Dee Fink’s Analysis of Ken Bain’s Book on “What the Best College Teachers Do”:
What Do They Do Differently?
Bain’s Definition of “Good Learning”: Learning that has a “sustained, substantial and positive influence on how those students
think, act, and feel.” (p. 5) (Note: This is very similar to Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning.)
Attitudes/Perspectives:
1. Intense desire to continuously learn
about their subject and about teaching &
learning
 Rather than:
o Lukewarm level of learning about
their subject
o No interest in learning about
teaching/learning
2. Attitude towards students
 Trust
 Never blame the students for problems
o For example: don’t say “students
today just aren’t…”, or “you have
to force students to work hard.”
3. Continuously evaluate own teaching
 They close the loop in their evaluation,
i.e., they use the feedback to change
and improve what they do.
 Rather than: quick glance at student
evaluations, “How’d I do this time?”
4. View their own teaching as an integral
part of the larger context of the
educational efforts of their institution &
discipline.
Course Design Decisions:
1. Incorporate Big Questions & stories
into structure and content of course
2. Use 1st day of course in special way
3. Formulate good learning goals
 > Learn the content
 Full range of Fink’s Taxonomy, p. 90
4. Use good learning activities
 Authentic tasks
 Collaboration
 Find sources of information
 Reflective activities
5. Adjust the course to deal effectively with
students’ prior knowledge, prior
learning patterns, students’ expectations
of the course, etc.
6. Use good assessment activities
 Have students assess their own
learning
 Provide frequent, good feedback
 Use rubrics to assess complex
projects
7. Integrate the course activities well
 Connect out-of-class learning with inclass learning, p. 114
Interactions with Students:
1. Teacher’s interactions show they CARE
 about students, student learning,
teaching-learning process,
 about the subject of the course
2. Interact in a way that motivates students
 Give praise in a way that motivates
 Listen well to the learners
 Motivate by interacting differently with
different students
3. Dynamic communication skills
 Sense of drama, rhythm
 Good use of language
o Use language of “promises” >
“demands”
o Express belief in students’ ability
to learn
o Celebrate achievements
o Use warm language
4. Trustworthy: Power-Trust issues
 Don’t use classroom to demonstrate
power.
 Build trust relationships
 Give power to students to make
decisions about their own learning
 Interact fairly (same policies for all)