Tips for Successful Teaching
Lecture-Style Courses
Goals
- Ultimate goal is student learning
- Fluency in the course material well beyond course's end
- Critical thinking <=> problem solving
Before the course starts…
- Preparation, preparation, preparation
- Syllabus
- Test timing
Before class…
- Preparation, preparation, preparation
- Gauging how much material fits into a lecture
- Lecture notes must be ready for the immediate and the succeeding
class
In class…
- “Coming attractions”
- “Where are we?”
- Pace
- Asking questions
- Enlivening class
- Historical context
- “Why are we doing this?”
- “But what does this equation mean?”
- Using PowerPoint…be careful
Outside class…
- Homework should be “interesting” and challenging
- Group work
- “Open door”
- Electronic support
- Course web page
- E-mail
- Blogs?