Learning to Teach, Part One: Prepping for Class

When I left my office job and started teaching design at a few local colleges, I was a tad green. I’d taught before, but never full-time. Juggling 5 and 6 classes (not the recommended course load, I found, but I was nervous about money) was proving to be nearly impossible. Just as I got one lesson hammered out for one, a different class would be looming ahead. I was staying up late and rushing around… I was a hot mess. I was preparing 2 hours or more for every hour of class and frankly, it wasn’t working. I’d come in with these huge piles of notes–basically my entire lecture, written out word for word. I would nervously read it aloud, making lame asides and generally boring the hell out of everyone in the room, including myself. I also found that I would have so much material to cover there would be no time for anything beyond me droning on and on. That’s right: I was giving 3- and 4-hour long lectures. Ridiculous.

Occasionally (and despite my best efforts), I would manage to hit my stride. Those fleeting moments were incredible: I was suddenly having a conversation with the class, really engaging in the material and getting it across. Fleeting is the operative word, however: the minute I realized things were going well, I’d sink like a stone into my usual whirlwind of self-doubt. Luckily, the students were usually willing to wade through my awkward delivery. What choice did they have, anyway?

Slowly but surely, I have gotten better at maintaining the flow of a successful lesson. I had to learn how to articulate things that I have known for years, and I needed to find the framework in which I could best teach. Right now I am still using the lecture-then-lab class structure. I know there are different ways to run a class, it is just where I am right now. I can already feel the format shifting, so I will be sure to check in once I have moved to a new one.

What I have learned about preparing for class:

  • Prep about 2 hours per class: enough to feel confident in the overall message, but not so much that you have everything memorized or written out. My problem was a lack of confidence: I was trying to pack every possible facet on the subject , not just what the student needed to know to get started.
  • Don’t prep all at once, do it in manageable installments the week before. This means being a little more organized than I was used to being, but I have slowly learned how to do this.
  • Be thorough in your documentation: I always write out a full lesson plan for every class, and I use it to keep myself on track. Now that I am teaching some of my classes a second time, I have this great record of what I need to do.
  • Writing out my lectures was a futile exercise. I do better when I wing it a little, just head out there and hoof it in front of the class. I ask the students more questions, get them involved. Also, my lectures no longer take up the entire class period…

I have also learned a few other lessons:

  • Having a sense of humor has been invaluable. Luckily, I was always willing to laugh at myself at my stodgiest moments: I think that is why the students hung in there with me.
  • I have found it is best to be honest about what I know and do not know. I am just starting my teaching career, so who am I kidding anyway? My students have seemed to appreciate my honesty and to respect the things I am able to tell them with confidence.

Basically, I have to trust that I know the material in order to teach it well. If I am spending hours and hours buttressing my knowledge of the subject matter, it is more about my own insecurity and that is for my therapist, not my classroom.

This entry was posted in Teaching. Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Learning to Teach, Part One: Prepping for Class

  1. Have been meaning to say thanks so much for these posts. I’m yet to teach and rather intimidated by the whole idea – this kind of insight into your experience is very helpful!

  2. I agree with Charlie; this is great! And your description of teaching for the first time gives me deja vu…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *