ASSESSING AND IMPROVING YOUR TEACHING:

Four Elements of Effective Teaching

One of the most common myths about teaching is that good teachers are born, not made. Research, however, has consistently identified four elements of effective teaching: knowledge of the subject, good organization, group instructional skills, and enthusiastic presentation. Each of these can be learned, and knowing something about each provides a way to begin to evaluate your own performance.

Instructor Knowledge

Effective teachers exhibit a breadth of knowledge, bring information together from a variety of sources, analyze concepts effectively, and stay up to date in their specialty.

Just how you present your knowledge will depend on your approach to teaching in general, but the strongest advantage you have over a textbook is in revealing your thought processes to the students. Demonstrate and share your thinking so that students get a sense of what it means to think like a psychologist, chemist, or art historian and tackle problems in the discipline. Highlight significant concepts. Discuss current developments and their effect on present theory. For quiz sections, laboratories, or studios that are extensions of larger classes, it is especially important for you to be knowledgeable about the content being presented in the large class lectures and for you to be able to talk knowledgeably about the professor's expectations. In many departments you will be expected to attend the professor's lectures to ensure that you are comfortable discussing the content and specific examples from the larger class.

As you attempt to be responsive to student needs, it's important that you try not to oversimplify. There is sometimes a tendency for TAs to summarize what students "need to know" from a course rather than invite them into the discipline and into academic inquiry as a process.

If you must teach outside your specialty, you'll have to work to stay at least a week ahead of your brightest students. Remember that you are not responsible for knowing all the answers, so don't feel compelled to apologize for your "lack of knowledge." If you cannot answer a question or you have made an error, admit it, but tell your students where they may find the answer or offer to look it up -- and then do it.

Course Organization

Good organization is important to all phases of instruction, from curriculum development to determining presentation format. From the syllabus to the final examination, every aspect of the course should be focused on defined educational goals, the most important of which is the level of learning you expect students to achieve. Important organizational steps include:

• Establishing the level of performance you expect from your students. This may necessitate your administering a simple questionnaire, or using an in-class essay to determine what students already know and what they still need to learn. If you are teaching a lab, section, or studio that is an extension of a larger class, it is important to coordinate your expectations with the professor of the larger class and with other TAs who are teaching similar sections, labs, or studios.
• Choosing the means of instruction that will enable students to perform at the level you expect. If you need to cover 50 years of research in ten weeks, you will probably lecture. If students must be capable of applying course material, you will not only have to present factual information through texts and lectures, but you must also show them how to develop generalizations from the background knowledge (discussion, study problems, assignments). Then, you must also provide them with opportunities to apply these newly learned principles in novel situations (laboratory experiments, papers, examinations, projects, or presentations).
• Determining through evaluation procedures whether students have learned what you intended. Ideally, procedures for evaluation should be consistent with course goals and teaching strategies. The mode of instruction, the course content, assignments, and examinations should all focus students' attention in a single direction.

Group Interaction Skills

Effective teachers interact with students in a skillful manner. They are generally able to:

• Establish a rapport with the class. Most students face intellectual challenges and learn better when they are not feeling personally threatened. You can nurture an atmosphere that fosters students self-confidence and trust by remaining approachable, letting students know why you are choosing to approach the material in a specific way, and keeping your office hours and encouraging students to visit during that time. Remember that as an instructor, your response and comments carry great weight. When a student asks a question, respond with respect. You don't need to spend five minutes answering an irrelevant question, but you can still be courteous by offering to discuss the matter with the student after class.
• Be open to student questions. Students appreciate it when TAs are open to questions and willing to answer questions. Therefore, it is important to encourage students to ask questions and help them to learn to frame questions that get the kinds of information they need in order to learn. If you watch your students instead of the chalkboard or your notes, you can often encourage questions simply by pausing whenever they appear confused and even saying, "I see you have some questions, what are they?" Be sure to wait while students catch up from their note taking or find appropriate words to frame their questions.
• Stimulate class participation. Undergraduate students appreciate the opportunity to engage in well-planned class discussion and other interactive activities. However, students are not likely to be stimulated by general questions such as, "What reactions do you have to the reading?" or "What ideas from the large lecture class do we need to review today?" Undergraduates report that "sometimes we don't know what it is that we don't know." Thus, for the best student participation, consider highlighting important information from their reading or from the large lecture class to help them identify areas where they need additional explanation. In some cases, you may have them write briefly or participate in small group exercises as a way of helping them identify their needs and focus their thoughts prior to their active participation in your class. Keep in mind that your success in engaging students depends on your creating a nurturing environment and clarifying your expectations for participation.

Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm comes with confidence, excitement about the subject, and pleasure in teaching. When undergraduates suggest that a TA is enthusiastic, they often mean that "the TA likes the subject and has a way of making us like it." Enthusiasm is conveyed in a variety of ways, including facial expressions and smiles, attentiveness to students, movement away from the podium or chalkboard, and extended eye contact to observe students' expressions. It involves vocal inflections to emphasize and de-emphasize material, humor appropriate to the subject, a willingness to listen to students and express interest in their contributions, and a genuine concern for their learning about a subject that you enjoy.

Consultation at CIDR

Staff members from CIDR are also available to observe and/or videotape your class, gather feedback from students, and help you identify areas for improvement.

Consult the CIDR Web site at http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/consulting/ to learn more about assessing and improving your teaching.