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Show page 18 , Spring 2005 Teaching Behavior Modified from: Robert Leamnson in "Thinking about Teaching and Learning" (1999). Take it as a given that freshmen will, initially, be more interested in you than what you are teaching. They don't want you to appear nervous. They don't want you to be so preoccupied with the subject that you forget they are there. They want you to love them. Happily there are some teacher behaviors that can go a long way toward creating a good teaching environment right at the beginning: 1. Look at the students! Few things are more disheartening than a speaker who refuses to look at the listeners but instead stares first at a pile of papers, then the ceiling, then an imaginary spot on the floor. Something nice happens when a speaker locks eyes with a listener. Anyone can learn to catch the eye of every student in the room in a matter of seconds. 2. Don't talk about yourself. There really isn't much point in telling students that you will be a demanding but fair teacher because they will learn all about your from experience, and not from what you tell them. 3. Treat students like friends. A friend can be a critic, but she will never be demeaning or sarcastic. To be critical without hurting feelings is to walk a very fine line. Freshmen easily and often mistake irony for sarcasm and feel hurt when there is no real reason for it. 4. Work the room. Students will quickly become disengaged from an instructor who is simply reciting his discipline. They may at first resent being bothered by questions or requests for examples or summaries, but a teacher who engages students and appears to know them as persons will, in the end, be much more effective than one who simply gives notes. the students done the reading?" His response: "Well, the instructor put up the full reading list on the first day, but he never told us when we were supposed to read each of the articles." When students don't understand the expectations, they can get frustrated, and this can create bad situations in the classroom. The more we can tell the students on the first day, the less frustrated they will be and the less argument we will get from them being "surprised" about our policies. Having it down in writing, in a syllabus, for example, is an even wiser choice in that the students will be held accountable for the information. Being transparent is more than just letting the students know due dates and late policies. It also consists of communicating classroom behavior policies. One of the students I questioned told me that his worst classroom management experience was one in which an instructor didn't know how to control the class. A single, know-it-all student seemed to dominate the discussion on a daily basis. This can be a tough situation, but it is avoidable. We can often figure out who these students are during our first few class periods. If we have a management plan stated in our syllabus that states, for example, "Full class participation is important for this class. As much as possible, I will create an atmosphere in which everyone can be heard," we will then be able to nicely tell one person that we need to hear from some of the other members of the class, or, even better, we will be able to implement activities that help everyone to get involved. Smokey Bear says "Only YOU can prevent wildfires!" We all know that forces of nature also cause wildfires, but it's still good to remember that we do have some control and some ability to prevent possible disasters. Although not a cure-all, extensive preparation for the first day, including teaching a full, deliberate first day lesson, compensating for short-comings, being transparent and having a management plan can greatly reduce the possibility of major classroom management wildfires. Activity Ideas Activities made to promote broader participation in class discussions: Rotating Chair 1. Explain this "discussion activity" to the class before starting the discussion so that everyone is clear. 2. Pose a "juicy" question that will create a great deal of discussion. 3. Ask the first person who answers to call on the next person of his/her choice to continue the discussion and that next person should then call on the next person of his/her choice, etc. 4. Instruct the class to avoid calling on students they have already heard from, and to call on students they have not yet heard from. Think-Pair-Shares 1. Pose a thought-provoking question 2. Give sufficient time for individuals to think (a time limit would be good) 3. Pair the students, so that individuals feel more comfortable sharing in front of the entire class (again, a time limit would be helpful) 4. Ask a student to share either his/her own ideas or the ideas of his/her neighbor Discussion Leaders (Phillips 66) • Choose different leaders each time to vary input in the classroom (with "Phillips 66", 6 people share their ideas for 6 minutes) Use of Dice / Other Randomization • Roll the die and have the corresponding row be responsible for responding • Give handouts with colored dots (the dotted papers are responsible for responding) • Put candies or papers under desks (but not gum!) |