A few ideas I thought were important from this reading assignment:
I. Being clear on the syllabus and use it as an introduction to the what students can expect from your course. As noted in both books, it's important to include office hours, email, phone, etc... A teacher must establish easy ways for students to communicate with them that don't interfere with their personal life. Giving a cell phone or home phone number may seem like a good idea until calls come in the middle of the night regarding assignments. Other important things to include are class conduct expectations, course material, grading, policies regarding assignments (tests, quizzes, etc), plagarism rules, etc.
- This information was useful for me because I've seen a lot of syllabi, although I've never really thought about the contents of them. I really like the idea of using the syllabus to give students a sense of organization and structure in the course material. I am a person who likes outlines and structure, so I can benefit by knowing how to produce an effective and straight forward syllabus.
II. A first class is important in establishing who you are to your students. Setting the tone is important even on the first day. Arriving on time and being prepared are key elements in showing your students that you take your job seriously. Taking attendance is a good way to help learn names, otherwise an ice breaker activity can be done. Ice breakers are a great way to get a class involved and lighten the mood. It gives the students and teacher a chance to get to know something about one another that doesn't necessarily relate to the course material.
- I believe the first class is very important in creating a positive environment. I know not all teachers are as concerned as I am with trying to keep the atmosphere welcoming. In my experience, I have enjoyed classes the most when I felt at ease to ask questions and be myself. I think the best way a teacher can do that is to start the class on a positive, fun note. I like ice breakers because it gives a chance for a students to interact on a 'normal' level and get to know a little about eachother. I also liked the exercise from Teaching Tips about having students write down how they felt on the first day, and then write how they thought the teacher was feeling on the first day. It seemed like a good exercise for easing first day anxiety and connecting to students on more of a personal level.
III. Preparation is important. As highlighted in Teaching Tips, planning your course months ahead of time is helpful so a teacher can modify or make changes as needed.
- I don't know if I would plan months ahead of time, but I do believe preparation is key! I think prior-to-course preparation is important for various reasons. One reason is you can discover if your material flows like you're expecting it to. Another reason is it gives a teacher time to modify material. In my field, science and research is always changing. It would be embarassing for me to teach things that are out of date! Preparation is also important so a teacher can look for materials to incorporate other than the textbook. Technology gives us access to so many things and students all learn differently. I like the idea of interactive learning and the use of the internet or computer programs to enhance learning.
I think these theories/techniques can be implemented in any teaching field. Whether it be science, math, writing, etc. a professor or teacher should provide a clear and effective syllabus, set the tone for the semester on the first day, and be prepared (among many other things). I have already outlined a few ways that I want to incorporate these ideas into my own teaching. Some things I learned by doing this reading were how to introduce myself, establish credibility, and even influence my teacher/student relationship by the way I dress. These are things I will definitely take into consideration when I start teaching.
Here are a few links I found interesting...
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/teachtip.htm
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