Considering the Yin and Yang of Teaching and Learning: a Resource for the Novice Educator

This paper introduces four key teaching and learning concepts that may be useful for novice educators new to the teaching and learning process. We have organized these concepts into the Chinese symbol of a yin–yang where one side captures what is needed for student learning to occur and, the other, what teachers need to do to prepare for teaching. This two-sided symbol brings together several practical ideas, such as cognitive load theory, co-construction of knowledge, and instructional design principles that may be useful for faculty new to teaching and learning.