What is Good Teaching?

1.  Active Learning

Unlike traditional lecture-based instruction, active learning involves learners in the learning process. It sustains attention and allows learners to construct their own meaning and understanding, with guidance.

 By allowing learners to engage with the material in various ways, it ensures different learning needs are met and provides multiple avenues for demonstrating understanding.

Active learning makes learning visible. To the learners themselves, as well as to their instructors.

By going around or with the help of education technology tools, instructors have opportunities to monitor progress, diagnose learning gaps and intervene to guide their learners with feedback.

See below for some established active learning techniques, as well as for some active learning-based pedagogical approaches for consideration when planning and designing at a course-lesson level.

2.  Peer Collaboration

Research shows that learning outcomes from active learning reflect even greater improvement when learners have opportunity to engage with each other, and not just with the instructor and the materials.

Peer learning enhances understanding and retention of course material. When learners explain concepts to their peers, they reinforce their own knowledge and identify any gaps in their understanding. This reciprocal teaching and learning process deepens comprehension and aids in long-term retention. Learners often feel more comfortable asking questions and expressing difficulties to peers.

Positive interdependence ensures group members' success is linked through strategies like joint rewards, divided resources, and complementary roles. Individual accountability is achieved by ensuring each member contributes, using methods like individual tests and peer explanations. Face-to-face promotive interaction involves supporting each other's success through activities like explaining solutions and teaching peers, with small groups enhancing interaction. Teaching social skills such as leadership, decision-making, and conflict management is crucial for effective cooperation. Group processing requires reflecting on group performance, discussing helpful actions, and addressing relational issues collectively

3. Formative Feedback

Formative feedback provides learners with continuous and constructive insights into their learning progress. Unlike summative feedback, which evaluates performance at the end of a course, formative feedback is ongoing and aimed at improving learning outcomes throughout the educational process.

Promotes growth mindset
When learners view feedback as an opportunity for development rather than as a judgment of their abilities, they are more likely to embrace challenges and persist in the face of difficulties.

Supports personalized learning
Instructors can tailor their feedback to meet the individual needs of each learner, addressing specific gaps in knowledge and providing guidance that is relevant to their unique learning journey.

Enhances learner engagement and motivation
When learners understand that their efforts are being monitored and valued, they are more likely to stay engaged and invested in their studies.

Members of NTU’s teaching and learning community are welcome to contact [email protected] to:

• explore how the abovementioned dimensions can be integrated meaningfully and sustainably in their lesson design and delivery
• chat about how we can support you to develop as a learner-centred practitioner and/or researcher.