A considerable amount is known about how humans learn, but this information is often unknown to college instructors. This endorsement experience will introduce instructors to some of these principles through readings selected by Stephen Chew of Stamford University, a leader in the translation of cognitive science principles to university instruction. The goal is to help instructors improve their teaching by more closely aligning their teaching methods with what is known about how humans learn.
This opportunity is open to anyone who teaches at Penn State. We will meet weekly in person for 45 minutes on the University Park campus and discuss a reading taken from “A DIY Guide to Teacher Professional Development,” Stephen L. Chew, “The Teaching Professor,” October 16, 2023. We will try to find a time that accommodates all interested instructors’ schedules.
At our first meeting during the week of September 16-20 we will select the readings for the following 13 weeks of the semester (Chew lists 21 articles). Before each of the following meetings, participants are asked to post to a Canvas page a pre-meeting reflection that addresses four points:
- What they found surprising in this reading.
- What aligned with what they previously knew.
- How does this reading confirm aspects of how they currently teach.
- Any questions they might have about this reading.
After each meeting, participants will post to Canvas how they might use this reading, and points that came up in the discussion, in their teaching. This might be in the current semester or future semesters.
To receive the endorsement, one will need to participate in 10 of the meetings.
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