How to Teach Like a Pro

How the Book is Organized

Taking Back the Classroom was developed from questions and issues raised at workshops on classroom management that I have been teaching for a number of years.

The Book Contains:

	Examples and tips based on my 25 years of teaching at the college level.
	Suggestions and “war stories” from faculty at a number of colleges and universities.
	Sample forms, rubrics, and contracts that you can adapt for use in your own classroom.
	Specific questions and answers on class management topics in the Questions from Faculty sections.
	Unique student perspectives as to what makes for good or bad teaching in the Comments from Students sections. These students represent a variety of majors from a large public university, a small private college, and a two-year community college.

Where to Start?

Are you a new instructor trying to decide what you need to tell your students about your expectations in the classroom? Chapters 1 and 2 provide suggestions for choosing your classroom policies and communicating these in your syllabus.

Are you struggling with how to manage this new generation of college students? Chapters 3 and 4 discuss the importance of first impressions in order to create the class culture you want. Both new and experienced faculty should consider how they establish their credibility and make a connection with their students on that crucial first day of contact.

Do you have students who come to you seeking advice on sexual harassment incidents? Are you concerned about protecting yourself from sexual harassment accusations? Chapter 5 contains both legal advice and counseling suggestions for professors.

Are there students in your class with physical or learning disabilities and you are not sure what your responsibilities are for accommodating them? Do you have international students that you cannot seem to understand or connect with? Is there a wide range of ages in your class and you are not sure how to motivate everyone? Chapter 6 presents suggestions on how to engage all your students in the classroom.

Do you have students who come to class late, dominate the discussions, leave in the middle of class, or engage in other types of disruptive behaviors? Chapter 7 examines a wide range of inappropriate classroom behaviors and makes suggestions for addressing these with the goal of fostering an ideal classroom environment.

Are you struggling with exam issues such as makeup policies, cheating, and requests for extra credit? Would you like to create learning opportunities for students without just giving them points? See Chapter 8 for ideas.

Would you like to use team projects in your class but need advice on how to assign teams, how to build team skills, how to evaluate team participation, and how to handle complaints about team members? Chapter 9 addresses these issues.

Are you teaching a large class and want suggestions on how to handle issues of attendance, tardiness, participation, and getting feedback? Chapter 10 looks at how professors of large classes can still build a relationship with their students.

Has your university asked you to teach an online course and you want to know how to set class expectations, facilitate forum discussions, manage online exams, make a connection between you and the students, and manage the time demands of the class? See Chapter 11 for advice from Dr. Bradley Meyer who has been teaching online classes since 1996.

And finally, would you like some tips for teaching accumulated from over 25 years of teaching experience at the college level? Chapter 12 presents suggestions on how to become a more effective teacher.

Take Back Your Classroom and Become

A More Effective Teacher!

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