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1. How can I know if I am doing a good job or a bad job?
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1. How can I know if I am doing a good job or a bad job? Answer from Dr. Dollinger "This probably depends on one's initial discomfort but should be a little better with each lecture and each repetition of the course. " Answer from Dr. Kumar "Facial expressions of students tell a lot about how a class period is going. A more experienced teacher can make this judgment more easily than a new TA. If you notice that students appear disengaged, things are not going well. This does not mean you are doing a bad job but the way you are presenting that topic needs modifications. Change the subject a little, discuss some practical application of the topic, and generate some discussion to bring students’ attention back into the classroom. I also suggest doing anonymous surveys one or two times during a semester to get feedback from students. Since joining academia, I have always done this and students really appreciate it. " Answer from Dr. Harris "Ask the students. I do this through 4 week, 8 week, and 12 week mini course evaluations. I ask the students the same three questions every time: TOP 2. If I am frightened or tensed, what should I do? Any tips for managing nervousness? Answer from Dr. Kumar "It is natural to be nervous, particularly on the first day of classes. It is primarily because of anxiety and uncertainty you have in your mind. Take a deep breath. Remind yourself that you know a lot more about the subject than your students do. No body is perfect. Even the experienced instructors/professors sometime do not have answer to a question asked by the students. The key to overcome nervousness is relaxation. Once you start teaching, nervousness will fade away. " TOP 3. Who designs material to be covered? What kind of material do I need to know? How will I know if I have enough material to last the entire class period? Answer from Dr. Kumar "Course Description, which includes the material or topics to be covered in a course, is designed by the department faculty, particularly by the faculty members who have expertise in the area. If you are assigned to be a TA for a class, it is expected that you have taken that course earlier and you are familiar with the course material. However, in order to teach the material you will need a lot more preparation. " TOP 4. How do I decide the difficulty of the content of the class? I don’t want it too easy or too hard for a 100 level class? Answer from Dr. Kumar "Contents of each course are carefully designed to enhance students’ knowledge a step further. Consequently, there is an inherited level of difficulty because the topics are new for the students. What make students feel a course to be difficult are: (1) when they do not get appropriate instruction in the class, whether due to slack on their part or due to inadequate explanations by the instructor; and (2) when they feel unprepared to complete assignments and take quizzes and exams. Therefore, as one course or lab instructor you can do your part by exercising the good teaching practices. " TOP 5. Are there requirements as to how much homework (assigned questions) that must be assigned? Answer from Dr. Kumar "There are no such requirements. The number and type of homework assignments are decided by the course instructor based on the purpose and objectives of the course. I believe homework assignments are very important for students to learn the course material since students are forced to practice what they learned in the class. Therefore, it is my opinion that each course includes some kind of outside the class assignment for students. At the same time, it is recommended not to overburden the students with a lot of assignments. In general, for a 3 credit hour course a student is expected to spend between 3 to 6 hours every week outside the class to grasp and practice the course material which includes reading, homework assignments, projects, etc." TOP 6.How do I teach? How to communicate the material effectively? How to effectively convey information? Answer from Dr. Kumar "There is no short answer for these questions. Graduate Teaching Workshops are designed to help you in obtaining these skills. However, I would like to add that teaching is an art which can be learned through training and improved with practice. Remember the ‘FACE’ of an excellent teacher. You must have confidence and command on the material you are supposed to present in order to communicate effectively. Each person has his/her own teaching style. If you already do not know your teaching style, you will develop one soon after you start teaching. " TOP 7.What's the best way to captivate the attention of the students? How can I make the class interesting so that students are not bored? Answer from Dr. Kumar "Unfortunately, there is no magical recipe to captivate students’ attention. However, remember that students learn the best when the topic is related to a real world situation and discussion is started at a level of their previous knowledge. Also, students are more attentive when they are active participants. Create the environment of curiosity. Show the students a big picture and then tell them that you will discuss about “this” component of the project, e.g., we know several building are made from beams and columns which must be connected. If you need to talk about a ‘bolt connection, show them some beam-column connections first and then shift the focus to a particular connection you need to discuss. TOP 8.How to stimulate students' passion if the class is so boring? Answer from Dr. Kumar "In order to stimulate students’ passion in the course material, first and foremost, it is imperative that your teaching reflects your passion about teaching and course material. Students get passionate about the topic when they are interested in the subject matter and they perceive usefulness of the topic in enhancing their knowledge. It is my opinion that there is no such thing as a boring topic or boring class. It is the teacher who can make it so. Students consider a class to be boring only when they have hard time keeping their mind focused on the topic being discussed in the classroom. Therefore, in order to keep students’ mind in the classroom and focused on the topic, make sure to relate the topic to students’ existing knowledge and/or to a real-world situation which they are familiar with. " TOP 9.How long does it take to prepare to teach a class? Answer from Dr. Dollinger "Good teaching is hard work, especially in the beginning. It comes down to your comfort level with the material. You have to go into each class session well prepared. And it’s best to be at least one or two lectures ahead of where you are in class. Answer from Dr. Kumar "It is extremely important that you know the topics you are going to teach. The time required to prepare for a course/lab would depend on how much you already know. When teaching a course/lab for the first time it takes some time to organize your thoughts and prepare for the class. In order to avoid last minute rush in preparing for a class period, I recommend that you be prepared for at least next three class periods. If you teach the same course/lab in subsequent semesters, preparation time required reduces significantly. Irrespective of how knowledgeable you are about the material you are going to teach, I strongly recommend revising the material 15 minutes before the class. " TOP 10.Should I lecture the whole time? Answer from Dr. Dollinger "This will be boring. " Answer from Dr. Kumar "Whether or not you should lecture the whole time depends on your assignment. If you are teaching a regular class, it entails lecturing or solving examples during the entire class period. If the students are supposed to work on group projects, some class time may be kept for group meetings and discussions. Teaching a lab course involves lecturing for some time and then letting students conduct experiments under your supervision. Some TAs are assigned to conduct discussions sessions where there may not be lecturing but discussions in the class. If you are assigned to conduct tutorials it may involve solving several examples. " TOP 11.How to know how much lecture time to use, as opposed to class discussion, students' projects and etc.? Answer from Dr. Dollinger "Have variety in every class and a moderately fast pace except for things you definitely want students to write down. " Answer from Dr. Kumar "It is very course specific. Some courses require primarily lecturing along with discussions that originate from the topics being presented in the class whereas others require significant time for discussions on predetermined topics or projects. Therefore, time for various activities should be allotted very carefully based on the course objectives. I would recommend that you discuss this with your supervisor before finalizing the course outline. " TOP 12.How do I manage the class hours? How do I effectively use up my time? Answer from Dr. Kumar "I recommend that you use the first few minutes of each class period to summarize what was discussed in the previous period and the objectives of what will be covered during the current class period. It is preferable that you list the objectives on the board or project them on screen. In addition, devote a few minutes to answer students' questions, if any. Similarly, at the end of a class period take a few minutes to summarize what was discussed in the class. If you prefer, you can do a minute paper at the end of the class to evaluate how much students understood the major concepts presented. Balance of the time should be devoted to cover the class material." TOP 13.How do I control the situation when a student smarts off to me and disrespects me in front of the others? Answer from Dr. Kumar "This won’t happen very often as long as you are confident about the course material you are teaching. Remember, you know a lot more about the subject than the students in your class. If a student tries to smart off and disrupt the class, you can politely tell him/her that you would like to discuss his question further after the class. Then meet the student during your office hours and address his issues. If the situation continues, report to your supervisor and let him/her address the student’s concerns." TOP 14.What if I get a question I can't answer in class? Answer from Dr. Kumar "Nobody is perfect and knows the answer to every single question that may arise. Even after obtaining years of academic training and experience, every faculty member faces a situation where he/she is not able to explain a question raised by a student. So, if you are not able to answer a question in the class, don't think that you lost your credibility. Tell the student that the question he/she has raised is an excellent question which needs more thinking. Therefore, you will provide the answer in the next class. It is very important that you find the answer to the question after the class, discuss the same question in the next class, and provide a satisfactory answer. If "not being able to answer the question situation" is happening frequently, it simply shows that you are not prepared for the class. In this case, you know what needs to be done!" TOP 15.What's the best way to handle controversial questions asked by students in the classroom that cannot really be handled easily, such as questions related to religion, politics, evolution, etc.? Answer from Dr. Kumar "Handling controversial questions is tricky and needs some teaching experience and familiarity with the rules and regulations. If the controversial question is not related to the course material, avoid discussion on that topic. Otherwise, I suggest restricting the discussion to the facts rather than opinions. If you feel uncomfortable in answering or discussing a particular topic, inform your supervisor and let him/her lead the discussion. Remember, your supervisor has a lot more experience on how to handle these topics, particularly when they are related to the course material." TOP 16.How to evaluate participation? How can I engage the students to participate? Answer from Dr. Kumar "Class participation is extremely important to keep students' mind in the classroom. In order to have good student participation you should develop a business informal atmosphere in the class where students can ask the questions freely without the fear of being judged or evaluated. Encourage students to ask questions. A student is more likely to ask a question and participate in the discussions when he/she feels that he/she is not the only one who did not understand the material presented. Therefore, remind them that if you did not understand what was just discussed or taught, there may be several others who are in the same boat. So by asking a question, you are not only helping yourself but also your classmates. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer from Dr. Dollinger "Ask Dale Brown for advice! (I did)." Answer from Dr. Kumar "Pose a question or a situation, give some time for students to brainstorm and organize their thoughts, and then let them initiate the discussion. If the discussion is going away from the main point, bring it back by providing some hints. However, limit your own comments to avoid turning discussion into lecturing. " TOP 18.How best can one establish authority? Answer from Dr. Kumar "Your knowledge is your authority. You establish authority based on how you present yourself and the course material. Remember the FACE of an excellent teacher. I would recommend that be prepared, organized, and talk with confidence. In addition, be professional, fair, consistent, and treat everybody equally. " TOP 19.How to handle making errors when students correct me in front of the class? Answer from Dr. Kumar "This is not a pleasant situation. Frequent errors in the class may be due to lack of confidence, lack of preparation, and/or lack of concentration. You must identify what is causing you to make errors in the classroom and then work on rectifying the situation." TOP |
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