I. This week’s reading covered nearly every step from preparation to the first day of class. I highlighted a few of the most interesting ideas below.
- McKeachie’s hypothesis regarding the importance of learning over teaching was a reality check for me. Much of my first two weeks have been spent struggling with details about the act of teaching, rather than my role as a teacher. I found McKeachie’s idea useful because it puts my position as a teacher into perspective. It is easy to get caught up in planning a lesson that will fulfill the department’s criteria. Meanwhile, the purpose of my position as an instructor is to facilitate learning. After reading this hypothesis, I realized that I need to constantly keep the students’ learning at the top of my instructional goals. I decided to print this idea inside my planner as a reminder of the true meaning of teaching.
- The influence that gender has on students, in the First Day to Final Grade, was an aspect of teaching I hadn’t considered. I remember being overwhelmed with the first impression I gave to the students. I was trying to come across as fun, while proving my authority. By adding gender influence to my nervousness, I wonder if I would have overcompensated to try to avoid gender bias. Would I have tried to be overly strict as a process of intimidation? Although I am beyond my first impression in the classroom, it is something I can use for the remainder of my teaching. I want to be sure that my students are all being treated fairly. I don’t want any of the students to feel that they are favored due to gender, or can treat me differently because of my gender.
- Out-of-Class learning is a concept I didn’t fully grasp until I read Chapter 2 of First Day to Final Grade. Previously, I considered out-of-class learning to be just a part in the process. Every student must read and digest information so they are aware of the material. I didn’t consider my role as a facilitator of learning after the students left my classroom. The fact that their out-of-class work can make them engage more in the classroom makes sense to me now. This will be useful when I assign future homework. I need to spend time preparing out-of-class work so it can perpetuate their learning and get them motivated for the next class.
II. A large amount of this week’s reading contains theories and techniques to be used by first time instructors in various fields. I found a few of the techniques would be especially useful in the field of communication.
- I can learn the names of my students in a timely fashion. To be honest, I haven’t put much effort into learning the names of my students. I often give the excuse that I am not good at memorizing names. On the second day, I had my students make name cards to be placed on their desks during class. While the cards have served the purpose for calling on them when they have questions, there has been little attempt to learn their names without the cards. Learning their names will help me to show respect and compassion to my students. I am instructing a course on communication. I should be expected to learn their names to improve the instructor-student communication.
- I can have students fill out “vital information” cards to help me contact them. Currently, my out-of-class contact with students is strictly by email. I learned about the limitations of this plan yesterday when one of my students couldn’t get into his email or on Blackboard. “Vital information” cards could help me contact a student when technology is down. It could also help me get to know my students better, by containing information about their interests and other courses.
- I can use excess time constructively rather than dismissing class early. I had 10 minutes to spare when we concluded our lecture last week. It was too little time to go through an extra activity, but enough time to do something productive. I can plan questions and short activities to use if we have extra time. I can also have the following week’s lesson plans outlined to see if students have questions or concerns.
III. There are a number of things I would like to incorporate in my teaching for the future. Many of this week’s readings dealt with syllabus structure and how to plan for the first day, but I feel many things can be implemented at any time.
- I will reflect more on my own goals for the class, so I can include them in the syllabus. The department has goals about their expectations, but I believe my own goals for the class would help students better understand my expectations. Because I will be facilitating learning in the classroom, it is important that students can strive to meet goals that I have set out for them.
- I will do my best to understand and make note of appropriate teaching methods. The last two weeks have given me a chance to get acquainted with my teaching style. The process has been one of trial and error, but I feel I learn something new each day. I want to take notes on what works and what doesn’t work as it pertains to certain lessons, situations, students, etc. I feel this will be important in my growth as a teacher. The more I can learn how to maximize my teaching, the better it will be for future students.
- I will check my resources prior to the first day. By understanding the university system, my classroom setup and the classroom technology, I can be more prepared for my students. Checking my resources can ease tensions and give me a better understanding of the tools at my disposal.
- I will not try to interest every student all of the time, and accept the fact that it is nearly impossible to do so. I found this to be helpful information for the future because I tend to teach to the students who aren’t engaging. I need to work more on keeping interested students engaged rather than bending over backwards for those who don’t care. In doing so, I can teach to the students who are actually interested in learning.
- Learning names! I need to learn the students’ names. (I could use this under each heading.) I need to put forth the effort to treat my students with the same respect I do my peers. In doing so, I will gain more respect from them. It will not only make activities and discussion easier, but it may help strengthen the unity of our classroom.
The Comm TAs were involved in an intense orientation at the beginning of the semester. I feel that we covered a lot of what has been discussed in the text. As much as I learned in orientation, it still feels helpful to review certain concepts. It is also nice to get a different perspective on why we have different rules and techniques. Overall, I feel that my first two weeks have been a success. I feel prepared for the bad days (I hope) and look forward to more of the good ones!
- I stumbled across this page from the U of Utah while looking for advice for new TAs. The info on basic teaching styles is interesting. There are also many links and “printer-friendly” tips.
http://web.utah.edu/taresources/ - This may be interesting for others using PowerPoint and different technology in the classroom.
http://chronicle.com/article/Teach-Naked-Effort-Strips/47398/
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