Posner went on to add: “On my list: the purpose of lectures relative to seminars (this turned out to be an issue last year), how to address instructors, how to write an email to a Grown Up, the purpose and method of reading for class, expectations of class attendance, perhaps notetaking…”
In an interview, Posner told me that she was planning to add such a session to “Data, Justice, and Society,” a cluster class — an interdisciplinary, co-taught, course for large groups of first-year students that run for three consecutive quarters — which she’s teaching for the second time next year.
In this year’s iteration, Posner said, she and her co-instructors found themselves having to clear up misunderstandings on points like the difference between lecture and seminar sections and how to communicate with professors late into the year. It seemed better to address these matters head on.
It’s worth looking at the replies to Posner’s post in full. They contain lots of good comments and suggestions — and not just for students who are new to college, either. Among them:
- Simply introducing students to the idea that there is a hidden curriculum can be freeing.
- Give them an org chart of the department, college, or university and explain who makes which decisions.
- Let them know about campus support resources.
- Teach them how to read a syllabus, why they should go to office hours, and how to send a professional email.
Take a look, and if you have additional ideas on how to uncover the hidden curriculum, I’d love to hear them: beckie.supiano@chronicle.com
Other resources: I wrote about a first-year course that tackles the hidden curriculum in the newsletter here. And our colleague Emma Pettit interviewed sociology professor Jessica Calarco about her book on the hidden curriculum for graduate school here.
Summer recommendations
To the extent that summer was ever a respite for faculty members, we know that this has become less true in recent years. Still, we hope that this time provides some change of pace or scene and that you can use it to recharge.
We thought we’d use the occasion to crowdsource any books or podcasts you’d recommend to fellow Teaching readers — you can share them with me at beckie.supiano@chronicle.com, with perhaps a line or two about why you’re suggesting them.
And if you’re planning to brush up on a new skill — whether teaching-related or not — over the summer, we’d be interested in hearing about that, too. As we discussed in some recent newsletter issues on helping students practice, being a beginner now and then can be very eye-opening for instructors.
Engaging classrooms
Here’s the bad news: Professors can no longer assume that a critical mass of students will go through the expected motions of showing up, participating, and doing their own work. Some lack foundational skills in reading and writing. But there’s also good news: We know more than ever which teaching practices have a track record of boosting engagement, and we have a better understanding of why such practices work.
I’m looking for examples of engaging teaching practices that have been successful in a particular course. Maybe a professor has created conditions that help students connect with their classmates. Or has found a good way to show that a seemingly esoteric topic is important to their lives and future plans. Maybe an instructor has layered chances for reflection into a course.
Do you know of — or yourself teach — a course that has fostered meaningful engagement? I’d love to hear more about it for a reporting project. Share ideas with me at beckie.supiano@chronicle.com.
Thanks for reading Teaching. If you have suggestions or ideas, please feel free to email us at beth.mcmurtrie@chronicle.com or beckie.supiano@chronicle.com.
—Beckie
Learn more at our Teaching newsletter archive page.
