Introduction

The Seven Principles for Good Teaching

All levels of instruction depend upon the ability of the instructor to deliver information to the students and the ability of the students to internalize that information. Instruction techniques rely upon a philosophy or set of guidelines to help the instructor and students effectively navigate this dynamic. The most widely-used set of such guidelines is the Seven Principles for Good Teaching. The Seven Principles for Good Teaching encourage active learning and stress the importance of interaction in and out of the classroom. The principles are:

Matching Instructional Strategies with Course Objectives

To effectively apply the Seven Principles, the instructor must first match their instructional strategies with the course objectives. Determining whether to teach by lecture, example, discussion, or some other technique can have a profound effect on the degree to which students apprehend the information. Deciding on an instructional method for a given lesson can be done by asking important questions before each class period. Such as:

When do I tell students something and when do I let them discover something?
When do I lecture, when do I ask a question, when do I have a discussion, or when do I engage students in an activity?
When do I ask students to do something alone, in pairs, or in groups?
When do I answer students’ questions, and when do I have other students respond to the question?
When and how do I correct an incorrect student answer?
When do I review concepts orally, and when do I give handouts?
When and how do I use information technology?
Do I use prepared visual aids (graphs, formulas, equations) or draw or derive them in class?
How do I cover the subject matter at the right depth and pace?