Meet Allie

Inspired by the premise of Ken Bain’s What the Best College Teachers Do, I wanted to talk to students about their best college teachers. The goal is to reflect on their experiences in a variety of college classrooms to find key actions that a college teacher displayed toward them or for them, so that we can learn how students believe they are best supported for learning. 

In this format, I sit down with a college student to ask a few simple questions about what they think makes for an effective college instructor. I’m curious if we can learn just one thing from each student, that might help us try something new, or double down on an activity or approach that students like and that they know helps them to learn.

Today, we meet Allie, and learn about the teachers that have helped her learn and made her feel like she matters. Allie shares about the importance of monitoring student’s performances and taking note of when something in their behavioral patterns shift, as well as how much she enjoys working, and working hard, for teachers that both notice her personally, and talk about meeting high expectations.