The intellectual exchange : excellence and equity in college teaching

This report focuses on pedgagogical technique within the context of the rapid expansion and demographic changes in college and university enrollments and how, coupled with budgetary entrenchment, these forces have left institutions of higher education dedicated to providing quality education in a state of crisis. Teaching is seen to be the key factor responsible for student learning and satisfaction with college, and the use of a teaching method called the interactive classroom is suggested as an appropriate methodology for raising educational quality and satisfaction for both teachers and students. The pedagogical cycle of the interactive classroom, consisting of four stages, and the benefits derived from each are described and discussed. The first stage, the introduction, is outlined and includes an illustrative example of such a segment from a freshman history class. This is followed by a similar analysis of the second stage: the questioning process by the instructor to the students. Third, the student response stage of the interactive classroom is discussed. Finally, the instructor's response, or feedback, is examined. The paper concludes with recommendations for improving the quality and raising the importance of the teaching profession.