Language Pedagogy as a Group Effort

by Rahul Bjørn Parson, South and Southeast Asian Studies
I had learned while teaching South Asian language and literature courses that all my students come with different experiences and abilities and varying knowledge of the region and culture; and that often the best pedagogical method is to empower the students to teach each other.

Teaching Alice

by William Dichtel, Chemistry
Organic chemistry is unavoidably visual, requiring complex drawings and graphs. Unfortunately, this presented a great challenge for Alice, a legally blind student who could only see a few inches in front of her eyes…At first, I struggled to find ways that would allow her to grasp the concepts more readily, and became frustrated with my inability to “show” her what I was explaining. This was an important lesson as I realized that the onus was on me to teach effectively.

Teaching to Different Modes of Learning

by Alexander Kauffman, Integrative Biology
As the semester progressed, a larger and more general issue became clear to me: different students learn in different ways. This idea applies not just to students with learning disabilities, but to all students…Presenting the same information in different ways…allows for better teaching…[and] allows students with diverse learning abilities to access and understand what you are trying to teach.