Ira C. Eaker College for Professional Development (CPD)

Air War College (AWC) Gateway to Internet Resources

To know how to suggest is the art of teaching.
--- Henri-Frederic Amiel

A good teacher, like a good entertainer first must hold his audience's attention, then he can teach his lesson.
--- John Henrik Clarke

A wisely chosen illustration is almost essential to fasten the truth upon the ordinary mind, and no teacher can afford to neglect this part of his preparation.
--- Howard Crosby

He who is afraid of asking is ashamed of learning.
--- Danish Proverb

Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.
--- John Cotton Dana

Education is not to reform students or amuse them or to make them expert technicians. It is to unsettle their minds, widen their horizons, inflame their intellects, teach them to think straight, if possible.
--- Robert M. Hutchins

General Resources

• Teaching Tips Index, Faculty Development, Honolulu Community College, buncha stuff - dealing with stress, course design, motivating students, preparing a lesson plan, teaching techniques, ... Scroll down thru this site at least once to check out all the topics - you won't be sorry.

• Center for Teaching and Learning, Indiana State U., for improving teaching and faculty development
  • Teaching Tips Archive, Center for Teaching and Learning, Indiana State University

• Faculty Development Institute, Virginia Tech
  • Lessons in Effective Teaching, Virginia Tech

• Technology in the Classroom, a whole passel of good resources ... such as
  • Handbook for Instructors on the Use of Electronic Class Discussion, from Ohio State U.

• Civilian Education and Professional Development, Civilian Personnel Management Service (CPMS)
  • Conference Summaries
    • Educational Excellence through Teaching, Technology, Transformation, 2003 conference at National Defense University, includes the following
      • What We Know about Learning - Implications for Teaching, by Chickering (local copy)
      • Case Study Teaching Methods, by A'Hearn (local copy)
      • Learning from [student] Feedback, by Clark and Antis (local copy)
      • Shedding the Blinders: Breaking through Roadblocks to Learning, by Severance (local copy)
      • Teaching Excellence: What Do the Best University Teachers Do?, by Dobbins (local copy)
      • 10 Rules for Distance Learning, by Ward and Parkin

• Innovate, peer-reviewed journal of online education
• Innovate-Live, portal for info on teaching innovations

• Probing the “It Depends” Variables - A Look at DSMC’s Three Decades of Teaching Management in the Political Context of Changing Situations (Local Copy), by Beck, in Program Manager journal, Defense Acquisition University, May-Jun 2001 - examines the changes in teaching styles and preferences

• Georgia State University Master Teacher Program, a little bit dated but still useful
  • teaching approaches that appeal to different MBTI profiles

  • Among the research presented is Joseph Lowman's two-dimensional model of teacher effectiveness. Master teachers must excel at both the intellectual and interpersonal dimensions of teaching.
    • Four factors are central to achieving the intellectual dimension. These are
      • (1) faculty organize content and present it clearly,
      • (2) faculty stress relationships among different concepts,
      • (3) faculty present content in a dynamic way with high energy, and
      • (4) faculty love teaching.
    • Three factors are central to achieving the interpersonal dimension. These are
      • (1) faculty treat students as individuals,
      • (2) faculty encourage students to ask questions or express personal opinions, and
      • (3) faculty behave in a positive and consistent manner towards students.

• New Tools for Teaching, by O'Donnell, U. of Penn.
• Faculty development links, New Jersey Virtual University

• Resistance to Changing our Teaching Style point paper
• Teaching Styles and Instructional Uses of the World Wide Web, Indiana State U.
• Personal Learning Style and How It Affects My Teaching, U. of Georgia

• Faculty Teaching Tips, nice and to-the-point tips, from U. of Hawaii

• Teaching Tips Archive, Center for Teaching and Learning, Indiana State University

• Tips on the Critiquing of Writing and Speaking (Local copy), by Kline and Lippincott

• Train the Trainer Guide ( local copy) a good basic summary, from the Navy, including mini-chapters on
  • Psychology of learning
  • Prepare the lesson plan
  • Instructional methods
  • How to conduct classroom presentations
  • Use of transitions
  • Advantages of questions
  • Quick list of hints for good instruction

• Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever, by Chickering and Ehrmann -- "describes some of the most cost-effective and appropriate ways to use computers, video, and telecommunications technologies to advance the Seven Principles."
• Seven Principles for Good Practice - Enhancing Student Learning
• The Seven Principles for Good Practice, "adopted as a pedagogical model for Winona State University" ... These principles state that "good practice" --
  1. Encourages student-faculty contact
  2. Encourages cooperation among students
  3. Encourages active learning
  4. Gives prompt feedback
  5. Emphasizes time on task
  6. Communicates high expectations
  7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning

• See also Faculty Handbooks and Guides

• Teaching Handbook, Indiana U. Teaching Resources Center - including
  • Preparing to Teach
  • Teaching Methods
  • Creating a Positive Environment

• Handbook for Graduate Teaching Assistants, U. of Ga. -- includes chapters on teaching methods and techniques and assessment tips