Teaching Environments and Tips

From UW-Madison College of Letters and Science Manual for Teaching Assistants, December 1991.

First Day of Class

As you approach the first class meeting, it’s natural to feel nervous. Even the most experienced teachers frequently report nervousness at the thought of meeting a new class at the beginning of the semester, or before giving a lecture to a large class. Those serving as a teaching assistant for the first time are especially likely to feel this way. The concern is somewhat akin to stage fright and is quite natural. Part of your feelings are probably also excitement at teaching, for the first time, a subject in which you are interested. Try to channel this surge of energy into your teaching. Remember that you were selected to be a teaching assistant because your department has reason to believe that you are qualified to teach, so you have cause to believe in your own abilities. Planning ahead and anticipating student questions will go a long way in enabling you to be an effective teacher as you approach a class on the first day. Students are often eager to “help out” when a teacher explains that this is a new teaching experience. But don’t expect every thing to go exactly as planned. The best classes have structure and some room for spontaneity as well.

The first day of class is important in introducing your students to the content, structure, and pacing of the course. For some students, the first day of class gives an opportunity to decide whether or not the course is for them. You have the responsibility to see that they receive the information necessary to make a timely decision. Students will be concerned about the aims of the course, the material to be covered, the level of skill or knowledge they are expected to possess as a prerequisite, the instructor’s expectations, and the methods of evaluation that will be used. Some of this material may have been covered by the faculty member in charge of the course in the first lecture. Students are also interested in getting a feel for the less tangible elements of the course—for example, the instructor’s style and the level of the other students in the class. Here are some suggestions (although not all are appropriate to every type of teaching assistant assignment):

·        It can’t hurt to practice. Practice your introductory remarks to the class in front of a friend or a mirror. Try to visualize yourself as an effective teacher and think about what you would do. Although you’ll develop your own style as you go along, it may help at first to think back on teacher you’ve had and analyze techniques and approaches you found particularly effective. What worked for them? Would it work for you? Why or why not?  Remembering negative examples can also be instructive. What teaching styles and techniques do you find particularly irksome as a student? How can they be avoided? What would you do differently?

·        Find out something about how the course fits into the overall curriculum. Is the course a requirement for admission to any particular program or major? Do students often take the course to fulfill a basic degree requirement? Is the course popular with majors in your department or a related program? Knowing the answer to questions like these will give you some insight into who your students might be and how they will approach the class.

·        Be prepared to explain the structure of the class to your students. Is this a discussion section or a lab? Is the section the place where students should bring their questions and turn in their homework? Remember that many freshmen have very little idea how college courses are structured so it is important that you tell them. For example, they may not understand how the discussion section and lecture are supposed to fit together, or that all students across sections of the same course are graded on a uniform standard.

·        Announce the title and number of the course as well as the section number. Usually, a roster will be available before your first class session. Take roll for it and not any discrepancies between the roster and the student actually attending the class. Know where to refer students who have questions or problems about registration.

·        Introduce yourself. Write your name on the blackboard and tell students how you prefer to be addressed. Let them know your office hours and office phone number. Let students know your policy about office hours.

·        Announce the course prerequisites as well as the perhaps less obvious necessary required background. Let students get a general idea of how much you expect them to know about the subject already. If appropriate, work sample problems you expect them to be able to solve now.

·        It is important to get to know your students as quickly as possible. You may want to ask them to write down on an index card their name, how they wish to be addressed, their year in school, their intended major, and where they can be reached. You may also gather additional information to help you learn about their background for the course, special interests, etc.  Some instructors ask students to introduce themselves to the rest of the class and say a little about their backgrounds or special experiences.

·     Tell the students a little about yourself and your own background for the course. It may be especially important to tell students about your dual role as a teaching assistant and graduate student.

·        Let students know what the course goals and requirements are. If the professor in charge of the course hasn’t already done so, this is the time to hand out the course outline or syllabus. Be prepared to discuss policies regarding due dates, absences, grading, and expectations, because these are topics that will be very much on the minds of your students. If you can’t furnish detailed information at your first meeting, assure students that you will provide such information soon, and then keep that promise.

·        Make sure that students know what materials are required for the course and where they can be obtained. Bring copies of all texts so that students can see them. Be prepared to accept or reject alternate versions of standard texts if your course supervisor has approved.  Know what materials are on reserve in the libraries.

·        Give students an idea of what your classroom style will be like and what to expect of the time they spend in class. Will most of the class time be spent solving problems?  Discussing case studies? Let students know how you plan to structure the class activities—do you expect them to do most of the discussing of the material? Do you plan to have them work in groups? Should they be taking notes?

·        As important as all of the above are, make sure you save time to actually start teaching. It’s important to use the enthusiasm generated by the first day as effectively as possible to excite your students about the course. Don’t dismiss the first class early—it may create a mistaken impression about your approach to the class. If students haven’t yet read or covered the material, use the time to point out what they should by paying attention to as they read and study; use the first assignment as an example for their future work in the course.

Some Tips On Getting to Know Your Students Quickly

·        Take roll at the beginning of the first few class meetings so you can begin to associate name with faces.  This is a good time to ask students how they prefer to be addressed. You can take roll out loud or silently to yourself later in the semester. It’s a good idea to continue at least the silent roll taking throughout the semester so that you have a clear idea of the attendance record of each student.

·        Return assignments to individual students. Unless you intend to spend class time going over the returned work, or are prepared to have students spend class time going over their marks or comments you may have made on the assignment, it’s probably best to hand work back at the end of the class period.

·        You may want to use a seating chart at the beginning of the semester to help you learn names more quickly.