Intro to Teaching Fundamentals

Welcome to Teaching Fundamentals, the site devoted to sharing the basics of good teaching and successful student learning at COCC.

Good teaching begins with good planning, and good planning includes considerations of:

• who your students are,
• what they bring to the learning experience, and
• what they are actually learning in your course.

This site includes information on how to pre-plan your course around core assumptions, how to assess your course outcomes, and how to map out a course session.

COCC is an institution committed to student-centered learning, with a goal of being a student-ready college. Faculty consider carefully how to establish safe learning environments where all opinions and ideas are invited and supported within the agreements of fair exchange and communication. Faculty respect what students bring to the learning process and take pride in assisting all students to become successful. This does not mean that students are consumers who have a right to shop for the easiest way to obtain a grade. COCC strives to be a learning community where students are partners in the process and faculty learn as well as students so that they, too, can improve and grow.

The student-centered or "guide by the side" approach operates under the theory that students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process and take responsibility for their own learning. Components of student-centered instruction include:

• Active learning: Students participate actively in their own learning through discussions, problem-solving, and engaging activities, rather than passively receiving information.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving: Rather than simply memorizing information, students are encouraged to think critically, ask questions, and solve complex problems. This helps them to develop higher-order thinking skills.
• Reflective learning: Students reflect on their own learning experiences, developing self-awareness and taking responsibility for their own growth in understanding.
• Facilitation of knowledge construction: Students construct their knowledge through experiences and reflection, and the instructor is a facilitator who guides students in making connections and constructing their understanding.
• Formative assessment: Continuous assessment of student progress is used to provide feedback and adjust instruction as needed (this should be used in addition to summative assessment, an evaluation of learning at the end of a unit or course).
• Student voice and autonomy: Students are given some control over their learning process (e.g., choice of topics, pace, methods used to demonstrate learning), and are encouraged to express their ideas, opinions, and preferences.

As a student-ready college, COCC strives to meet students where they are and help them achieve their goals through addressing their individual needs. As a COCC instructor, you are a key participant in this process and have an integral role in fostering student success!