Student Guide Corner

By Lew Ludwig , Editor-in-chief, Denison University As a student, I was frustrated by course evaluations. Course evaluations are supposed to allow students the opportunity to provide feedback to improve the course. However, my comments were never received in time to improve my course. As an instructor, I am frustrated by course evaluations. I do not get a chance to discuss them with my students � to understand their concerns and needs better or to explain my pedagogical choices. To address these frustrations, I have turned to mid-semester  course evaluations. While many such evaluations exist, I use the following in my classroom: What is going well for your learning in this course? Be specific as you can.  What is not going well for your learning in this course? Be specific as you can.  Based on your answer to question 2, what can I (the instructor) do differently?  Based on your answer to question 2, what can you (the student) do differently? Other comments? I em...

Several weeks ago I was honored to lead a 2-hour teaching program for the Tennessee Society of Accounting Educators in Nashville.   I had spoken to the group a few years back and they were kind enough to invite me to return.   I tried my best not to repudiate everything I had said in my previous visit.   When you talk and write a lot, you worry that you�ll start contradicting yourself. Whenever I give any teaching presentation, I like to include a thought or suggestion that I discover during the preceding few days.  For me, adding a new idea at the very last moment has become almost a superstition.  I enjoy doing this because it forces me to keep my eyes open for words or actions that are interesting and inspirational�something that will make me a better teacher, something that I can share with the group.  I am aware that it is easy for me to see obvious pieces of wisdom and still miss their significance.   (When the Wright Brothers were first lea...

By Jessica Deshler ,  Contributing Editor,  West Virginia University As a mathematics instructor, you�ve seen the symptoms: the look of panic, avoiding the material, the lack of confidence. These are all symptoms of a student suffering from a condition known as mathematics anxiety . Students can respond to anxiety in different ways - some being spurred into action, others feeling overwhelmed and unable to function in their mathematical situation. As instructors, we need to acknowledge when our students are anxious toward mathematics and find ways to help them build confidence and move past anxiety to achieve success in their studies. What can we do to help? A few tips to help you alleviate the anxiety your students may be facing: Let them work together . Cooperative groups provide students a chance to exchange ideas, to ask questions freely, to explain to one another and to clarify ideas in meaningful ways. Students working in groups can increase their mathematical self-effi...