I’ve been writing the Small Teaching Tips series for three years and in that time, I have amassed a huge collection of blog posts, books, and articles dedicated to making small, progressive improvements to one’s teaching. There’s no need to make time-consuming, labor-intensive changes to your teaching in order to see incredible results. As author of the book Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning, and TLTCon 2020 keynote speaker, James Lang argues: “fundamental pedagogical improvement is possible through incremental change.” So I’d like to dedicate this post to my top ten favorite tips and hopefully inspire you to try a few in your own classes.
Let your students get to know you
Tell more stories/use more examples
Give students more control
Demystify office hours
Craft a learner-centered syllabus
Prioritize student collaboration
Design with brain science in mind
Always be learning / watch other teachers
Practice self-reflection
Take care of yourself
