35 pages • 1 hour read
Ken BainWhat the Best College Teachers Do
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2004A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
What do you consider Ken Bain’s most important finding in What the Best College Teachers Do? How can this finding inform and improve college teaching?
Are there any flaws in Bain’s research methods and thus his arguments? How can these flaws be rectified with more recent methods (i.e., technology, etc.)?
According to Bain, what is problematic about teachers’ transfer of knowledge? How can this method be improved?
Why is it important for effective teachers to know the science of learning? What does this science entail, and how is it often taught at institutions?
What does it mean for faculty to approach their teaching like research? Why should they do this for both their and their students’ sake?
Do you agree or disagree with Bain’s suggestions for a system of assessing teaching effectiveness through portfolios (including use of outside evaluators, etc.)? Why? What should be included in these portfolios?
Scholars across disciplines have critiqued the use of student ratings in considering faculty for tenure and promotions. What makes these ratings effective and ineffective?
What are the benefits of planning a course using backward design? What challenges might arise using this method?
The practice of “ungrading” has become popular in recent years because it discourages strategic learning by removing extrinsic motivation. What are this method’s strengths and weaknesses?
Bain’s book was published in 2004. How has educational technology advanced in recent years, and which technologies discourage rote memorization and encourage deep learning?
