCUSSION AS A WAY OF TEACHING
• BECOMING A CRITICALLY REFLECTIVE TEACHER
• All available from Jossey-Bass Publishers
  (San Francisco) www.josseybass.com