Welcome to the Tuesday Teaching Tip, an easy-to-implement tool that you can use immediately in your classroom teaching. 

TUESDAY TEACHING TIP: How to help students see the “so what” of your course

It’s Week 10 and you’ve almost made it to the finish line! Amidst looming finals, exhaustion, and student anxieties about grades, it can often be hard to help students see the big picture or “so what” of your course and shared learning goals. 

This week, we challenge you to help your students (re-)connect with the “so what” and “why” of your course: “Why do you teach what you teach and why does it matter in this world?” 

The “so what” can be as simple as the core learning objectives of your course; it can be folded into the scaffolds of your intentional course design; or it can be more practical, like the application of concepts and skills your students acquired in the classroom to the world beyond.

Helping your students see the big picture or So What & Why of your course beyond their final grade or performance on the final assessment encourages them to recognize their own efforts, practice gratitude, and understand the long-term applications of the knowledge they acquire. 

This week, we challenge you to engage your students in one “so what” or “why” exercise to end your course and Week 10 with your students feeling accomplished and grateful for their learning experience. 

Here’s one way to do it: 

• Create a concept map to share with your students during Week 10 if you have not already. Visualizing accomplishments and seeing the start and end of their 10 weeks together in a classroom is a powerful way to acknowledge their hard work and learning. 
• Ask your students to share (in groups or as a class) one concept, skill or lesson learned that they will take with them and apply to their future endeavors. Make them get specific and collect their responses to share with the entire class in your end of quarter email to students so they can read one another's responses. 
• Share a personal story about your own learning of the course material when you first encountered it and why it was impactful to you OR tell them something you learned from them as co-thinkers and how their contributions and conversations in class helped you see your discipline or field differently. 
• Remember Stop, Start, Continue from your mid-quarter evaluations? Ask them to complete a self-focused stop, start and continue exercise to reflect on what they have learned and will take with them now that your course is coming to an end.

DID YOU DO IT?

Let us know how it went. We would love to hear your feedback about how you implemented today’s Tuesday Teaching Tip in your classroom. Click here to fill out our 3-question survey. The survey is anonymous, but if you choose to enter your name, you’ll be entered in a drawing at the end of the quarter to win a new book from Faculty Development!

 

UPCOMING EVENTS 

• Shut Up & Grade on Friday, March 13 RSVP

• AI+X Community Event on Tuesday, March 17 RSVP

• TESE Revision Workshop on Wednesday, March 18 RSVP

• All-Day Accessibility Workshops: Thursday, March 19 RSVP and Thursday, March 26 RSVP

 

WANT TO READ A LITTLE MORE?

• Read our DRT page on Engagement in the classroom and for activities to build rapport and connection with your students. 
• Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.). Using concept maps. Eberly Center.
• University of Amherst (n.d.) How do I end a course successfully? Center of Teaching and Learning.

This week’s Tuesday Teaching Tip was prepared by Mythri Jegathesa on behalf of Faculty Development and the Center for Teaching Excellence.

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