David Gooblar is an assistant professor of English and of gender, women’s, and sexuality studies at the University of Iowa. He was previously associate director of Temple University’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching. His most recent book, The Missing Course: Everything They Never Taught You About College Teaching, was published by Harvard University Press in 2019. To find more advice on teaching, browse his previous columns here.
Stories by This Author
Advice
As instructors, many of us are covering less content this academic year. Maybe that’s a good thing for students.
Advice
After a summer of discontent, some college students may not defer to authority simply because it is authority. What does that mean for college instructors?
Advice
Why is it so rare to find “diversity initiatives” that have anything to do with teaching?
Advice
Even the best teaching practices can have negative effects when they focus too much on data-driven compliance and surveillance.
Advice
In fact, lecturing can be a good teaching tool, but only if the lecture is designed to produce good learning.
Advice
Warren’s version of the Socratic method, cold-calling on students in her law courses, is actually deeply progressive.
Advice
Many instructors have an intuitive sense of how to behave at the front of a classroom but have never really given much thought to how best to teach.
Advice
The idea that professors indoctrinate students is actually a very old accusation. But there are teaching strategies you can use to be sure you are promoting open-mindedness.
Advice
New instructors — trained in the importance of “active learning” techniques — often aren’t sure when lecturing is still a valid teaching strategy.
Advice
You’re a faculty member, not a trained counselor. But you can play a significant role in guiding a struggling student.
