** In Collaboration**
Whether you are teaching as part of your Phd., or you do it as a full-time job it can be both challenging and rewarding. After all, you get to help others discover things about which you are passionate. Of course, perfecting the art of teaching well is a lifetime job, although if you make sure you have the four things below you will be making a pretty good start.
Image sourced from pexels.com
A plan
We all try to wing it in life sometimes, but when you are in front of a class of student is not a great idea. Why? Well, for one, you owe it to them to put some time and thought into what you are going to say, and how you will use their time.
In fact, modern theory in teaching suggests that breaking up an hour block into smaller chunks of time with different types of activity is a much better way to teach. Therefore, having even a brief lesson plan with headers on what to do, and what your learning objectives are can make all the difference in teaching well.
Energy
Now, some folks will tell you that teaching is not related to charisma, but to get a group of people to listen to your every word can be a tall order. Especially if it’s on a difficult subject. That is where energy comes in.
You see you’ll need a certain energy of enthusiasm to grip your students’ attention. Although, if you are more introverted in nature it is possible to put your energy into more creative activities and strategies for learning. Something that can help to take the emphasis off of you having to lead with exuberance from the front of the class.
The right space
In practice, you can teach anywhere, but in reality, having a decent space that is well equipped can undoubtedly make a difference to the quality of learning you can provide for your students. In fact, many studies have proved a pleasant environment is conducive to both behaviour and learning an educational space.
With this in mind, you may wish to take some time to reorganise the space you have been assigned to you to it more productive. It can also be worth your while requesting new furniture items from suppliers such as Civic Australia to provide maximum functionality in the leaning space. Just be sure to fill in that requisition form right, as you know how academic finance departments can be!
Confidence
Lastly, to teach well, you will need confidence. This is different from energy because it’s all about having a belief in yourself and your own knowledge, something you will need before you get up in front of a class.
Remember though that you can be confident without knowing the answer to every single question that comes up. In fact, don’t let questions you are unsure of stump you. Instead, just praise the asker for putting the issue to you, and say ‘I don’t know right now,’ and make a note to look it up and answer it in the next session. That is true confidence action, and it will improve your teaching no end.
You might also like
Leave A Reply