21st Century Teaching Strategies

Vikki CostaCalifornia State University Fullerton

What are the skills of 21st century professors?

1. Designs Effective Curriculum to Support Student Success

2. Creates Engaging Learning Environments3. Uses a Variety of Teaching/Learning

Strategies4. Assesses Student Performance5. Creates Specialized Learning Materials 6. Applies Technology to Teaching 7. Enhances Professional Practice 

The 21st Century Professor

What is STUDENT ENGAGEMENT?  

• What is Student Engagement ?– Frequency with which students participate in 

activities that represent effective educational practices

Active Learning

Teacher Goals

Teachers establish  learning goals.

Learning Environment

Teachers minimize features that dispose students towards work-avoidance.

Students Actions

Students focus their energies toward learning without distraction or resentment.

Accustomed and resigned to 

academic failure

Respond to tasks with indifference 

and even antagonism

Not dissatisfied with failure

Avoid most challenging and even moderate 

tasks

FailureAccepters

Suffer anxiety because they are 

not always successful

Feel that if they fail, they prove to themselves 

and others that they can’t 

succeed

Avoid most challenging tasks

Avoid some moderate tasks

FailureAvoiders

Successful students who 

take on challenging 

tasks

Anxious about grades and 

performance

Avoid some challenging 

tasks

Overstrivers

Serious learners who 

want to perform well 

and usually do

Predisposed toward 

engagement

SuccessOriented

Student Patterns of Engagement

When Should We Use Engagement Strategies?

• Beginning of class – to access prior learning and prepare students for 

today’s learning• Throughout class– To check for understanding

• End of class– To check for understanding and promote 

reflection on what was learned

What Strategies Can We use to Engage Students?

• Guided Notes and Supporting Documents– Promote engagement in lecture

Guided Notes Example

• Teachers provides guided notes and supporting documents that students complete or otherwise use during the lecture– Guided Notes (information is incomplete)

• Usually provide an outline of main points of a lecture with spaces for students to add notes    

• 50% of information is provided by instructor/50% of information is added by students• Could also include question sets or partially completed tables and graphic organizers

– Supporting Documents (information is complete)• Fully completed tables,  diagrams, maps, images, or graphic organizers• Problem solution sets

• Guided notes decrease chance that students miss important information or record false information, lead to higher scores on assessments, clarify organization of lecture, and teach students to take better notes.

What Strategies Can We use to Engage Students?

• QuickWrites – Identify what was learned– Identify questions that remain

• Small Group Discussion– Promote consideration of critical thinking– Great for case studies– Address misconceptions

QuickWrite ExampleAutobiographical Reflections

• Students complete a QuickWrite in response to a prompt that asks them to reflect upon their personal history in relation or the course or topic.

• During lecture, students to analyze their reflection based on theoretical concepts.  The analyzed reflection may then be submitted, or revised into an essay, or shared in small groups for further discussion.

Management Style QuickWrite

How would you describe your management style?  On your paper, describe your management style in one paragraph.  

In small groups, share what you wrote about your management style.  As a group, decide which style fits you best:• Autocratic• Paternalistic• Democratic 

Small Group Discussion ExampleThink Again with Misconceptions

• Teacher presents a common misconception in the discipline and takes a quick poll asking students to agree or disagree with the statement.  The teacher then tells students that the statement is untrue and assigns them a task that requires them to provide why it is untrue.

• This task challenges students by creating cognitive dissonance and challenging them to subject their belief to critical analysis.

Business Law (Tax Returns) Misconception Discussion

Consider this statement:If you are a business owner, it is good to become incorporated because being incorporated enables you to take more deductions.

Is this statement TRUE or FALSE?FALSE! In a small group of 2-3 classmates, discuss why this statement is not true. Be ready to share your opinions.

What Strategies Can We use to Engage Students?

• Survey– Determine what students know or have 

experienced–May be a quick class question, a phone poll, or 

more extensive survey–May be self-assessment–May be whole-class brainstorming

Engagement Strategies Self-Assessment

Assess yourself on these skills by ranking your abilities:

Skill Your Ranking

You do this well

You would like to do this better

You don’t care 

about this

1.  You use a variety of activities in your teaching to engage students.2. You often use multimedia during your lectures.3.  You often share valuable Web resources to engage your students.

Questionnaire ExampleBackground Knowledge Probe

• Develop short, simple, focused questionnaire that students complete at beginning of a course, at start of new unit, or prior to introducing new topic.

• Help teachers identify best starting point, identify underprepared and well-prepared students.

• Help students access prior knowledge.

What Strategies Can We use to Engage Students?

• Use of Multimedia–May be followed with whole-class or small group 

discussion• Use of Digital Interactives and Websites– Lemonade Stand (

www.coolmath-games.com/lemonade/)– Doing Business (http://doingbusiness.org/)

• Use of Games and Flashcards

Multimedia ExampleText/Video/Image Analysis

• Students listen to a text passage, video clip, or image.– Accounting Videos:  CPA Profile (Ernie Almonte)– Standard Economic Model of Copyright

• Individually or in small groups, students respond to a prompt or summarize what they saw.

• During lecture, student groups analyze the item based on new theoretical concepts.  

Standard Economic Model of Copyright Use the image

to explain why this statement is FALSE:

• The author’s average costs of production (AC) increases with each additional copy she produces.

Games Example

• Students play a game to practice learning.– Quizlet (quizlet.com)• Communication Flashcards• Business Management Final Review• Accounting Basics

– Jeopardy• Introduction to Business Jeopardy• Jeopardy Tools