When evaluating the effectiveness of their program, members of the Brooklyn College SEEK Department, a higher education opportunity program, decided to make their pedagogy more student-centered. They created a method of reading instruction, which they named critical inquiry. Its goals are to build community through teaching students to annotate,…

A system is described in which students are assigned to keep minutes for each class, read the minutes to the next class, and submit them for grading. The approach is helpful to both teachers and students throughout the course in diagnosing problems, introducing grading criteria, and reinforcing basic skills. (MSE)

Slide shows presented with software such as PowerPoint or WordPerfect Presentations can trap instructors into bad teaching practices. Research on memory suggests that slide-show instruction can actually be less effective than traditional lecturing when the teacher uses a blackboard or overhead projector. The author proposes a model of classroom…

In a classroom research project, one college teacher experimented with a variation on conventional lecture method to improve student understanding of content. At logical points in the lecture, approximately 15-20 minutes apart, the lecturer pauses and directs students to review the material and paraphrase it in writing. Analysis of student notes…

A note-taking aid for individuals with blindness or handwriting difficulties is proposed, in which students record the important ideas from a speech using a delayed recording system. The system stores a portion of the speech on an endless loop of tape as a buffer until the decision to record is made. Prototype test results are discussed. (JDD)

A discussion of misunderstandings occurring in the college classroom looks at the common sources of misconceptions and offers three ways to diagnose and address them: (1) asking students to think aloud as they solve problems; (2) having students teach course topics; and (3) reviewing students' notes with them. (MSE)