Teaching Hints

There are many ways to be a successful teacher, and no compendium could cover them all. Teaching seems to often involve a combination of substance and style, and both are important.  The following are a few ideas that others have sometimes found helpful.  However, as you well know, teaching is unique and you will have to develop your own style.  The ideas are listed as admonitions, but with many there are some caveats.

Be yourself.

It usually doesn’t work to put on a different persona in the classroom.  Students see through that.  There is an element of “acting” in teaching, but it has to be perceived as genuine.  So if you have a sense of humor, let that show through in the classroom.  If you have particular interests (hobbies, music, pets, kids), use them in illustrations.  Students like to feel they are getting to know a real person who also has a life outside the classroom.

Be personable, approachable, warm, and friendly.

A big lecture or an intimidating subject is often an obstacle to student learning.  But an approachable style often makes the content seem less foreboding.  You don’t have to become a “friend” to the students (in fact that is often discouraged), but the student should always feel welcome, respected, and encouraged.  These qualities are often communicated in subtle ways, e.g., showing a little flexibility in scheduling or special circumstances, a slight tone of informality, lingering after class to visit with students, engaging students in small talk before lecture.  It often doesn’t take much to make the students feel comfortable.  Conversely, a distant tone can also be set as early as the first day.

Convey some excitement and passion about the material.

Some topics (e.g., statistics) are a bit more difficult in this regard, but even there these sentiments can be communicated with your choice of examples and even by tone of voice and animation.  Just one caution – it is easy for this to be perceived as artificial, so return to suggestion #1 of being yourself.  Fortunately, with much of the content of psychology it is easy to display some genuine enthusiasm and even awe with contemporary research.

Be competent.

This is probably stating the obvious, but make sure that you are very comfortable with the material before entering the classroom.  Know the articles you are discussing thoroughly, understand the logic behind the formulas you are reviewing.  Students appreciate someone who has taken the time for thorough preparation.  Respect in the classroom is earned.  Especially early in the semester it is important to over-prepare.  Prepare too much material and rehearse what you want to do.  Some seasoned teachers might be able to be more spontaneous and designing things on the fly, but don’t count on it.  Think about examples you are going to use in advance.  You want to make the class a valuable experience for the students, where they are glad that they were there, and where they leave with new ideas to think and talk about.

Don’t be pretentious.

This is somewhat the converse of the suggestion to be yourself.  Don’t communicate your knowledge in a haughty or condescending manner.  Don’t be afraid to acknowledge that you don’t know something, or that you will think about a better way of explaining it.  Students appreciate that kind of candor on occasion.  And if you really want to impress them, come back to the next class and explain what you didn’t know previously.  This communicates your intent on learning with them and illustrates how engaged you are with the material. 

Use examples.

Students will remember engaging examples, long after losing other course content.  Choose them carefully, make sure they work and are not confusing.  Make them relevant to the students you are teaching.  When possible, it is great to illustrate principles with real research.  When teaching statistics, don’t make up studies; but talk about real experiments (probably making up the data).  Again, this illustrates to students that you took the time to generate material that is meaningful to them and representative of the field.

Get students involved.

This is tough.  You don’t want to make students feel picked on or embarrassed, but nothing livens up a boring lecture like some interaction in the classroom.  When it happens it is almost magical, but that magic often takes careful planning.  Don’t just ask if there are questions or comments – that almost inevitably leads to silence.  You need to carefully think in advance – how can I craft a question that will trigger some reaction.  Sometimes it might be easy, like asking for another personal illustration, or sometimes litter some hints in the question. Try to make the questions direct and targeted, not broad and philosophical.  Your questions might appear spontaneous, but often they are carefully crafted long before the class.

Maintain standards.

This can be done without appearing to be authoritarian or obnoxious.  It is obviously communicated in your grading, where you set high (but attainable) standards.  It is communicated by your use of class time, where you avoid frivolous activities.  It is communicated by your efforts to channel a discussion back to the primary focus without excessive diversions.  Make it clear that your mission is to help them learn the material to the maximal extent and with the greatest efficiency.  In the long run, students will respect that effort to set high goals and then doing your best to help students attain them.

Extend yourself.

Reciprocity is extremely important in the classroom.  If you extend yourself in little ways, students will respond and give back far more in return.  How do you do this?  Often it doesn’t involve heroic efforts.  When you sense that students are struggling with a difficult concept, come back with a handout at the next class with additional examples on it.  Students recognize that you have gone out of your way to enhance their learning.  When a student asks an intriguing question after class, surprise them the next day by bringing in an article and say “I thought you might be interested in this”.  Occasionally surprise the students with your promptness in getting back an assignment.  Be sympathetic when there is illness or a family crisis.  Offer to help a student track down a hard-to-find resource.  Be responsive to student suggestions, when possible.  Or this might involve meeting a student at a non-scheduled or even inconvenient time.

Communicate effectively with students.

Listen carefully to your students.  Their questions, and even perplexed looks, should provide early hints of difficulties they are experiencing.  When teaching it is easy to start thinking about how you are going to answer a question, rather than listening attentively.  Let the student finish, don’t interrupt.  Teachers tend to talk too much, and we often need to be reminded to listen.  When having a one-to-one conversation with a student, listen carefully.  What is the student’s concern?  Keep in mind that they might be in an awkward or difficult situation, and you might have to “read between the lines” as they are talking.  This is one of the best ways of showing that you indeed do care.

Communicate effectively with the course instructor.

Sometimes TAs get the impression that they are to conduct their work independently, and should do their best to “not bother” the instructor.  Nothing is further from the truth.  The relationship should always be an integrated partnership aimed at fostering learning.  To do that effectively, you have to communicate frequently and in detail with the instructor.  Don’t be embarrassed to ask what is expected.  How would you want me to explore this topic in lab?  Are there examples that you have found to be particularly effective here?  What have your previous TAs done with this topic?  In addition, provide feedback to the instructor, and ask for feedback.  The instructor needs to know if a particular topic was confusing or perplexing.  Of course, an occasional compliment is nice to when things went well, but don’t be reluctant to ask for enhancements or elaboration when there were difficulties.  Likewise, ask the instructor for feedback.  Has he/she received any complaints or concerns about your teaching?  Often it is nice to have at least a weekly meeting to explore these issues.  Much can be handled by email, but don’t ignore the face-to-face discussions.  It is always important to have a united front with the instructor.  Students will sense (and be frustrated by) differences in information, approach, or standards.  Open communication channels are the best way to avoid this.

Self-evaluation.

After a class, take a moment to reflect on what went particularly well and what areas still require work.  Teaching is an evolutionary process, and we can learn a great deal by reflecting on what has just happened.  Often it is helpful to keep a log of ideas that you might want to try if you TA the course subsequently.  Sometimes that information is even useful to share with the instructor, either along the way or periodically during the semester.

Day one.

Never underestimate the importance of first impressions.  The first day of class or the first day you meet with the students is particularly vital.  So plan that day particularly well.  Focus on the tone that you want to set for the course.  How are you going to communicate that you are approachable?  How are you going to generate that sense of excitement and commitment?  If there are get-acquainted activities, plan them carefully so they are most productive.  Think about things that you can start on day one that will be fruitful to explore further later in the semester.  A little “sneak preview” of some of the best parts of the course can often whet their appetite for more.

Be egalitarian.

Inevitably there will be students who are more vocal, who are more interesting, and who are more likeable.  But do your best to be open and receptive to all.  Figure out strategies for encouraging non-talkers to participate. Try to not permit one or two students to always respond and to dominate the class.

Finally, a couple of suggestions that might seem to go beyond the literal confines of the course:

Explore the profession.

Students often appreciate little insights into the profession.  When you attend a professional conference, briefly talk about what you learned, or bring in your poster to show them what you are up to in your professional life.  Often your own research can be useful in illustrating certain concepts (although be careful to keep it simple).  Students are often interested in what life is like as a graduate student, and a bit of self-disclosure there can be disarming and open up channels of communication.

Be an advocate for the department.

Don’t hesitate to make announcements regarding things that are taking place in the department.  Events like the Undergraduate Research Fair deserve a bit of free publicity.  Likewise, there might be talks on campus or other activities that you could announce.  It helps the student begin to feel at home in this department.  Also, never hesitate to encourage students to join a research lab (although it is best not to turn it into a personal recruitment session).  Help them appreciate the impressive work that takes place in this department.

Enjoy.

Teaching can be a tremendously rewarding and satisfying experience.  The best way to ensure that this happens is to genuinely express that attitude of excitement, enthusiasm, and enjoyment with your task for that day.  Enjoy!