The document discusses principles and practices of effective teaching and learning environments. It describes how effective learning environments support student learning in several ways: (1) by setting clear goals and intellectual challenges; (2) employing active teaching methods that engage students; (3) effective communication and interaction between teachers and students; (4) attending to students' intellectual and social growth; (5) respecting diverse talents and learning styles; (6) encouraging learning beyond the classroom; (7) reflecting on and improving teaching practices; and (8) integrating teaching with research. It also discusses principles of assessment for learning, as learning, and of learning and how to effectively arrange the physical classroom environment to support teaching and learning goals.

1. The Principles
The Principles of Learning and Teaching P-12 (PoLT) and related components state that students learn best when:
1. The learning environment is supportive and productive
2. The learning environment promotes independence, interdependence and self-motivation
3. Students’ needs, backgrounds, perspectives and interests are reflected in the learning program
4. Students are challenged and supported to develop deep levels of thinking and application
5. Assessment practices are an integral part of teaching and learning
6. Learning connects strongly with communities and practice beyond the classroom
7. Seven Principles of Good Teaching Practice
8.
9. Before we start into WebCT, we'd like you to read through the list below, and reflect
on how WebCT can help you with addressing these teaching and learning goals.
10.In March 1987, the American Association of Higher Education first published "Seven
Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education." These seven principles are
a meta-analysis of 50 years of research on good teaching principles by Arthur
Chickering and Zelda Gamson. These principles apply to teaching and learning in any
environment.
11.1. Good practice encourages interaction between students and faculty.
12.Frequent student-faculty contact in and out of class is a most important factor in
student motivation and involvement. Faculty concern helps students get through rough
times and keep on working. It also enhances students' intellectual commitment and
encourages them to think about their own values and plans.
13.WebCT Tip: Use the Discussion Board, Mail, Chat & Whiteboard to
interact with your students.
14.2. Good practice encourages interaction and collaboration between students.
15.Learning is enhanced when it is more like a team effort than a solo race. Good
learning, like good work, is collaborative and social, not competitive and isolated.
Working with others often increases involvement in learning. Sharing one's ideas and
responding to others improves thinking and deepens understanding.
16.WebCT Tip: Encourage students to ask questions of each other, try &
answer each others' inquiries, or react to each others work (via the
Discussion Board, in Mail, or Chat, for example). Set up a "buddy" system
or groups for collaboration (you can assign private Discussion Topic areas
to specific groups of students, assign Chat rooms, and set up a public
Student Presentation area where each group can share their groupwork).
17.3. Good practice uses active learning techniques.
18.Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just sitting in classes
listening to teachers, memorizing prepackaged assignments, and spitting out answers.
They must talk about what they are learning, write reflectively about it, relate it to
past experiences, and apply it to their daily lives. They must make what the learn part
of themselves.

2. 19.WebCT Tip: Design Assignments to encourage students to apply the
concepts learned in the course. Use the Self-Test tool for active review of
materials. The Discussion board is a good place to have students reflect
publicly on issues & respond to each other's reflections.
20.4. Good practice gives prompt feedback.
21.Knowing what you know and don't know focuses your learning. In getting started,
students need help in assessing their existing knowledge and competence. Then, in
classes, students need frequent opportunities to perform and receive feedback on their
performance. At various points during college, and at its end, students need chances to
reflect on what they have learned, what they still need to know, and how they might
assess themselves.
22.WebCT Tip: Let students know what type of feedback to expect from you
& how often it will be provided. Likewise, be clear as to what type of
feedback you'd like from them. At various times during the course, allow
the students a forum for providing feedback about the course itself. Note
that the Quiz & the Self-Test tools are a good ways of providing instant
feedback.
23.5. Good practice emphasizes time on task.
24.Time plus energy equals learning. Learning to use one's time well is critical for
students and professionals alike. Allocating realistic amounts of time means effective
learning for students and effective teaching for faculty.
25.WebCT Tip: Use the Calendar tool as one way to keep students on-task.
Timed quizzes emphasize time-on-task, as well.
26.6. Good practice communicates high expectations.
27.Expect more and you will get it. High expectations are important for everyone - for
the poorly prepared, for those unwilling to exert themselves, and for the bright and
well motivated. Expecting students to perform well becomes a self-fulfilling
prophecy.
28.WebCT Tip: Provide students examples of "A"-quality work. Release
statistics along with grades, so that students can see how they are
performing as compared to the rest of the class (stats can give the mean
grade and/or the frequencies). Use the "Selective Release" feature to
release course info only as students achieve a certain level of success on a
test.
29.7. Good practice respects diversity --- talents, experience, and ways of learning.
30.Many roads lead to learning. Different students bring different talents and styles to
college. Brilliant students in a seminar might be all thumbs in a lab or studio; students
rich in hands-on experience may not do so well with theory. Students need
opportunities to show their talents and learn in ways that work for them. Then they
can be pushed to learn in new ways that do not come so easily.
31.WebCT Tip: Stick to a template for course page design *but* vary the
types of excercises and assignments.
32.Taken from "Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever" by
Chickering and Ehrmann http://www.aahe.org/technology/ehrmann.htm
33.

3. Guiding Principles and Practices of Effective Teaching
Revised by Faculty Senate Executive Committee on February 24, 2004
Adopted by Faculty Senate on May 4, 2004 for insertion in Handbook for Faculty and Professional Staff
Statement of Purpose:
Teaching is part of Binghamton University’s core mission, whether it be in the context of
undergraduate or graduate education, mentoring, or any of the other myriad ways that faculty
interact with students. Our students challenge us as a faculty to foster a rich and diverse
learning environment. To this end, the Faculty Senate endorses the following eight guiding
principles of teaching and learning and encourages the individual schools and departments to
develop complementary sets of principles and practices that better reflect their specific mission.
The faculty member:
Principle 1. Sets clear goals and intellectual challenges for student learning
Examples of effective practices:
 identifies key concepts or ideas in the field and helps students to understand and apply them
 communicates current research and knowledge relevant to course goals
 identifies key steps in achieving learning goals
 actively helps students to accomplish goals and meet challenges as defined in the course outline
 sets high, yet reasonable, expectations of students’ learning
 encourages students to think analytically and solve problems
Principle 2. Employs teaching methods and strategies that actively involve students
Examples of effective practices:
 organizes effective learning experiences to meet intellectual goals and learning outcomes
 shows awareness that learning is a process that transforms and changes learners
 values and encourages student input and feedback
 evaluates and assesses learning in a manner consistent with established goals and learning outcomes
 encourages and assists students in self-directed learning activities
Principle 3. Communicates and interacts effectively with students
Examples of effective practices:
 exhibits a strong interest in students
 engenders enthusiasm and interest in subject matter
 attends to classroom dynamics that enhance or inhibit learning
 expresses goals, intended outcomes, and expectations clearly and effectively and discusses these with
students
 uses fair and reasonable methods of evaluating learning
 encourages appropriate student-faculty interaction
Principle 4. Attends to the intellectual and social growth of students
Examples of effective practices:
 provides, and discusses with students, explicit criteria for assessing learning
 reviews students’ progress in achieving intellectual goals and learning outcomes
 acquires regular and varied feedback on students’ accomplishments
 provides advanced learning opportunities for those students who seek them
 helps students to develop social skills such as team work, communication, and leadership
Principle 5. Respects the diverse talents and learning styles of students
Examples of effective practices:
 recognizes and accommodates different learning styles
 employs multiple methods in evaluating students

4.  balances collaborative and individual student learning to reflect the course aims and outcomes
 demonstrates sensitivity to social and cultural issues
 accommodates students with diverse abilities
Principle 6. Encourages learning beyond the classroom
Examples of effective practices:
 seeks to make connections with living and learning communities
 applies academic learning in university contexts outside the classroom
 helps students connect their academic learning to the world outside the classroom
 encourages students to be life-long learners
Principle 7. Reflects on, monitors and improves teaching philosophy and practices
Examples of effective practices:
 improves teaching through self-reflection and periodic peer and student feedback
 regularly revises and updates course content, format and assignments
 regularly revises and updates teaching methods and use of technologies
 enhances teaching by participating in professional development activities
Principle 8. Integrates teaching and learning with research, scholarship, and creative
activities
Examples of effective practices:
 uses student learning experiences to stimulate research, scholarship and creative activities
 uses research, scholarship and creative activities to enhance teaching and to foster student research
 uses research, scholarship or creative activities to constantly renew and energize student learning
 involves students in faculty research, scholarship and creative activities and gives students appropriate
recognition
 collaborates with library faculty to help students develop the skills to locate, evaluate, and use
information resources
In accepting these principles the Faculty Senate recognizes that the inventory of effective practices listed above
should be dynamic and reflect changes in pedagogy. It therefore authorizes the Faculty Senate Executive
Committee to make changes in these lists as the Executive Committee sees appropriate.
Based on a similar set of principles developed at the University of British
Columbia (http://www.tag.ubc.ca/facdev/services/appendixc.html
).
Teaching Philosophy
I believe that education is a
two-way proposition. The
student's part of the
proposition is to come to
class prepared to learn and
my part is to create an
interactive environment that
engages the student in the
learning process in and out
of the classroom.
I have discovered through
the years that a very
important thing I can do for
my students (and myself) is
to share the real me, warts
and all, with them. How can
I expect them to be honest
with me unless I am willing
to be honest with them?
As a teacher, it is my job to
stimulate and encourage
thinking rather than to
provide answers and resolve
problems.
A teaching philosophy
statement is a kind of personal
"mission statement" for anyone
who is committed to teaching.
It demonstrates that you are
reflective and purposeful about
your teaching, and helps to
communicate your goals as a
teacher and your corresponding
actions in the classroom
By including specific examples
of teaching strategies and
techniques, your statement
will help your readers visualize
the rich learning environment
you want to create for your
students.

5. By including specific examples
of teaching strategies and
techniques, your statement
will help your readers visualize
the rich learning environment
you want to create for your
students.
As a teacher “you have a responsibility for creating a space that reflects the learning goals of the
work space,
the personality, interests, and age of the students who learn there, and to create a space
that is a comfortable and productive learning environment for all.”
ASSESSMENT FOR, AS AND OF LEARNING
NSW syllabuses and support materials promote an integrated approach to teaching, learning and
assessment. Assessment for learning, assessment as learning and assessment of learning are approaches that can
be used individually or together, formally or informally, to gather evidence about student achievement and to
improve student learning.
The principles of assessment for learning and assessment as learning strategies have some common
elements. Assessment for learning and assessment as learning incorporate:
 self-assessment and peer assessment
 strategies for students to actively monitor and evaluate their own learning
 feedback, together with evidence, to help teachers and students decide whether students are ready for the next phase
of learning or whether they need further learning experiences to consolidate their knowledge, understanding and skills.
Assessment for learning and assessment as learning approaches, in particular, help teachers and students to
know if current understanding is a suitable basis for future learning. Teachers, using their professional
judgement in a standards-referenced framework, are able to extend the process of assessment for learning into
the assessment of learning.
 Assessment for learning
 Assessment as learning
 Assessment of learning
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING
Assessment for learning involves teachers using evidence about students' knowledge, understanding and skills
to inform their teaching. Sometimes referred to as ‘formative assessment', it usually occurs throughout the
teaching and learning process to clarify student learning and understanding.
Assessment for learning:
 reflects a view of learning in which assessment helps students learn better, rather than just achieve a better mark
 involves formal and informal assessment activities as part of learning and to inform the planning of future learning
 includes clear goals for the learning activity
 provides effective feedback that motivates the learner and can lead to improvement
 reflects a belief that all students can improve
 encourages self-assessment and peer assessment as part of the regular classroom routines
 involves teachers, students and parents reflecting on evidence
 is inclusive of all learners.
Series on Highly Effective Practices—Classroom Environment 1
1. Arranging the Physical Environment of the Classroom to Support Teaching/Learning
Arranging the physical environment of the classroom is one way to improve the learning
environment and to prevent problem behaviors before they occur. Research on the classroom
environment has shown that the physical arrangement can affect the behavior of both students
and teachers (Savage, 1999; Stewart & Evans, 1997; Weinstein, 1992), and that a well-structured
classroom tends to improve student academic and behavioral outcomes (MacAulay, 1990;
Walker, Colvin, & Ramsey, 1995; Walker & Walker, 1991). In addition, the classroom
environment acts as a symbol to students and others regarding what teachers value in behavior
and learning (Savage, 1999; Weinstein, 1992). If a classroom is not properly organized to

6. support the type of schedule and activities a teacher has planned, it can impede the functioning of
the day as well as limit what and how students learn. However, a well-arranged classroom
environment is one way to more effectively manage instruction because it triggers fewer
behavior problems and establishes a climate conducive to learning.
The spatial structure of the classroom refers to how students are seated, where the
students and teacher are in relation to one another, how classroom members move around the
room, and the overall sense of atmosphere and order. The research on classroom environments
suggests that classrooms should be organized to accommodate a variety of activities throughout
the day and to meet the teacher’s instructional goals (Savage, 1999; Weinstein, 1992). In
addition, the classroom should be set up to set the stage for the teacher to address the academic,
social, and emotional needs of students (MacAulay, 1990). The standards for determining what
spatial lay-out is most appropriate to fulfill these functions include: ways to maximize the
teacher’s ability to see and be seen by all his or her students; facilitate ease of movement
throughout the classroom; minimize distractions so that students are best able to actively engage
Series on Highly Effective Practices—Classroom Environment 2
in academics; provide each student and the teacher with his or her own personal space; and
ensuring that each student can see prMost researchers agree that well-arranged classroom settings reflect the following
attributes:
• Clearly defined spaces within the classroom that are used for different purposes and
that ensure students know how to behave in each of these areas (Quinn, Osher,
Warger, Hanley, Bader, & Hoffman, 2000; Stewart & Evans, 1997; Walker, Colvin,
& Ramsey, 1995; Walker & Walker, 1991). For instance, classrooms will contain a
high-traffic area around commonly shared resources and spaces for teacher-led
instruction or independent work, such as rows of desks. A classroom for students
with learning/behavior problems may have separate quiet spaces where a student can
cool down or work independently (Quinn et al., 2000; Walker, Colvin, & Ramsey,
1995), personal spaces that each student can call his or her own (Rinehart, 1991;
Quinn et al., 2000), and areas for large and small group activities that set the stage for
specific kinds interactions between students and teacher (Rinehart, 1991; Walker,
Colvin, & Ramsey, 1995). There may also be spaces to store items, computers, or
audio-visual equipment.
• Seating students in rows facilitates on task behavior and academic learning; whereas
more open arrangements, such as clusters, facilitate social exchanges amesentations and materials posted in the
classroom