LET'S HAVE AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION OF GREAT TEACHING

I would like to invite everyone to attend the Southeast Regional meeting of the American Accounting Association in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina, (near where I grew up) on April 16 to April 18.   At the meeting, I will be leading a panel discussion on the topic of “Becoming a More Effective Classroom Teacher.”   In fact, if you have any questions that you think we should discuss, drop me a note at Jhoyle@richmond.edu.

Here is the original proposal that was submitted for this panel to give you an idea of the thought behind our discussion.

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In “What It Takes to Be Great,” in the October 30, 2006, issue of Fortune magazine, author Geoffrey Colvin makes the following assertion.   “In virtually every field of endeavor, most people learn quickly at first, then more slowly, and then stop developing completely.   Yet a few do improve for years and even decades, and go on to greatness.”   In What the Best College Teachers Do, published in 2004 by Harvard University Press, author Ken Bain makes the following assertion.   “Great teachers emerge, they touch the lives of their students, and perhaps only through some of these students do they have any influence on the broad art of teaching.  For the most part, their insights die with them, and subsequent generations must discover anew the wisdom that drove their practices.”

If accepted, this panel will discuss the many assorted problems and challenges that experienced teachers must address in order to continue improving throughout their careers and, hopefully, “go on to greatness.”   The panel will look at teaching from a practical perspective including questions such as the following.  

--How does a teacher get students to prepare for class?  

--How does a teacher test in order to emphasis the development of critical thinking skills?  

--How does a teacher encourage all students to be engaged and interactive during class sessions?  

--How does a teacher stress thinking rather than memorization?

The panel is expected to include Lynn Clements (Florida Southern College), Scott Showalter (North Carolina State University), Eric Bostwick (University of West Florida), and Joe Hoyle (University of Richmond).  This group has decades of classroom experience, a wealth of knowledge that (according to Ken Bain) should be shared with other teachers.   What strategies have each of these teachers used over those years that have worked so very well?  What can other teachers learn that will help them to continue their own improvement?
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I hope as many people as possible will join us and participate as we chat about teaching on the day to day level.   One of my long-term beliefs is that we don't have enough conversations about the challenges each of us face each day as a classroom teacher.