MSU Values Excellent Teaching
Excellent teachers (Adapted From Hattie, 2003)…
- Are passionate about teaching and learning; and engage students in the learning process.
- Have a high respect for students.
- Create an optimal climate for learning; and have a positive influence on learners' achievement.
- Develop students' self-regulation, self-efficacy, and self-esteem as learners.
- Assess levels of understanding and progress; and provide relevant, useful feedback.
- Provide appropriate challenging tasks and goals for students.
- Adopt a problem-solving stance to their work to anticipate, plan, and improvise to meet learner needs.
MSU Values Student Centered Learning
Student-centered learning refers to a teaching approach where “what students learn, how they learn it, and how their learning is assessed are all driven by each individual student’s needs and abilities” (ISTE). Student-centered approaches provide personalized, competency-based learning experiences that provide students with choice, voice, and real-world connections.
Student-Centered Learning is…
Active
Students are engaged in doing things and thinking about what they are doing. (Bonwell & Eison, 1991).
Students Thinking & Doing
Person-Centered
Focused on student interests and needs.
Individualized
Unique pacing and/or course of study for each student.
High-Touch
Hands-on, experiential learning
Ways to develop a student-centered learning environment (Adapted from Weimer, 2013)
- Focus on higher-order thinking rather than memorization, allowing learners to actively explore and reflect on their learning.
- Serve as a facilitator that promotes learning rather than a content expert or authoritarian classroom manager.
- Promote independent, active, and autonomous learning, as learners become more responsible for their own learning.
- Utilize assessments as tools to promote learning and not tools to generate grades. Incorporate authentic assessments with meaningful, ongoing feedback.
MSU Values Contemporary Instructional Delivery
Today’s students seek flexible options for when, where, and how their learning takes place. Contemporary learning modalities support student-centered teaching approaches, increase opportunities for active learning, and expand accessibility through flexible modalities. Contemporary instruction offers options for learning to occur anywhere, anytime by providing students choice with multiple delivery options.
Teaching Beyond the Classroom
MSU Values Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement is a "professional commitment to an ongoing process of learning, self-reflection, adaptation, and growth" (Glossary of Educational Reform). In teaching, it involves many of the same processes involved in scholarly teaching. Scholarly teachers engage in reflective inquiries into the effectiveness of their instruction through the intentional and systematic use of critical reflection and evidence-based teaching practices.
Teaching Resources
References
Hattie, J. (2003). Teachers make a difference, what is the research evidence?. Paper presented at the Building Teacher Qualityh: What does the research tell us ACER Research Conference, Melbourne, Australia.
ISTE. Student Centered Learning. Retrieved: https://www.iste.org/standards/essential-conditions/student-centered-learning
Missouri State University Long-Range Plan
Missouri State University Mission, Vision, Values
Weimer, M. (2013). Learner Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice. Jossey-Bass.