voices from the field - rutgers university · experience may be the best teacher, but it is a slow...
TRANSCRIPT
Voices from the Field
CompiledbytheTAProjectoftheSchoolofGraduateStudies,Rutgers,TheStateUniversityofNewJersey
Introduction...........................................................................................................1
TheFirstDay
BreakingtheIce.....................................................................................................1
EstablishingGroundrules......................................................................................2
GettingOrganized
TheSyllabus...........................................................................................................3
PlanningorOverplanning......................................................................................4
EncouragingStudentParticipation
ActiveLearning......................................................................................................5
AskingQuestions...................................................................................................6
ControllingSpace..................................................................................................7
EnablingStudentstoLearn
MakingDifficultSubjectsEasier............................................................................8
MakingItRelevant................................................................................................10
OnBeingHuman...................................................................................................11
VaryingClassMaterial...........................................................................................12
TheLectureClass
MakingYourPoint.................................................................................................13
MakingitInteresting.............................................................................................14
Testing
AcademicIntegrity................................................................................................16
PreparationandDesign.........................................................................................16
Grading...................................................................................................................17
OfficeHours............................................................................................................19
1
Introduction
Experiencemaybethebestteacher,butitisaslowandoftendifficultone.VoicesfromtheFieldisdesigned
togiveteachingassistantswhoarejustbeginningtheirteachingcareersthebenefitsofmanyyearsof
teachingexperience.Rutgersfacultymemberswereaskedtoconsidertheideas,techniques,andpractices
thattheyhavedevelopedovertheyearsandtosharethosethatwouldbeofmostvaluetoteachingassistants
juststartingtheircareers.Theinformationcontainedinthisbookletwasdistilledfromthemanygenerous
responsesreceived.Someadvicewasrepeatedagainandagain,acrossthedisciplines,indicatingitsalmost
universalusefulnesstoteachers.Othersuggestions,however,contradictedthestandardadvice,attestingto
thevarietyofmethodsemployedbydifferentpeopleinsimilarsituations.Nosinglerightwayofteaching
emerges,andthatisasitshouldbe,for,finally,teachingisacreativeandpersonalact.Thisbooklet,then,is
nota“how-to”book;rather,itoffersTAsnumerousalternatemodelsofsuccessfulteachers,speakingintheir
ownwordsaboutwhatseemsmostimportanttothem.Bylisteningtothesevoices,anddecidingwhichones
arespeakingtothemandtheirstyleofteaching,TAscan,perhaps,morequicklyfindtheirownvoicesas
teachers.
TheFirstDay
BreakingtheIce
Thefirstdaycanbeachallenge,anopportunity,oratrial.Carefullyplanned,thisdaycanlayasolid
groundworkfortheentiresemester.Usethefirstclassasawayofeasingintothesemester.
Tailoryourownfirstdayexercisestoreflectandpotentiallyenrichthecontentofthecourseyouwilloffer.
Severalteacherssuggestedhavingstudentsconductinterviewswitheachothersothattheyknowatleastone
personintheclassandbegintofeelathome.Firstdayexercisesalsoallowyoutogatherneededbasic
informationaboutthestudentsandwillhelpyoutobegintolearnthestudents'names.
OnthefirstdayIaskthestudentstobreakintogroups--4orso.Theymustputtogetherasetofinstructions
forsomeone--aMartian,someonefromaverydifferentculture.Thetaskistobeaphysicalact,suchas
openingacardoororbrushingteeth.Onestudentactsasthemodelforthegroup--thefirstposition[tobe
described]isthehumananatomicalposition.WhenallgroupsarefinishedwejointogetherasaclassandI
thenfollowtheinstructionsofeachgroup,veryliterally.Throughinteractionandphysicalmovementthe
studentslearnabouttheconsequencesofambiguityandtheimportanceofdetail.Goodicebreaker,good
formoraletoo.
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Insmallclasses,studentsdoself-introductionsonthefirstdayofclass,asawayofgettingtoknoweach
other.Theybreakintopairs,andeachstudentinthepairtakesfiveminutestointerviewtheothermember
ofthepair.Aftertenminutes,wegoaroundtheroomandthestudentseachintroducetotheclassthe
studenttheyinterviewed.(Topicscoveredincludename,wheretheycamefrom,whatyeartheyarein,why
theyaretakingthiscourse,theirmajorareaofinterest,etc.)
Forclassesofabout40orfewer,Ihavealwaysfoundithelpfultodoanintroductoryactivity.WhatIdoisto
pairthestudentsforthepurposeofinterviewingeachother.Iaskthemtofindoutwheretheotherpersonis
from,whythepersonistakingtheclass,whathisorherconcernsabouttheclassmightbe,andsome
interesting—butnotembarrassing—personalinformation.Ithenaskthestudentstointroduceoneanother
totheclass.Atthesametime,IlearnwhothestudentsareandIamabletoaskspecificquestionsabout
theirbackgroundforthecourse.Theprocessisnotatallthreateningandwindsupbeingafunexperience
whichtakesafullclassperiod.Whilethismayseemlikealotoftimewhichisnotdirectlyinstruction,Ihave
triedtoconductclasseswithouttakingthetimeforthisactivity,anditisalwaysamistake.[Thisactivity]
givestheclasscohesion;itprovideseachstudentwithaninstantfriend;itletsallthestudentsknowwhat
kindofcompetitionandsupportisavailablefromtheirpeers.
EstablishingGroundrules
Manyofthefacultyechotheteacherwhoinsiststhatitisessentialtodistributetheground-rulesonthefirst
daytoclarifyexpectationsandestablishclassrequirements.Itissimplynotfairtokeepstudentsguessingor
tochangetherequirementsasthecourseprogresses.
SomeofthemostusefuladviceIwasgivenpriortoteachingwasthatthefirstclasssetsthetoneforthe
semester--inorderto"setthetone"foractiveparticipation,Iplan"exercises"forgettingstudentsinvolved
earlyon.Inteachinggroupdynamicsandresearch(re:familyfunctioning),I’veaskedfor"brainstorming"—
i.e.,namesomegroupsyou’vebeeninvolvedinorknowof;howwouldyouoperationalizefamily
functioning?Whatisafamily?Howdoyouknowifit’sfunctioningwellorpoorly?Iwritetheresultsofthe
brainstormingontheboard,thusImodelactiveparticipationaswellasvalidatestudentinput.I’vefound
thisveryusefulincreatingadynamicatmosphereinwhichstudentsareengagedinaninterchangeofideas
fromthebeginningofthesemester.
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Isetthe"tone"fortheclasswithinthefirst2weeks.Itiseasiertobe"hardnosed"atthebeginningofthe
semester,theneaseuplater,thanthereverse...Iletstudentsknowclearlyandconciselymyexpectations.
Itellthemduringthefirstclasswhatittakesto"makeit"inmycourse.
Ipresentthestudentswithcourseoutlinesandmakesurecourserequirementsareclear.Atthefirstclass
meeting,Idiscusswherestudentsmaymeetwithme,shouldtheywish/needtodoso.Afterdiscussingthe
overviewofthecourse,thecourserequirements,andofficehours,Iplungerightintothecoursematerialso
thatthestudentsdon’tfeelthattheirtimeisbeingwasted.IthelpstoshowthemthatIamapproachingthe
courseseriouslyandthatIexpectthesamefromthem.Ithinkthatthissetsatonefortherestofthecourse.
..
Itrytosethighbutnotimpossiblestandardsformystudents,thenempowerthemtomeetthosestandards.
GettingOrganized
TheSyllabus
Preparingadetailedsyllabusforcesyoutostructurethematerialefficientlyandtoclarifyteachinggoalsfor
thesemester.Distributingasyllabusduringthefirstclassgivesstudentsasenseofwhattoexpectfromyou
andwhatyouexpectfromtheminthesemestertocome.Doingallthisnowwillpreventproblemslater.
Alwaysprovidestudentswithacoursesyllabuswhichstatesinclearinstructionallanguagethecourse
objectives;methodsofevaluationandweightforeachevaluation;assignmentsandduedatesaswellas
penalties,ifany,forlateness.
Developsyllabusconcerningtopics,readings,assignmentsforeachclassmeetingforeachof14weeksof
semester.
Setupfilewith14sections,onesectionforeachweekofsemester.
Putonfileideas,newsmediaarticles,reprints,etc.whichrelatetoweeklytopics.
Developexpanded"syllabusforteaching"with3categories:
• lecture
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• classroomactivities
• materialstobedistributed/assignments
Thissyllabuswilldetailinoutlinefashionwhatthecontentoftheclasswillbeforeachofthe28class
meetings.Ifinditisbetternottodistributethisexpandedsyllabustoclassbuttouseitasmyteachingplan.
PlanningorOverplanning
Studentsfeelsecurewhenateacherappearstobeorganizedandincontroloftheclass.Providingstudents
withastrongsenseofstructurecanalsohelpthemtomastermaterialthatmightotherwisebeoverwhelming
orconfusing.
Planningshouldbeanongoingprocess,withtheteacherevaluatingthesuccessorfailureofpresentmethods
todeterminefutureones.
Trytoprojectasenseoforderineveryclass.Studentsoftenhavedifficultyincomprehendingthe
organizationofalecture--theygenerallyviewthematerialsasratherchaotic.Coherentlectureswithan
introductoryoutlineforthechapterwillconveytothestudentthefeelingthatyouyourselfareprepared.
Writeobjectivesforthepresentclassandrequirementsforthenextontheboardinthesameplaceevery
week.
Ifindorganizationveryimportantinpresentingideastostudents.BeforeIbeginclass,Iwriteabriefoutline
inthecornerboardofwhatwillbecoveredinthatclassperiod.Thiscomesfrommynotesandhelpsthe
studentinorganizingtheirnotetakingaswellasstudyingoutsideofclass.Thissoundslikeasmallthingto
do—howeverIhavehadpositivecommentsfromstudentswhosaythatitalsohelpsthemtoanticipate
whatwillcomenextandorganizetheirthoughtsduringthelecture.Italsorequiresthatthepresentationbe
organizedinthefirstplaceinordertowritetheoutlineontheboard!
Relyingtooheavilyonthesameplansyearafteryearcanbetheroadtodisaster.
Bepreparedandwellorganizedandclearlyshowthestudentwhattheorganizationofthematerialis[in
orderto]reduceanxieties.Wellorganizedclasslecturenotesbolstermyconfidence.Generaloutlineswork
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betterthanmemorizedtalks.Spelloutobjectives,generalandspecific,foreveryclass.Assoonasclassis
finished,notewhatworkedandwhatdidn’tandmakenextlessonobjectivesimmediately.
Iwriteout(shouldbeoncomputer)allmylecturesinfulldetailorasveryextendedoutlines--updateeach
year.Thatway,Idon’tlosemyplace,forgetthings,ormixuptheorder...andeasytoreviewnextyear.But
don’treadthem--justglanceatthem--Idon’tgetasnervousthatway.
Effectiveteachingrequiresfacultyinvolvementinresearch.
Thesurestwaytogodeadintheheadandloseyourenthusiasmistoteachthesamecoursefromthesame
lessonplansoverandoveragain.Thestudentsareprettysuretheirprofessorsaredeadbelowthenecks,
buttrytokeepyourselfaliveabove.Themoretimesyouteachacourse,thebetteritshouldget--newbooks,
newpedagogicaltechniques,etc.--justneverbusinessasusual.Noreasonnottoconnectitwithyour
currentresearch,leavetitlesandscheduleslotsopenforthestudents’suggestions,pickingupwhatstudent
eyesareseeing,earsarehearing.Ifteachingisn’taball,agas,ahighforyou--ifon-the-jobsatisfaction
doesn’tmorethancompensateforalltheotherstuffyouhavetoputupwith—thengoforthe$$elsewhere.
Andabsolutely,withoutfail,beforetheyleaveyougetinwritingfromthemtheirevaluationsand
suggestionsforthatbetterclassnexttime.
Forsome,overplanningforeveryclassisonewayofbolsteringconfidence.
Ialways"overplan,"sothatIcanswitchgears,dependingonthenatureofthegroup...Iplanformorethan
canbecovered,sothatIneverrunshortofmaterial.Thisalsohelpsclarifyinmymindwheretheclass"will
begoing"forthecomingweek.
EncouragingStudentParticipation
ActiveLearning
Activelearningispossibleonlywhenstudentsfeeltheyhaveavoiceintheclass,thattheyarefactorsin
determiningthedirectionandtoneoftheclass.
Letstudentschoosetheorderingoftasks;letthemhavechoiceinassignmenttopics,oralpresentations,etc.
wheneverpossible.Itgeneratesmoreenthusiasmfortasksandmaterialbeingtaught.
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Trytogiveoptions,i.e.studentchoice,inmeetingcourseassignments.
Designhand-outsdescribingproblem(i.e.acidraineffectsonrecreationallakes),role(s)description,and
guidelinesforinsuringthatmajorpointsareexplored.Follow-up:arepresentativefromeachgroupshares
"solution(s)"withclass,defendingtheirreasoning...discussionensues.
Avoidbeingtoodictatorialintheconductofyourclass.
Userole-playingasameansofforcingyourstudentsintoamoreactiveroleintheclassroom.
Createasetofrulesforyourselfthatwillenableyourstudentstosteerthemselvesthroughthemostdifficult
material.
Itrytomakecommentsonstudents’assignmentswheneverpossible.Iwanttoestablishadialoguewith
eachstudent.Ihavebeenhavingwritingconferenceswithstudentsinmywritingclassratherthanjust
relyingontheirinterpretationofmywrittencommentsontheirpapers.Theyhavegivenmeexcellent
feedbackandseemtoenjoytheseconferences.Ihavealsobeenexperimentingwithcassetteevaluation,
wherebytheinstructorexplainscommentsorallyonthecassetteandthestudentscanlistenathomeorin
thelab.Someofmyquiet,methodicalstudentssaytheyhaveenjoyedthisapproachbecausetheycanlisten
againandagainandgothroughtheircompositionstepbystepasIdiscussit.
Byacknowledgingthefearsandanxietiesofyourstudents,youcanfindwaysofrelievingthem.
Ihavestudentsgoingtotheboardwheneverpossible,puttingexamplesup(fromhomework,class
assignments,etc.)sotheclasscandiscuss/evaluatethem.Thiskeepseveryoneawake,isapainlesswayto
involvequietstudentsandprovidesanopportunityforthosewhotendto"hide"inthebacktocometothe
front.
AskingQuestions
Togetstudentstoparticipate,itisnecessarynotonlytoaskquestionsbuttomakesurethatquestionsare
open-endedratherthanclose-ended.
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Thequalityoftheresponseisdirectlyrelatedtothequalityofthequestion;awell-chosenquestion,onethat
buildsuponwhatthestudentsalreadyknow,isthefirststeptothoughtfulresponses.
Encouragetheirquestions.Pauseandaskforquestions,evenifmostlynothavinganyeffect.
Askoccasionalquestionsofthem.Don'tmakethemlooktoostupidifthey'rewrong!Showthecorrect
answer,withoutsayingmuchabouttheirwronganswer.
Aneasywayforyoutoaskaquestionwhichmightstartacontinuingdiscussionistoask"whatisan
advantageof[thesubjectofthelecture]?"Or,"Whatisadisadvantage?"Studentscaneasilythinkofthese,
andoftenotherstudentswillarguewiththem.
Encouragestudentparticipationbyposingquestionsorproblemsthatsomestudentsshouldbeableto
answerortowhichtheycancontributepartofthesolution.Thiscaneasilybedoneinthecourseofwhat
wouldotherwisebeastraightpresentationofamethod,aprooforaproblemsolution,etc.Students'minds
becomemoreengagedwhenstudentsareaskedtosolveproblemswhilelearningmaterial.Itisextremely
importantthatwronganswersbetreatedgracefully,perhapswithacommentthatthewronganswer
suggestsanother,better,approach,orbringsupasubtleorinterestingpoint.
ControllingSpace
Thephysicalset-upoftheclassroomisanimportantfactorinencouragingstudentparticipationinaclass.
Whetherstudentsparticipateisnotpurelyaccidental;althoughnoonecanforcestudentstospeak,careful
planningcanresultinanatmosphereconducivetodialogue.
Createafriendlyatmosphereinyourclassroom.
Eveninlargeclasses,itispossibletogetstudentsinvolved.
Don'tbeafraidtoarrangeclassroomseating.Circularorsemi-circulararrangementsallowyoutokeepan
eyeoneveryone,yetincludetheminagroupfeeling.
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Ioftenmovethefurnitureandhavestudentsworkinsmallgroups.Itisalsointerestingtonotehowsome
studentsstakeoutterritoryandtendtositinthesameplacesforeveryclass.Weoftendiscussmaterialina
semicirclesothatIcanseeeveryone.(NoonereadstheTarguminmyclass!)
Learnthenamesofyourstudents,callthembynameinclass,andtheywillparticipatemore.
Simplebutnotobvioustothosewhohaven'ttaughtbefore—don'tspeakwhenthey'retalking—nomatter
howmanytimesyouhavetostopandstartagain.
Helpingyourstudents'tofeelfreetoparticipatedoesnotmeangivingthemthelicensetodisrupttheclass.
Setlimitsonstudentbehavior.
Ifinditimprovesattendanceatlargelecturestoincludeshortprojects,activities,etc.whichinvolvestudents
witheachother.Someoftheseare:
• Intervieweachotherastoattitude,learning,confidence,etc.regardingsomeorpartoflecturecontent.
Ioftentakehandcountandtabulateonblackboardforalltosee.
• Trytoexplainconcepts,ideas,etc.toeachother.Takepollastoproblems,etc.andmaterialand
tabulateonboard.(Thisisdonewithdyads,groupsof3or4.)
• Iletstudentsknowearlywhatbothersmeduringclass.Idon’tmakegenericannouncementsabout
misbehavior;instead,ifsomeoneispoppinggum,talkingwhileI’mlecturing,etc.Ilooktheoffending
studentintheeyeandtellhim/her/themwhattheyaredoingbothersmeandtheotherstudents--firmly,
bluntlyandbriefly,thenmoveon,somyobjectionsdonotbecomeanargument.
EnablingStudentstoLearn
MakingDifficultSubjectsEasier
Ideasandconceptsthatmayseemobvioustoyoumaynotbesocleartothestudents.
Don'tshowoffyourknowledgeandvocabularyattheexpenseofyourstudents'learning.
9
Reinforcingdifficultmaterialbypresentingittothestudentsinvariouswayscanincreasetheirunderstanding.
Ifpossible,giveexamplesfromone'sdailylife,thusconnectinganabstractconcepttorealfacts.Students
canthenseethepracticalaspectsoftheirlearning...givestudentsachancetoaskquestions—onceina
whilecheckifthestudentsarefollowingyourreasoning—questionthem.
Usenon-technical,colloquiallanguageandexamplestointroducetechnicalprinciples.Example:"Here'sa
recipeforthe(chemical)compound."
Putyournotesonlinetocomplementthelectureandforabsentees.
[Assign]weeklyshortwritingassignmentsbasedonspecificreadings.Studentsaretoreadtheassigned
paper,writeintheirownwordswhatthemainideasare,andalsotheircriticalreactiontotheseideas
(documented).Thisassignmentgiveslotsofpracticeinwritingandreading,ensuresstudentsareprepared
forclassdiscussion,enablesteachertogivefeedbackonstudents'thinking/writingstyles--without
overwhelmingtheteacher.(Longerpapersarealsoassigned;theyservedifferentpurposes.)Studentssoon
begintoappreciatetheeffortstheyandtheteacherareengagingin--especiallyasthepapersbeginto
accumulate.Ialsoreviewprogressattheendofthesemesterbylookingatthewholecollectionofpapers
withthestudents.Usuallythereissomeprogress--inideasorexpressionorboth...
Ihadaguestlecturerwhogaveanassignmentwhichwasnotonthesyllabus.Hepresentedthetaskorally,
anditwasquitecomplex.Thestudentsclearlydidnotunderstand,nordidtheyknowwhattoasksincethis
wastheirfirstcontactwiththeprofessor.Isuggestedtohimthathewritetheassignmentontheboard.This
forceshimtobepreciseaboutwhathewantsandenablesthestudentstoquestionmoreexplicitly.
Alternatively,theassignmentshouldbewrittenoutonpaperfordistribution.
Createasetofrulesforyourselfthatwillenableyourstudentstosteerthemselvesthroughthemostdifficult
material.
Breakexplanationsdownintosmallstepsor"bite-sizepieces."Pausealotandaskifthereareany
questions,partlytoletthemabsorbthatonesmallsectionatatime.
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Usediagramsalot...theyhelpunderstanding.
Emphasizeimportantstuff--repeatit,oratleastreviewitlater.(Also,emphasiskeepsthemawakeand
interested.)Often,importantstuffisworthsummarizingatendofclass.
Speakslowly(!).Speakloudly!Pausetoorganizeyournextthoughts(that’sperfectlyOK!).
Teachwhatyouleastunderstand,thatwayyou'lllearnsomething.
Byacknowledgingthefearsandanxietiesofyourstudents,youcanfindwaysofrelievingthem.
Teachingamathcourse,Ifindthatstudentsareusuallyveryanxious,perhapsmoresothaninother
courses.Itrytoreducetheiranxietyinanumberofways.Onewayis,duringlecture,tosay,"Ifyoudon't
understandthisrightnow,that'sallright.Thissubjectcanbehardsometimes,butI'msureyou'll
understanditsoon."Anotheristobeclearonawrittensyllabusabouthowgradeswillbecomputed,when
examswillbe,andwhenIhaveofficehours.Ifalltheclassroommanagementissuesaredealtwithupfront,
thentheclassandIcanspendmoretimeconcentratingonthesubjectmatter.
Remembertobeflexible.It'sessential.
MakingItRelevant
Likeeveryoneelse,studentsaremoreinterestedinthosesubjectsthattheyperceiveashavingsomedirect
impactonorclearrelationshiptotheirlives.Yourstudents'commonexperiencesatRutgerscanhelpmotivate
themtobecomeactiveparticipantsintheirowneducation.
Relateclasswork'sgoalstocurrentsocietalproblems,e.g.pollution,greenhouseeffect,longevity,poor
constructionofbuildingsandbridgesandhouses.(NOTE:Thishasonlylimitedeffectonthemajorityof
studentswhocannotthinkaboutthefutureorthepast!)
Bringoutpoliticalimplicationsoflargerissuesespeciallyandwheneveritisanissuethatimpingeson
studentslives--intheuniversity.Especiallyoneducationquality:classsize,tuition,"worldclassscholar"
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attendance,pooradvising,physicalequipmentdeficiencies,RUscrewcases.Helpandempathizeandgive
practicalsuggestions,encouragestudentstoorganizefortheirneedsandrights.
ShowyourstudentstheworldbeyondRutgers.Sendthemoutintotheworldorbringthatworldtothem.
Announceatthebeginningofeachclassrelevantlecturesandexhibitionsinthearea,professionalmeetings
andjobopenings.
Interviewexpertsinthefield.Inteamsof2-3(oralone)studentslocateexpertsinagency,government
officials,localrepresentativestocongressetc.whotheybelieveareknowledgeableaboutareasoftheir
studies.Theypreparealistofquestions,carryouttheinterviews,andtakenotesduringtheinterview.
Informationgatheredmaybereportedtotheclass,and/orincludedintheirownpapers.Studentslearnhow
toassessthevalidityofsourcesofinformation,andgainknowledgeaboutcommunityleadersaswell.
OnBeingHuman
Letyourstudentsknowthatyouareinterestedinthemasindividuals,thatyourespectthem,andthatyou
enjoyyourtimewiththem.
Treatstudentslikepeople,notjuststudentnumbers.
Makeclassfun.Connect[the]subjectwith[some]humorousaspect...
Beunfailinglypoliteandkind.
Smilealittle,wheneveritseemsnatural,eveniffornoparticularreason.
Ilearnasmanystudents'namesaspossible,eveninclassesof150-200...Iinvitestudentparticipation--get
themtoanswerquestionsordiscussissues.(ThisishowIlearntheirnames;Iaskthemtointroduce
themselvesastheyspeak.)
Onesimplebutamazinglyeffectivewaytoshowyourstudentsthatyoudoindeedseethemasindividualsisto
learntheirnames.
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Honestymustbethebasisofallstudent/teacherrelationships.
Beinformal—laughalittle,pausewhenappropriate,invitequestions...Willinglyadmitthatyoudon’tknow;
ifyoutrytofoolyourstudents,theywillthinkyouafool...Treatyourstudentswithrespect.Careabout
them.Thenyouwillbeagoodteacher.
Themostimportantruleofgoodteachingistobecompletelyhonestwiththestudent.Almostallstudents
soonerorlaterdetectanddislikephonyPRwords.Asmoothbutphonyapproachmayworkattimesand
mayavoidunpleasantconfrontationsmomentarilybutstudentsdonotrespectateacherwhousesthis
approach.Unpleasanttruthsabouttheirstudying,performanceonexams,etc.,ifcommunicatedgently,
fairly,andfirmly,arerespectedbythemandeventuallyaccepted.
Confidentialityisalsoimportant.TheTAmustgaintheconfidenceofstudentsandbewillingtoassistwith
problemsarisinginthecourse.TheTAmustnotberateastudent...TheTAshould...followthe"3Frule"i.e.,
befair,firm,andfriendlywithstudents.
Alwaysbearinmindthediversityofyouraudienceandtakecarenottoexcludeorinsultanyone
inadvertently.
Makesureeverysentenceyouspeakisclearinamulti-culturalcontext--(and,ofcourse,unbiased).
Findyourownteachingstyle—onethatyouarecomfortablewith.Amethodthatworksforoneteachermay
notworkforyou.Don’tbeafraidtoexperiment—withlecture,discussion,studentreports--andconcentrate
onwhatfeelsrightforyouasteacher.
VaryingClassMaterial
Studentslearnindifferentways,sothereisnotsingle"best"waytoteachaclass.Somestudentsmayonly
needtoreadthetexttomasterthematerials;othersmayneedfurtherexplanationorexamplesbeforethey
"get"it.
Integratemediawithlectures.
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Fieldtrips.Iplanaseriestopermitmystudentstovisitspecialcollectionsandmeetwithdistinguished
curators.
Visitinglecturers.Itrytobring1-2specialistsperyeartolecture--bookbinders,collectors,etc.
Fictionalworksareagoodwaytostudypeople’sproblems,life-crises.Students(classasawhole,individuals
orsmallgroups)selectbooksfromanapprovedlistforthislearningexperience.Workswellwithuseof
currentliterature.
Timepermitting,dodemonstrations--askquestions.(Apictureisworthathousandwords.)
Whenusingfilmsorvideos,whichcanbeexcellentlearningtools,prepareessayassignmentsbasedonthe
films(andonotherreadingsandlecturesasappropriate).Givetheseassignmentsinadvanceofshowingthe
filmorvideosothatstudentsknow“whattolookfor.”Resulting“filmessays”areoftenverywelldone.
Benefitsincluderaisingstudentinterestincarefullyviewingfilms.
TheLectureClass
MakingYourPoint
Reasonablelimitsmustbeplacedonthematerialforanyoneday.
Don’ttrytocramtoomuchintoalecture--3or4majorpointsinanhour--alltherestexplanationofthose
points.
Oneofthemostdifficultlessonsforabeginninglecturertolearnisnottotrytoteachthestudents
everythingyouknow.Ifyoudo,yourunoutoftime;youblurtheorganizationofthematerial;it’stoomuch
forthemtodigest;andtheirquestionswillgobeyondwhatyouknow,makingyouappearunprepared.Itis
muchbettertopick2or3main“take-homelessons”thatyouwantthemtoremember,andfocusyourself
onthese,buildingontheminonlyasmuchdetailastimepermitsandtheaudienceseemstograsp.
Organizelectures.Startclassbysummarizingwhatyouwillcover;makesureyoudocoveralltopics;
summarizeattheend.Givestudyguidequestions.
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Interspersereviewsegmentswithlectureparts,introducingnewconceptstolinktheknownwiththenew.
MakingitInteresting
Thelectureclass,whenitisnothingmorethanthesoundofonevoicedroning,canbedeadly.Bewillingto
handoversomeofyourperformancetimetoyourstudents.
Teachingisatwo-waystreet.Askspecificquestions(atrandom)tothestudentsandchecktheirresponses.
Thiskeepsthemalert.
Firstandmostimportantisvarietyandmovement.IhavebeencomplimentedmanytimesonthefactthatI
useavarietyofteachingtoolsinoneworkshopsession(slides,video,overheads).Additionally,Itrytomove
awayfromthefrontorpodiumandestablisheyecontactwithpeopleorgroupsofpeoplesittingindifferent
placesaroundtheroom.
Mypersonalpetpeeveistolistentosomeonewhoshowsnoenthusiasmanddronesonandonina
monotoneatthefrontoftheroom.Itputsmetosleep.Itisnecessarytopracticeinterpretativereadingand
speakinginordertoavoidboringthegrouptodeath.
Varythepaceandmethodofpresentationintheclassroomtokeepthestudentsengaged.,/p>
Changingpaceisquiteeffective.Ifeveryclassispredictable,itisboringforthestudentsandtheinstructor.I
alsohavestudentsgoingtotheboardwheneverpossible,puttingexamplesup(fromhomework,class
assignments,etc.)sotheclasscandiscuss/evaluatethem.Thiskeepseveryoneawake,isapainlesswayto
involvequietstudents,andprovidesanopportunityforthosewhotendto“hide”inthebacktohaveto
cometothefront.Trytoavoidhavingaclassthatisalwaysteacher-centered.Tryalsotosetupthe
dynamicsoftheclasssothatthestudentsbecometrainedtolistentooneanotheranddonotonlytunein
whentheinstructorisspeaking.Thismay,attimes,requireadiplomaticcutting-offofstudentswhomay
becomelong-windedorwhowastetime.
Bettertoconveyinformationbyaskingquestionsandelicitingresponses,ratherthanbystraightlecturing,
wherepossible.[Thismethodmakesit]moreinterestingforeverybody--Ilearnmorethatway,too.
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Ilike...toaskan“opinion”/policyquestionorsetaverbalproblemandaskstudentstodiscussitingroupsof
four/fiveforabout10minutes.Thisgivesthemachancetoactivelythinkandtalkaboutthetopicofthe
lecture.Idebriefbyaskingafewgroupswhattheycameupwithandperhapsaskingforashowofhandsin
agreement/disagreementwithaposition.Althoughit“takes”15minutesfromlecturetime,itprepares
studentstolistenwithmoreinterestandtobemorecriticalofmy“reading”ofasituation.Italsomeans
studentsgettoknoweachotherabitandsetsatonewhichsaysitsOKtospeakoutinalargelecture.I’ll
sometimesusethisinthemiddleofaclassperiodwhenIsenseattentionflagging.
Donotbethesoleproviderofinformation.Makethestudentsthinkandworkalongwithyou.80minutesisa
longtimetolistentoanyone.Avoidtheteacher-centeredclass.
Iflectureyoumust,makeitaconversation:insistonbeing“interrupted”withquestionsandcomments.
Betteryet,planyourclasswithchange-upsthatwillrespecttheirattentionspans(whicharenot80minutes
long):walktheaisles,filltheblackboards,dohousekeepingchoresinthemiddleinsteadofthebeginningor
end,assumedramaticrolesandvoicesotherthanyourown,catchyourthoughtonthewingandshowthe
relevanceofyourdigressions,letthecampusandlargerworldin,andgivewaytotheoccasionalstudent
whowantstoperform.Ontheotherhand,neverfallwholehogintothetroughofdemocratic“discussion:”
they’renotpayingtohearpausesofuncomfortablesilenceamongtheirconfusedorhesitantlybumbling
peers:kick-startthemandkeepthosemindmotorsrevving!Themisbegottenpedagogicalprincipleof
“everybody’sopinionisasvaluableasanyoneelse’s”willonlyleavethemmuddledandnevergetthejob
done.It’sanextended,friendly,highflyingfamilyinthere,andyou’retheuser-friendlyintellectual
cheerleader.
Establishabasicroutinetogivestudentsasenseoftheshapeofthelecture.
Tellstudentswhatyouwillcover.Putshort(“closedlist”)outlineonblackboard[to]raiseexpectationsand
makeinteresting(curiosity).Thisshowsstudentsthatit’slimited--notgoingonforever.Anoutlineforcesyou
toputitallinlogicalorder,whichiseasierforstudentstounderstand.
Useexamplesasmuchaspossible(usuallyit’seasiertounderstandrealexamples).
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Putsomeofyourexperienceinfromyourcurrentresearch,tomakeitmorereal,relevantandhuman,which
makesitmoreinteresting.
Trytoputsomehumor—ifpossible—inyourlecture.
Testing
AcademicIntegrity
Theproblemofacademicdishonestymustbekeptinmindwhenateacherisdesigningandadministeringa
test.StudentsshouldbeencouragedtoreadRutgers’AcademicIntegrityPolicy,availableat
http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu.
Beforethefirstclass,TAsshoulddiscusswiththeprofessorwhattheyshoulddoaboutanypossiblecheating
thatmightoccur.
Forexams,Irecruitgraduatestudentsasproctors(IhavenoTAs),usemultipleformsattheexamsandstate
explicitlythatanyformofcheatingwillnotbetolerated.Thoughthisapproachseemsdraconianattimes,
moststudents(whoarenotintocheatinganyway)feelprotectedfromthefewwhomighttrytoexploit
them.
Itrytoavoidallmultiplechoicequestionsandtrytoincorporatetheshortanswer/shortessaytypesof
questionswheneverpossible.
PreparationandDesign
Studentsshouldneverbetakenbysurpriseonatest.Theyshouldknowbeforehandwhetherthefocusofthe
testwillbethelectures,thetext,thelab,orsomecombinationoftheseelements.Teachstudentshowto
prepareeffectivelyforexams.
Studentsshouldknowspecificallywhatwillbecoveredonexams(studyguidequestionshelp).
Inlargeclasseswhereobjectiveexaminationsarenecessary,undergraduatestudentsoftenaremisguidedin
theirpreparation.Whentheygetapoorgrade,theythencometotheinstructorandsay:“ButIstudiedhard
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forthisexam.”Anewinstructormaynotknowhowtorespondtothe“Istudiedhard”complaint.The
answermaybethatthestudentstudiedlong...butwrong.
Ithelpstocoachtheentireclassearlyinthesemester.Idoitbyhandingoutaguidethatsuggestswaysto
takenotesandstudyformylargelecturecoursethatisrequiredofmajors.Itrytopointoutwhatmystyle
is,andhowthestudentscanfittheirstudyingstyletomystyleofpresentinginformation.
Whenastudentcomesintoreviewanexam,Ihaveacopyofthehandout,andIreviewitbeforeIreview
theexam.Oftenthestudentrealizesthattheproblemlieswithfaultypreparationonhisorherpart,and
thatimprovementcanbemadebyfollowingmyguidelines.
Beforeatest,reviewthemostimportantmaterialforthem.
Afteratest,gooveranswers.(Thisimprints[thecorrectanswers]intheirmemories).Onessayquestions,
rewritesomepartsoftheiranswersontheexambook,inbetterEnglishcompositionform.
Encouragestudentstostudytogetheringroups.
Twoweekspriortoanexam,Iprovidethestudentswithalistofthetopicscoveredthusfar,intheformof
reviewquestions.Idividetheclassintosmallgroups,eachwiththesamelist.Thesestudycirclesareboth
popularandeffective.
Iftestsareusedtheyshouldbelinkedtocourseobjectives.Neverassumethatthetestisavalidmeasureof
theobjectiveuntilyouhavesufficientdata.Questionsshouldbeweightedaccordingtotheproductionskills
required.Ifmultiplechoicetestsareusedthenanalysiswithdiscriminationshouldbedone.Getresultsback
bynextclass.Essaytestsshouldhavespecifiedcriteriawithweights.
Nevergiveuponstudents;nomatterthattheyhavegivenuponthemselves.Urgethemtostudyforand
takethefinal.
Grading
Effectivegradingpracticesmeasuretheextenttowhichstudentshavelearnedthematerial.
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Readexampapers“blind”(withstudentidentificationonthelastpage)toreduceinadvertentbias.
Gradehorizontally!Whengradingexamsforalargeclass,gradeonequestionatatime(forallstudents)
ratherthanonestudentatatime.Thisallowsyoutobeconsistentinyourgrading.
Disciplineandencouragement--hardandheavyinthemarginalcomments,easyonthegrade.Readand
markbeforegrading,pickingfromyouressaypilethoseyoususpectarethebellwethersfortheherd;thus,
temperyourexpectationsandstandardstotheactualperformanceoftheclass’spersonalbest.AndYOU
taketheblame,nottheyandtheirgrades,foranywidespreaderrorsthatindicateyoudidn’tteachitright.
Thenmodifyrightthereyourlesson/lectureplanforthenexttimethecourseistaught;otherwiseyou’ll
forgetandmessupagain.
Oneoftheconstantdifficultiesinstructorsfaceiscomplaintsaboutexaminationandpapergrades.For
example,“Ididn’tfeelwell,”“There’saproblemwithmyroommate,”etc.Studentsingeneralfeelbetterif
theyperceivethegradingas“fair.”Therefore,Ioftenuseasystemof“shiftingweights”incompilingfinal
grades.Forexample:thegradesforthecoursewillbebasedonamidterm,afinal,apaper,andafewsmall
quizzes.Iwouldthenannouncethatthequizzesare10%ofthefinalgrade,thebestoftheremainingscores
is40%,theweakestis20%,andthemiddlescoreis30%.Thisshiftingweightwillmakenodifferencefor
consistentstudentsregardlessofthelevelofperformance.Itdoes,however,verymuchforgiveonevery
poorperformanceandgivessomeadditionalweighttooneverygoodperformance.Ittendstomeanthat
studentswhodowellearlyhavesomecushionandstudentswhostartedweakhavehopeonthefinal.Italso
allowstheinstructortoreassureastudentwhoispleadingforconsiderationofsomeproblemononeofthe
examswithoutforcingtheinstructorintoare-examinationsituation.
ConvertallstudentrawscoresintoappropriateZscores.TheZ-scoresprovideausefulandobjectivewayof
assessingtherankofeachstudent.Itwillprovidetheinstructorwitharankingofeachstudentoneach
exam.
Givecreditforassignmentscompletedontime,i.e.,morecreditforone-timesolutions;giveextracreditfor
problemsontheboard.
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Useacompetencybasedapproach:foreachprojectcompleted,yougetanincreaseinthelettergrade.Ifit
is“inadequate”youmustresubmit.Ifitisveryexceptional,yougeta"+".Forexample,answeringoneof
fouressayquestions,passorC;doingacommunityassessment,B;developingacommunityplan,A.Igive
detailedinstructionsonthecontentsofacompetentproject.
IngivingfeedbacktostudentsandingradingstudentsIfindithelpfultothemandtometospelloutspecific
criteriaIusetogradethem.Mycommentsonthepaperaddressthesecriteria.IncertaincoursesIeven
distributetoeachstudentthesetofcriteriaIuseandenterthenumberofpointsearnedoneach.Thetotal
ofpointsbecomesthebasisforthegrade.
OfficeHours
Consultingwithstudentsispartoftheteachingprocess.Thiscanbedonein-personandvirtually.
Itisimportantforthestudentstofeelthattheinstructorisavailableforhelpanddoesnothavetobe
“caught”ashe/sheisrunningoutofthedoorattheendofclass.Manystudentshavecommentedtome
thatIamso“accessible,”whichIguessisanimportantthingintheirminds.
Schedulethemattheirconvenience,notyours–andpubliclyandloudlylamentiftheydon'tshowup.
ApublicationoftheTAProject
25BishopPlaceNewBrunswick,NJ08901
848-932-7747
SchoolofGraduateStudies,
Rutgers,TheStateUniversityofNewJersey