What the Best College Teachers Do

Bain’s research suggests eliminating lecturing is unnecessary, since seven “unifying” principles impact learning—including courses that involve lecturing. The first unifying principle suggests fostering a “natural critical learning environment” (99). This environment is “natural” because students work with questions that naturally spark curiosity. Instructional methods range from discussions and lectures to roleplaying and analysis of case studies:

But the methods matter far less than do the challenge and permission for students to tackle authentic and intriguing questions and tasks, to make decisions, to defend their choices, to come up short, to receive feedback on their efforts, and to try again (100).

Thus, guidance is key to a natural critical learning environment, as is the second principle—work that invites students to participate in higher thinking (i.e., analyzing, comparing, and evaluating) rather than absorbing and regurgitating information. Teachers might ask students to share questions in writing. They turn lectures into opportunities for clarifying challenging topics, while encouraging active learning and providing opportunities to exercise skills.

Effective educators use the third principle—provocative questions and claims—to generate student interest and invite them to consider issues from alternative perspectives. They often use the Socratic method (asking and answering questions) to challenge students’ mental models. This approach contrasts with traditional coverage: The Socratic method meets learners where they are in terms of knowledge, as everyone has a different starting point. The fourth principle suggests compelling, rather than soliciting, genuine commitment to learning. For example, one instructor “asks his students for a show of hands that they are willing to be on time for every class and participate intellectually in the deliberations of each day” (113).

The fifth principle pushes students to learn outside of the classroom, through backward design. The sixth principle pushes educators to consider their own intellectual processes and use class time to help students think like them, like scholars. Some educators used the Socratic method to accomplish this goal, while others integrated explanation and inquiry: “Through such an approach teachers help students build an understanding of concepts rather than simply perform their discipline in front of them” (115). The seventh principle suggests employing a variety of instructional methods to maintain engagement.

Effective educators also use “good talk,” speaking with students rather than at them. They regularly practiced and refined their public speaking and body language, and observed students’ responses. For example, “The most effective teachers might begin a point by looking at one student then move their eyes from one person to another before finishing the explanation with someone across the room” (118). They employed a conversational, warm tone to be inclusive, as well as appropriate pauses and emphasis. They also used storytelling to make challenging topics robust yet digestible: Effective educators begin instruction with generalizations before introducing discipline-specific issues and terminology.

Effective teachers communicate and generate discussion grounded in deep learning: “[…] there was something to discuss that the students regarded as important and that required them to solve problems. The teacher raised questions that the students had come to regard as significant” (127). These teachers provided problems for students to consider rather than expecting them to discuss material with little guidance. They played an active role in forming student groups for class activities and discussions, sometimes rearranging classrooms. Group work proved most effective as “an opportunity to work on authentic problems rather than as an obligation to fulfill a class assignment” (128). Effective teachers also allowed students to form ideas before launching into discussion, sometimes through writing exercises. When it comes to actual discussion, they often called on students instead of waiting for them to speak—however, this is not an interrogation but conversation punctuated by “concluding questions” like “What are the implications of our conclusions” (133)?