How Sociological Leaders Teach

Abstract

This paper arose from a larger study designed to explore what leaders in the field of sociology think are the most important goals and principles for students to understand after taking a college-level introductory course and how they teach those principles. A population of scholarly leaders in sociology was defined by various forms of peer recognition and included elected presidents of national and regional professional associations, recipients of national awards, and recipients of competitive research funding. In 2005 and 2006 we interviewed a sample of 44 leaders to gain an understanding of key principles and how they are taught. We report their teaching strategies and compare their strategies to those of other teachers and the recommendations in McKinney et al. (2004). Although similar in many respects, leaders are considerably more likely than other sociologists to engage students in research and somewhat more likely to use simulations or games.

Activating Diversity: The Impact of Student Race on Contributions to Course Discussions

“…The variables that we coded were determined by the instructional priorities of the lead author, and included a number of instructional components valued and recommended by leaders and master teachers in sociology (for example, Goldsmid and Wilson 1980; McKinney et al. 2004; Persell, Pfeiffer, and Syed 2008). These concepts, experiences, or supplementary materials are deemed critical for students to fully engage the course material in sociology courses.…”

Strategic Design toward Foundational Learning Goals in Introduction to Sociology

“…The sociological scholarship of teaching and learning has consistently argued that courses should promote higher-order thinking skills; provide repeated practice “express[ing] sociological ideas in a clear and coherent manner, in both written and oral communication” (Pike et al 2017:61); and employ active learning techniques, which are “a high-impact educational practice that deepens students’ engagement in their learning and their understanding of the discipline of sociology” (Pike et al 2017:32; see also Hourigan 2013; Persell et al 2008). Nevertheless, these design features are more often found in topics courses in the discipline than its foundational courses (Howard and Zoeller 2007).…”

“…Nevertheless, these design features are more often found in topics courses in the discipline than its foundational courses (Howard and Zoeller 2007). Moreover, while some studies have examined how instructors try to teach to particular goals (e.g., Persell et al 2008) or how well design elements serve particular goals (e.g., Johnson et al 2013; Rusche and Jason 2011), scholars have rarely sought to examine how course designs (and the elements they incorporate) serve the broader set of learning goals advocated as core to the discipline.…”

Examining the connection between classroom technology and student engagement

“…In the best practices scenario, an instructor desires the combined result of all four outcomes. Consider as an example the use of electronic response systems, or "clickers" (Persell, Pfeiffer, & Syed 2008). Clickers are a popular pedagogical tool (Mollborn & Hoekstra, 2010).…”