any tips for planning my first teaching position?

[nehs]

I landed a teaching position for one course under grad level and the class starts in 4 weeks from now.

I'm not even sure how to start my prep. I have my text and my syllabus with the class meeting dates.

What are my first steps? I'm thinking that I would make myself familiar with the first month's material and also have a couple of assignments on hand.

Any tips? This is my first teaching position ever and I'm a little nervous.

[wildviolet]

Hi nehs,

 

In no particular order...

 

1. It's better to prepare too much rather than not enough.

2. When using any technology, be prepared with a backup plan in case the technology does not work.

3. Be ready to be flexible with assignments, grading, and due dates, adjusting to both your needs and your students' needs.

4. Set aside time to grade assignments after a due date.

5. Have a "toolbox" or "grab bag" of discussion strategies, such as showing a picture or asking a question and asking students to "think" on their own first, "pair" up with a partner to discuss their thinking, and "share" their discussion with the class ("think-pair-share").

6. Build positive and safe relationships on the first day of class--let your students get to know each other personally so that they are comfortable working with each other and sharing out to the class.

7. Be responsive to students' levels of understanding, check for understanding often (for example, by asking a question, not by asking "does anyone have a question"), and be ready to adjust your plans.

8. Know ahead of time what your learning goals are so that you can keep them in mind as you teach.

9. Be kind to yourself and your students--(there are limits, of course) but we're all human, and we all make mistakes.

10. Have fun!

 

OK, that's all for now! Good luck!

 

wv

[nehs]

That's a ton of awesome advice wv, thanks so much!

 

This class is actually pretty small about 8 students but the bad news is it involves a 2 hour train ride for me blah!

 

I'm wondering how to prepare "enough" vs "not enough". That's a hard one for me!

Edited August 10, 2013 by nehs

[wildviolet]

That's a ton of awesome advice wv, thanks so much!

 

This class is actually pretty small about 8 students but the bad news is it involves a 2 hour train ride for me blah!

 

I'm wondering how to prepare "enough" vs "not enough". That's a hard one for me!

 

Wow, 8 is a small class! For a class that size, I would definitely recommend relationship-building in the first couple of meetings. As for "enough" vs. "not enough," just prepare twice as much as you think you'll need. Trust me, it's a much better feeling than to realize that you've run out of things and have to think on the fly (this is different than taking advantage of a teachable moment to go with the momentum of the class).

[danieleWrites]

A lot of great advice! Be aware that every class has a different personality. Most people in classes will stare at you blankly when you ask a question because they do not want to speak. Getting student to participate in discussion is pretty much the most challenging part and everyone has to find the way that not only works best with the class's personality, but their own. One of my TA cohort was a happy, outgoing person (still is), and she would bring a camera to class the first day. She'd have each student write their name on the board and take some pictures, which she would use to learn their names, do writing projects, and stuff. It worked great for her; it did not work for me. I'm an introvert with a dry sense of humor and it fit me like bucket of slime.

 

I made them love me right off the bat by bringing out my cell phone and explaining that the number on the syllabus made my portable internet make funny sounds, which eventually produced voicemails and texts. Then I also explained that the alarm would go off 5 minutes before the official end of class. This was not the signal for them to pack up their gear, but for me to finish my lecture, complete any class business, and get them out the door on time. Anyone who has ever taken an English class knows that English profs are the worst at thinking that 10 minutes before the other class comes in is theirs to use.

 

Clear assignments help, too. They want to know what's expected of them. Clear and logical grading paradigms help, too. What are you looking for? Be precise and be clear!

 

I'm easy to pull off track. I have ADHD and I love the bright and shiny. They figure it out pretty quick. I've seen it in the classes I've taken, where the students are bored and someone will ask a question to pull the prof into a more interesting line of talk. I've done it myself. Once I figured that out about myself, I developed a strategy to use that to my advantage. Sometimes, a few minutes on an interesting, off-track thing can bring the class together. I teach comp and lit, so I can pretty much bring any discussion back to the subject, even if it isn't about the specific lecture.

 

Be reasonable in the work assigned. They have 4 other classes (generally), jobs, friends, family, and so on. The homework should be a reasonable amount, not an overload. I had a prof expect everyone to read 300 pages a week because she couldn't bear to cut any more literature out of the class. It was way too much. The more the work, the less absorbed.

 

Extra credit is pointless. The only people who really do extra credit are the people who are not satisfied with 96%.

 

Be flexible, but be clear and consistent.

 

Don't be sarcastic. Well, amend that. Sarcasm works for me, but only if I don't use it as often as I'd like. Do not every be sarcastic toward a student.

 

You will have bad days when you don't want to herd the cats. They will know that you are having a bad day because you will take it out on them in your own way. You've been in classes where the prof/teach has done that. It helps me (but not everyone), to openly acknowledge that I'm having a bad day and that I am doing my absolute best to not only teach them, but to be respectful of them as students and as people.

 

Unless the department requires me to, I don't give points for daily attendance and participation. Some people do because it works for them (personality!), but it doesn't work for me. I do take attendance and I do excuse absences because a certain number of absences means that a student can be dropped from the course (and the university I taught at wanted to track failure and withdraws based on attendance) and the only way students can make up missed work is with an excused absence. Other than that, I don't want someone to come to class if the only thing they're going to do is sleep or text.

 

I make the academic honesty policy very clear on the first day. In comp, that means explaining precisely what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. I don't go into a deep discussion on the cheater's consequences, but I do discuss the consequences of cheating for everyone. Piper High School makes a great example about how 18 people can hurt 1000s.

 

I do my best to make sure that I'm approachable and contactable. I tell them when I check my email, so they have a clue when they can expect me to respond to them.

 

Find a, well, mentor in the department that you can go to for help. Get copies of assignments from people who've taught the course before or ask them how they approached an assignment or a reading or whatever. You don't have to use it as is, but you can use it to help you figure out how to do your own.

 

If you say: "Any questions?" You won't often get much of a response. People don't want to appear stupid, so they will pretend to understand, and then come up after class to ask questions. If one person has a question, then at least half the class will need the answer to that question.

 

tl;dr: I suppose the biggest thing comes down to respect and honesty. If you treat them with basic respect first (for example, assume that everyone is honest, hardworking, and good), they'll appreciate it and return the favor. The other important thing is to be honest. If you say that they can expect their work back by a certain date, do your best to get it to them. If you have office hours, be there. If you tell them you'll return emails by 8pm, do it. If you must be absent and you've explained your policy on cancelling class, follow through.

[nehs]

Great advice here again

I just checked my number of students and it says 8. So thats great. I won't be too nervous ha!

Also since this is a weekend class I'm told that it is mostly adults returning to school. I wonder how that is going to be.

I have started preparing. Do you guys generally prepare for the whole course in advance? This is my first time, so I'm having tons of questions.

[wildviolet]

Hi again,

 

Keep in mind that, with adults who are returning to school (and who may be older than you are), it is very important to use a respectful tone and acknowledge their life experiences.

 

In terms of planning for the whole course in advance--generally, yes, but just know that you can be flexible if the need arises. If you are start getting behind, feel free to cut a reading/assignment. If you are ahead, feel free to add an interesting reading/assignment based on students' interests and needs--ask for students' input (that is, don't ask them whether they'd like an additional assignment, but what they would like the assignment to be about). Keep it manageable and, if it's related to students' interests, it shouldn't be a problem (although you'll have to see what your students are like--it may be better just to call it a homework free class!).

 

I have some advice regarding questions... (and I've seen this so many times, I taught my pre-service teachers to never ever do this!). Do not ask: "Does anyone have a question?" The answer, of course, could always be "no."

 

Instead, ask: "What do you think about...?" or "What other comments/questions/suggestions do you have about..." And, wait for them to respond! I know it's uncomfortable to have silence in the room, but (and this is based on educational research), you must give students time to think about your question, especially if it's an open-ended, complex question, and time to construct a response. I just start counting in my head to pass the time and scan the room with a smile on my face--trust me, it works! Students will eventually speak up when they know you will not fill the silence for them. You could also explain this strategy to students so they know what you're expecting. I tell my pre-service teachers: "This is a strategy called wait-time, and I will wait, trust me!" Humor also helps when you explain it to them.