Some reflections on teaching....
Hi, Chris. I enjoyed reading your posts about your experiences teaching math. I don’t
think you mentioned the level you were teaching at, but the topic sent me into a wave of
retrospection and reflection about my own teaching career. As much as I enjoy
retirement, I do miss my days at the lectern. In my current recuperation mode, I am
going to ramble for a while about what I learned about teaching over those years -- which
may be well be more than what my students ever learned from me.
I came into university teaching cold-turkey, following a ten year career in business sales.
Truthfully, I was scared stiff the day I walked into my first classroom to teach Marketing
101. That lasted only ten minutes or so, and for 30 years thereafter I loved every minute
of my teaching career. I actually enjoyed the research and writing aspects even more
than the classroom, but I got tremendous satisfaction from the latter as well.
When you go through a Ph.D program, you become an expert in your field, but one
subject matter that is totally ignored is “teaching.” This is something you learn only
through on-the-job training.
I believe that a lot of educators continue to approach teaching from an adversarial point
of view, believing that students are inherently lazy and always looking for the easy way
out. This view leads to a classroom atmosphere emphasizing fear, compulsion, and
sanctions for failure. These approaches can produce results, but they also reinforce the
students belief that learning is drudgery. I never liked this kind of atmosphere, and I did
not employ it in my classes.
I came to the view that the key to learning lies in the desire to learn; that students
need to be given reasons for wanting to learn. Inasmuch as my students were
preparing for business careers, it was relatively easy for me to draw links between
learning and career success, and my practical background enabled me to provide a lot of
practical examples for reinforcement. At the same time, though, I found that I needed to
“undo” a lot of the negative perceptions of learning that had been instilled in my students
in other classes.
Another principle I employed was that of “effect.” That is, that learning occurs best
when the effect is positive. An example of this is the “dumb question.” These occur
plentifully in any classroom. Many teachers respond to such questions with a put-down.
(Indeed, too many teachers view their interaction with students as an opportunity to
demonstrate their intellectual superiority). In these classrooms, “dumb questions” are
quickly stifled. Unfortunately, so are <all questions. (This may be viewed as
desirable by some teachers, who believe that time is best filled with their own voices,
instead of those of students). I always scrupulously insisted in my classes that all
questions or comments be treated with respect, and with whatever stretch might be
necessary, I could always find something praiseworthy in any question that was ever
asked of me in a classroom.
The above also relates the importance of having students participate in the
learning process, as opposed to being passive listeners. There is an adage that we retain 10%
of what we hear, 50% of what we hear and see, and 90% of what we hear, see, and
participate in. I rarely gave lectures in my classes (sigh, causing my students to miss
many brilliant, witty, and profound pontifications <ggg>). Everything I ever taught
involved, in one way or another, hands-on application and practice at every step.
Another thing I stressed was the idea of belonging; i.e., the relationship of every
topic to all other topics. I wanted my students to understand why every new topic was an
essential piece of a larger framework. One way I did this was to continuously ask my
students to predict, or suggest, what topic should come next. As we wound down one
area, we would have a lively discussion of what we should be looking at next, and why. I
found that this approach created a very positive climate for the next “chapter,” almost a
sense of an adventure awaiting.
I always had the thought that my students would eventually forget 99 percent of the
actual subject matter that I introduced them to. Perhaps an isolated idea here and there
would stick, but all the rest would evaporate into the air over time. With that in mind, I
figured that as long as were stuck together for 15 weeks, we might as well all enjoy the
experience as best we could. Yes we did have to have tests, and grades, and I was never
regarded as a particularly easy grader. But I found that with a little discussion, I could
manage to have the pressure for grade achievement and recognition be perceived as
coming more from my students than from me. (I experimented at one time or another
with “grade-less” classes, to find that it was my students who objected to them more than
I might).
I don’t know whether I was a good teacher or not, but I think students did enjoy my
classes, and a lot of them went on to successful careers. Among the greatest rewards of
teaching are those occasions when former students come back for visits and seek you out
to thank you for what they think you did to help them along their way.
Yeah, I do miss all of that, a lot. Thanks, Chris, for bringing this all back to mind.
JC |
