David Gooblar
Advice Columnist
The Chronicle of Higher Education
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
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AdviceOur Slimmed-Down Pandemic Pedagogy
As instructors, many of us are covering less content this academic year. Maybe that’s a good thing for students. -
Advice
Your Students Will Be Different This Fall
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
We Know What Works to Close the Completion Gap
Why is it so rare to find “diversity initiatives” that have anything to do with teaching? -
Advice
A Teacher’s New Year’s Resolution: Stop Fixating on the Data
Even the best teaching practices can have negative effects when they focus too much on data-driven compliance and surveillance. -
Advice
Do Students Really Learn Nothing From a Lecture?
In fact, lecturing can be a good teaching tool, but only if the lecture is designed to produce good learning. -
Advice
What Elizabeth Warren Can Teach Us About Teaching
Warren’s version of the Socratic method, cold-calling on students in her law courses, is actually deeply progressive. -
Advice
3 Questions That Can Improve Your Teaching
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
What Is ‘Indoctrination’? And How Do We Avoid It in Class?
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
‘Is It Ever OK to Lecture?’
New instructors — trained in the importance of “active learning” techniques — often aren’t sure when lecturing is still a valid teaching strategy. -
Advice
How to Help a Student in a Mental-Health Crisis
You’re a faculty member, not a trained counselor. But you can play a significant role in guiding a struggling student.
