This evening I gave my first lecture on teaching and learning. Students, teachers, and college administrators all had a chance to hear about my successes and failures as a teacher. It was both a charge and a challenge. Would love to share more with you but you’ll just have to wait for the video. Until then…
Tell me about one of your favorite teachers growing up.
I started teaching college courses back in 2007. So much has changed since then. A couple of years into it I think I actually started to figure out what I was supposed to be doing. Here are a few insights I’ve gained along the way. Feel free to share!
I was terrified. Sure I had graduated with an undergrad degree in communication but what did I know about teaching? Dr. Steyn, one of my mentors and the chair of the department, didn’t really give me a choice. I offered some excuses and tried to share my inadequacies to no avail. She gave a textbook and syllabus and basically said make it happen. I stood before my first class with no idea what I was doing. I had never taught before and I smelled of fear. That first semester was neither a total disaster nor award winning but I survived. Years later I’m glad I followed the command to teach even though I didn’t want to. Read More …
This semester I might kill my lecture. I’ve never been a fan of the traditional lecture format anyway. Personally I’ve always struggled in classes where the professor talked to me for an hour while I took notes. I learned sometime ago the best professors can teach to all three learning styles (visual, auditory and kinesthetic). One of the reasons why I had trouble sitting still in class was because I am a kinesthetic learner! Read More …
