Best Teaching Practices for Teachers Who Don't Want to Suck

Top 10 tips on how to get on the good side of your professors (for Professors)

1. Try to meet with the professor one on one early in the semester (before you start having problems in the class). (Professors: make yourself available to your students! Don’t set your office hours at 2:00-2:07 p.m. at Starbucks on every third Tuesday)

 2. Say hi if you see the professor walking around campus. Most students avoid professors or pretend they don't know them on campus. (Professors: You’re busy, we get it! But a “Hello” from you might be the thing your student needs to summon the courage to tell you why they’re sleeping in class. HINT: It usually isn’t that they’re lazy!)

3. Do the required assignments. Make sure you don't show up to class without doing the required reading or without the paper that is due. (Professors: Do the required reading. Especially if it’s been a while. Stumbling on anything hints that you’re “on-time teaching” and will empower “THAT GUY” in the class.)

4. Turn in work on time. Some professors are really anal about assignments being turned in on time, and may not accept work if it is late. (Professors: Return your student’s work/grades in a timely manner. They worked REALLLLLLYYYY hard on that!)

5. Don't be late to class. Some professors really get annoyed if you show up after the class has started, make sure you are always a little early to avoid this. (Professors: Don’t be late to class.)

6. Do not miss any classes, otherwise professors will think that you don't care. (Professors: Do not miss any classes.)

7. Contact the professor ahead of time if you absolutely have to miss a class, and make up a good excuse usually "I had a family emergency" works well ("grandma died" only works twice). (Professors: Talk with the students briefly before and after class. You’ll be amazed at how much they are juggling.)

8. Don't fall asleep in class this really pisses of professors. Bring a soda or coffee to class if this is a problem for you. (Professors: Don’t put your students to sleep! Vary your tone, your delivery, your jokes. What worked ten years or ten minutes ago might not work anymore.)

9. Ask or answer questions every now and then, this shows you are paying attention (you are probably the only one) and it helps the professor get to know you. Don't worry about being called a dork or nerd in class, you just need good grades and this is way to do it, plus someone of the opposite sex might notice you know what is going on in class and may approach you to study together. (Professors: Answer the questions asked. And ask questions using student names. WAIT FOR THE ANSWER. Sometimes they just need a minute. Tell them you’ll wait.)

10. Sit in the front of the class professors get to know the students up in front of class because they are closer and seem more interested to be there. This will also help you concentrate, pay attention, and you actually might learn something. (Professors: NEVER just sit at the front of the class. Walk, pace, move, flap your arms, stand on a desk, sit on a desk, do ANYTHING but just stand there. Think of the worst lecture you ever sat through in college. Do the opposite.)

11. Be a SHAMELESS THIEF. Remember the best, most amazing lecture you ever sat through...then do that. Only better.

Modified from: http://www.collegetips.com/college-classes/professor-tips.php (See? I practice what I preach.)

Congratulations! If you’ve read this far, you care more than 95% of the rest of the world about what I have to say. To reward you, here are my best practices.

1. Do not smile till Christmas. You can very easily return some control to students once they have proven their aptitude and interest in a subject, but it is nearly impossible to regain respect once you have been perceived as lax for one reason or another. Work to dress and speak in a moderately formal manner initially. Once you have established visual credibility, students will be far more inclined to value your input and respect your classroom rules. I maintain formality in addressing students throughout my time with them and always refer to them by their last names and expect them to use my title and last name as well.

2. Never engage in on-time teaching. At the collegiate level, at least one student in your class is likely to have taken the course you are teaching already, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. This student will notice and communicate to his/her classmates any deviation from norm. They are also very likely to be the source of disruptions because much of the material will feel familiar to them. Prepare early and prepare often.

3. Engage the repeaters and the big personalities. Learn names on the first day and USE THEM. Specifically target the leaders, the repeaters, and the big personalities so that you retain control of the classroom at all times. It is essential to allow and encourage class participation and story-telling where appropriate, but always come back to message when the story is over.

4. Stay extremely organized. If you have a rough schedule of the way the class should go, you will be able to gauge your time much more efficiently. I like to put my rough schedule on the board before every class as a reminder to the students and to myself how to stay on topic.

5. Use humor and media. It is a great idea to have an ice-breaker ready for each class. A small, informal review of a current event (not political or religious) or a colorful story related to the day’s lecture. Further, music is an excellent ice-breaker. I use a wide variety of music to begin an end every lecture. Music facilitates conversation and may be related to left-right brain cross talk.*

6. Clearly define your expectations. On day one, explain the syllabus and the teaching schedule. Ensure any changes are very clearly communicated verbally and in writing. Further, it is a good policy to create (if your department allows) an addendum of class rules giving the students a very clear picture of how to succeed in your class. If you like feedback, tell them in the addendum. If you prefer questions at the end of each section, communicate that.

7. Stick to your own policies. Once you have outlined your expectations of the students, outline what they can expect from you. Stay consistent and try to over-deliver.

8. Stay positive. At the end of the day, you are the expert and should draw on your life experiences and expertise to ground the sometimes esoteric information in fact. Frame yourself as tough, but human and you will seldom go wrong.

9. Remember that all rules and best practices have exceptions.


*Gazzaniga, Michael S. “Cerebral specialization and interhemispheric communication: Does the corpus callosum enable the human condition?” 2000/07/01 Brain: A Journal of Neurology