As I was preparing for my first lecture as a new faculty member, I was thinking: “I have done numerous research presentations; I will manage this!” However, it did not take long for me to understand that I was mistaken. Just in about ten minutes from the beginning of the lecture, the students looked bored, distracted, and in no mood to listen. This was a total contrast to my research talk audiences, which seemed interested, at least.
In graduate school, I had served as a teaching assistant, and my responsibility was helping undergrad students guide during hands-on lab sessions. But I have never taught any class on my own.
As I became a faculty member, I was assigned a discouraging course load with 50 lectures and 50 labs per semester. I was feeling daunted and totally overwhelmed. Class by class, my doubts about my teaching skills raised, just like my fears that students did not understand the main points in my lectures.
So I decided to reflect on my own student experience and tried to recall those helping things that made my learning process more manageable. I also conducted some research to collect scientific evidence to guide me. I got help from professional pedagogues and colleagues with more considerable teaching experience. They described some tools they used in their lectures to keep students interested.
In a year, I noticed changes in my teaching. I started using new skills and tools due to which my students did not get bored. They even said that my approach made the information exciting and challenged them to be attentive.
Here are some techniques that helped me in becoming a more effective teacher.
Look for help
Teaching is a skill that has to be learned. Some scientists think that their graduate degree or postdoctoral is able to qualify them as teachers. Actually, it is not so. Most educational institutions provide support systems for new teachers, but it is usually the instructor’s initiative to look for help actively. I would recommend taking specialized courses on teaching methods and taking part in workshops, read educational blogs such as darwinessay blog, written by essay writers and expert editors. Such activities are often helpful in building networks with fellow educators, exchanging ideas, and sharing challenges.
Keep it active
Actively engaging students is crucial for keeping their attention and educating critical thinking. In small classes, it is a perfect option to keep students concentrated by suggesting them to partner with a classmate to brainstorm and answer to a question. Then, you can bring them together and offer them to share their ideas. Bigger classes pose more significant challenges, but there, as well, the right tools can help engage students. For example, you can ask numerous questions and use electronic clickers for registering their responses.
Be compassionate
There are bigger chances that students will learn better if they feel the teacher truly cares about them. Therefore, you should treat every student with understanding, respect, and sympathy, and make it clear to them that they can always get help from you. Additionally, it is vital to be mindful of the diversity in student backgrounds and approaches to learning. You must keep in mind that some students feel uncomfortable raising their hands in lectures, for example, so it can be an option to use an anonymous Google document where they can leave questions for me.
Teaching is never easy or completely intuitive, but you are responsible for helping your students in their learning process. Take your time to create an environment that makes learning accessible and comfortable for everyone.
