It seems that the larger classes get, the more distant our students can seem. On today’s episode, Dr. Chrissy Spencer helps us discover how to make large classes interactive.

Even if you teach classes of 20, the resources she uses in her classes as large as 200+ will be of benefit.

Guest: Dr. Chrissy Spencer, teaches at Georgia Tech

Ph.D., Genetics, University of Georgia

Active learning video: Turning students into chili peppers

The way that students could apply learning from a content area in the real world and also give back to the community in some way (Chrissy)

When we get creative with what we assign students, we open up a whole new set of possibilities for student engagement and learning. On today’s episode, Dr. Cameron Hunt McNabb helps us discover how to craft creative assignments that facilitate learning well.

Dr. Cameron Hunt McNabb

Her bio and university web page

Recommended as a guest by past Teaching in Higher Ed guest: Dr. Josh Eyler

Cameron’s students contributed to the Medieval Disability Glossary by including their research on the word ‘lame‘

…to make the familiar strange and the strange familiar…

The truth about internet slang; it goes way back (in Salon Magazine)

Cameron’s teaching philosophy from her website

Must meet a specific goal and be measurable

Understanding by Design

** Write a paragraph in “future English”

Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten. – B.F. Skinner, The New Scientist, May 21, 1964

About authentic pedagogy

Places an emphasis on learning that is a construction of prior knowledge and a high value on knowledge that extends beyond the classroom.

** “Real world” is not just vocational, but for every aspect of life…

About active learning

** Intro to Shakespeare class; hired actors to come in and had students come with annotated script and then were asked to co-direct the scenes

A veteran teacher takes on the role of a student (from Wiggins’ blog)

Bonni recommends Lines from The Princess Bride that could double as comments on Freshmen composition papers via McSweeney’s.net

Episode 3: Lessons in Teaching from The Princess Bride

Cameron recommends that we follow Tina Fey’s advice to “Say yes” (in her memoir Bossy Pants)

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It is such a crucial part of what we do as professors… Getting students involved in discussions and helping to facilitate their learning.

Dr. Jay Howard joins me on this episode to talk about how to engage students in the classroom and online.

Engaging Your Students Face-to-Face and Online (July 2015) (Jossey-Bass)

The real norm is not that students have to pay attention. It’s that they have to pay civil attention.

When students feel you value them enough to try to learn their names, they’ll be much more forgiving of mistakes.

Attendance 2 app

Regardless of class size, there will be around five students who will become your dominant talkers who will account for 75-95% of student comments in the typical college class.

Bonni recommends: Michael hyatt’s ideal week blog post and template

Jay, author of Apostles of Rock, recommends: The Lost Dogs

Dr. Guy Trainin joins me for episode 22 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast to talk about using iPads and tablets in the classroom.

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Students voting to extend the class time? Professors reporting that students are doing the reading for the course without threats or other forms of coercion? Today, in episode 21, Dr. Mark Carnes joins me to talk role immersion games in the higher ed classroom.

Dr. Mark C. Carnes, Professor of History, Barnard College

Author of Minds on fire how role immersion games transform college, published by Harvard University Press

Your class was less boring than most.

You give up the control of knowing what the classroom is going to be like. Instead, you get the drama and, often, these moments of extraordinary student performances and transformations that leave you amazed.

Queen’s College class did the India Reacting class. High attendance. All focused on it.

While some skepticism is appropriate, our tried and true methods aren’t that fail safe.

Structure is different, because the “slacker’s” peers are counting on him/her.

They can’t hide out like they can in other classes.

Becoming someone different from who you are

Serial podcast (Bonni)

Google “Reacting to the Past” videos (Mark)

Reacting to the Past website

Reacting to the Past consortium