What makes a great teacher has been extensively studied in the educational literature and understandably so. I believe all of us strive to be the best we can be. I think most of us have had some thoughts about what it means to be a great teacher.  And while we are all unique in what we bring to our ...

“Brain breaks” are exactly that – giving the working brain a break. By doing so, learning and retention can be enhanced (Willis, 2006; Young 2020). Although the idea of taking a break, for example, when studying, isn’t new, the intentional use of planning breaks in your teaching approach may be. I w...

I am sure by now, many of you have explored and used breakout rooms in some capacity to simulate an in-class, in-person dynamic lost to us as a result of COVID. The breakout room is how we do small group work in an online course. If you have been struggling with it or not sure if it is useful, you a...

After teaching a class, have you ever wondered whether your students grasped the concepts you taught? Have you wondered what their knowledge base is before you begin a discussion on a particular topic? Are you curious about what items they may be confused about after the class or lesson?

Using clas...

There are more similarities than differences in a syllabus for an online versus an in-person course. However, some concepts are essential when creating an effective online course syllabus. Although both syllabi contain all of the same sections and components, an online syllabus must account for litt...

I have long been fascinated by the role of the teacher. Perhaps, this is because my teachers were so influential in my life, starting with my fourth-grade teacher and continuing through high school. During my undergraduate educational training to become a teacher, what we knew about how learning occ...

Just recently, I came across an article presenting the results of a survey about learning and teaching satisfaction since moving on-campus education online.  The survey included responses from over 4200 students and about 500 faculty in higher education. Due to the sudden shift to online learning in...

The concept of self-care has gotten a lot of attention lately, given the new requirement added to the ARC accreditation standards. Although the standard speaks to teaching it to our students, I believe it is also a call for us to revisit it for ourselves. As clinicians, how many times did we decide ...

In a previous article, I wrote about the importance of considering synchronous and asynchronous approaches to teaching this fall (see link below).  Like any other method of teaching – no one method is best. The role of the teacher is to know which method or approach is best given the course content ...

What? Really?  I suspect a good many of you have heard about learning styles. Probably from your days as a student. I even bet some of you know what your "learning style" is. Visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. I am totally there with you. Many years ago, during my undergraduate training in education ...