Best Teaching Practices for
Developmental Students
Presented by: Jennifer Perkins
Remember when…
All these ways of
teaching and learning
are antiquated and no
longer the best
teaching methods. The
best way to reach your
students is…
Before class starts…
 Prepare, prepare, prepare
 Update your Blackboard shell by reading through each
tab, assignment, due date, instructor information, etc.
 Create a new syllabus using the previous semester's
syllabus, but update all important and relevant
information such as start date, 10% date, withdrawal
date, school breaks, final exam date, office hours, etc.
 Write your students a welcome letter that WELCOMES
them to your class and invites them to share in this
learning process with you the instructor and their future
classmates.
 Remind students of when and where the class will meet,
the textbook information, and the importance of
attending the first day of class.
First day of class…
 Ice breaker activity!!
 Go over syllabus and classroom expectations
 Discuss requirements of the course to be successful
 Consider a group ice breaker
Create teams that start connections from Day 1
Have students exchange contact information
Group Ice Breakers

Lost at Sea-Teams work
together to identify items that
will aid in their survival at sea.

Students discuss not only what
items will aid in their survival
but what will attract attention
for rescue.

Builds on teamwork, creates
peer connections, promotes
communications skills and
establishes rapport between
classmates
THE LEADERSHIP CENTER AT WASHINGTON STATE
UNIVERSITY
D:\MyDocuments\Websites\lead\library\resources\RESO
URCES\Teambuilding\Lost At Sea.doc

Crayon Game-Individuals
choose his/ her favorite color
and create groups with those
who chose the same color.

Then each group finds a
commonality that goes beyond
their group color.

Establishes a bond between
group members, works on their
communication skills,
strengthens relationships
Policies and Procedures…
From Day 1, clearly explain the
classroom policies and procedures.
Go over your expectations and
requirements. If there is a steadfast
policy against cell phone use in the
classroom, then let students know.
It is imperative for the success of
the class that are clear guidelines
from the instructor.
My one and only classroom is…
The Importance of
Intervention
 In order to do our jobs, and do it well, we need to
prepare for those students who consistently miss class,
come to class late or struggle in the classroom. Those
students may need an intervention on their behalf.
 Using your school’s early alert system, take time to
notify students who do seem to be struggling or need
the extra help. Often times, students truly appreciate
when an instructor takes time to reach out to them.
 Find at your school where there is an intervention tool
where students can be referred to counseling and
advising for academic counseling or personal counseling.
Learning Style and Personality Types
Learning Styles:
Personality Types:
 Visual learners learn best
by seeing. They need to
see it to understand it.
 Extrovert vs. IntrovertThis is where students will
focus their energy.
 Auditory learners learn
best from what they hear.
They prefer a lecture over
reading a textbook.
 Sensing vs. Intuition- This
is how students gather
information.
 Kinesthetic learners learn
best when they are
actively involved. These
students find it difficult to
sit still for long periods of
time.
 Thinking vs. Feeling- This
is how students make
decisions.
 Judging vs. PerceivingThis is how students relate
to the world around them.
Get to know your students…
Take time to learn your students names and show a genuine interest
in their well being. Strike up conversations before class starts and
after class ends. Make a consistent effort to get to know each
individual student. We want our students to feel valuable to the class.
As educators, we are here to create productive working relationships
with all our students.
Reach out to your students
Weekly basis
 Each week, make a point
to update your Bb shell
 Simply update your
announcement page and
click the box that sends
the message out via
email and link it to any
ongoing assignments
Individual basis
 Take time to respond to
emails from students in a
timely manner (within
24-48 business hours)
 If a student misses two
or more classes, email
that student and remind
him/ her your door is
always open.
Active Learning Strategies
From Confucius, to Bloom’s
Taxonomy, we learn best by
doing, so incorporate the
doing into your classes.
Ideas for active learning:
 Role play or act out a problem
 Peer edit each other’s work with
directives to find three pluses and one
piece of constructive criticism
 Use clickers to randomly poll your
audience or ask questions relevant to
the assigned writing/ reading
 Use large sheets of Post-its and put
subject heading relevant to your
curriculum for each person to add his/
her comments
 Teaching in small groups-Learn
content area as a whole group and
then redistribute groups to learn new
information
 Create a one minute paper reflecting
upon what was taught in class that
day
 Circle group as a way to share and
discuss writing pieces, use rough
drafts or final copies
Midterms, Exams, and More
 By halfway through the semester, students should be in a
grove with the classroom policies and procedures
 Give students with at least two weeks notice as to when
and where you will give the midterm exam
 Prepare for the midterm by holding an in-class study
session or encourage study groups to form
 Discuss what will be on the midterm, how to prepare, and
why students should study
 Conquer test anxiety and practice breathing and relaxation
techniques
 After the midterm, have students calculate their grades
 Talk about midterm reports and the potential of bringing
up a low grade
End of semester…
 Remind students of any papers/ exams that will be due
 Discuss when the last class meeting will be and when
and where the exam will take place
 Prepare for the end by reminding students to double
check grades and point out any in discrepancies
 Evaluate the final grading process as a whole class and
make students aware of absences how they will affect
their final grade
Best Teaching Practices, 2nd edition