Module 5: Strategies for Instruction

Reflection Activity:

• What types of instruction do you currently use in your courses? (If you haven't taught yet, consider the different types of instruction you've seen modeled in courses you've taken.) How do these instructional activities correspond to your learning objectives? How do they help students prepare/practice for assessments? (You may want to return to the alignment matrix here to consider how you can align your instruction with your learning objectives and assessments.)

• Look over the resources suggested below (or just do a web search for 'active learning strategies'), and consider one or more active learning activities you may interested in trying out in your classroom. How could you adapt this activity for your particular class and general instruction style? What are your learning goals for this activity? How would you help prepare students to engage in this activity?

Optional Bonus Reflection

Think about your best and worst discussion session (either from the teacher perspective or from the student perspective).

• For the best discussion, try to identify what made it such a good discussion in specific terms.

• For the worst discussion, what would you change about it if you had that same topic/circumstance/chemistry again?

If you feel comfortable (and it’s not a FERPA violation), please share your thoughts in the Discord.

Suggested Resources for Further Reading:

For more on active learning strategies, see:

• Concrete Strategies for Active Learning

• Getting Started with Active Learning Techniques

• Online Instructional Activities Index

• "The Power of Peer Interaction: Active Learning During Remote Instruction," Colleen Flaherty (Inside Higher Ed)

For more on discussion strategies, see:

• Strategies for Inclusive Teaching (CMU)

• Responding to Difficult Moments (University of Michigan)

• Discussion strategies (CMU)