Becoming an effective teacher
involves seeking out multiple sites of input that can enable you to reflect
on and improve the teaching and learning that takes place in your class.
This article is designed to provide you with some suggestions about sources
for dialogue and methods of feedback.
Dialoguing with Yourself
through a Teaching Log
One very important, but often
overlooked, source of input on teaching is you, the teacher. A first step
that can form the foundation for other critical reflection is to keep
a daily teaching log or journal on your teaching. You could start by writing
your lesson plan on the right-hand side of your teaching notebook and
reserving the left-hand side for comments and reflection. Questions to
ask yourself and reflect on in writing might include, What worked well
in this class, and why? What didn't, and why?Ê Where did the students
seem to have difficulties? Were there any noticeable points where the
students seemed very engaged with the material? What types of things may
need greater clarification the next time? Were there any particular pedagogical
strategies that seemed to work well? What will I change the next time
I teach this topic?
In addition to informing your
teaching on an ongoing basis, the reflecÐtion fostered by keeping a teaching
log will greatly assist you in writing up a statement of teaching philosophy
for your teaching portfolio.
For further information on
how to keep a teaching log, see Stephen Brookfield’s Becoming
a Critically Reflective Teacher, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1995,
pp. 72-75. For more information about the teaching portfolio, see Peter
Seldin’s The Teaching Portfolio,2nded. Bolton,
MA: Anker Press, 1997.
Feedback from Your Students
More often than not, we reflect
on (or worry about!) our teaching in isolaÐtion, without realizing that
our own students can be a great source of feedback on the teaching and
learning that takes place in our classrooms on a day-to-day basis. While
end-of-semester evaluations tend to summarize the students' overall responses
to the class, this type of input comes too late to be of use to you and
your students during the current semester. There are several techniques
you can use to solicit ongoing feedback from your students on the class
in general or the learning that takes place around specific topics and
activities.
After the first couple of
weeks of class, you could ask students to take out a piece of paper and
write down three things that have helped their learning in the class and,
on the other side of the paper, three things the students would like to
change about the class to improve it. After reviewing their responses,
decide what you can and will change and what you either cannot change
or find pedagogically unwise to change. You can also let the students
know what you will be changing based on their suggestions. This type of
informal feedback can be gathered at different points over the semester.
Classroom assessment techniques
(CATS) enable you to get feedback about the learning that has transpired
in a particular class period or after a specific activity. Perhaps the
most commonly used CAT is the “one-minute paper," where students
are asked to write down answers to questions such as the following, "What
was the most important thing you learned during this class?" and
"What questions do you still have on this topic?" This type
of technique enables you to find out how the students are processing and
synthesizing material. as well as which points need to be reiterated or
elaborated before going on.
For an excellent discussion
of various classroom assessment techniques, see the groundbreaking work,
Classroom Assessment Techniques, 2nded., by Thomas
Angelo and K Patricia Cross, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993.
Dialoguing with Faculty
The degree of dialogue between
GSIs and faculty about teaching varies from department to department and
from course to course. Many faculty teaching courses with GSIs hold weekly
meetings. These meetings should cover not only course logistics, but also
pedagogical strategies for teaching sections. (Please see the Graduate
Council’s Policy on the Appointment and Mentoring of GSIs.) You should
also arrange for the professor you are teaching with to observe your class.
This formative classroom observation should not be a "critique"
of your teaching, but a mutual exchange of ideas, in which both parties
discuss teaching goals, practices, and strategies for improvement. We
strongly suggest that faculty and GSIs use a tripartite structure for
these observations, which includes a pre-observation discussion, a class
visit, and a post-observation discussion. In the pre-observation meeting,
you should discuss how the class is going; what you will be teaching and
what pedagogical techniques you will be using; your goals for the class
period and what you would like the students to take away from the class;
and which areas of your teaching you would like feedback on. After the
class visit, you should meet with the professor to discuss the class and
to set goals for those areas of your teaching that need improvement.
For a concise description of
these techniques, see LuAnn Wilkerson’s article, “Classroom
Observation: The Observer as Collaborator." In POD: A Handbook
for New Practitioners. Professional & Organizational Development Network
in Higher Education, 1988, pp. 95-98. For additional articles on classroom
observation, see Karron Lewis, ed., Face to Face: A Sourcebook of Individual
ConsultaÐtion Techniques for Faculty/instructional Developers. Stillwater,
OK: New Forums Press, 1988.
Dialoguing with Peers
One of your greatest resources
for reflecting on and improving your teaching is your peers. GSIs teaching
sections of the same course should meet weekly with faculty to discuss
ideas on how to teach specific topics, and to exchange materials, resources,
and suggestions on how to promote a stimulating learning environment in
the classroom. GSIs are also encouraged to pair up with a peer to do classroom
observations. Many GSls who have visited each other's classes have reported
that observations and dialogues emanating from this type of peer collaboration
provide them with an invaluable opportunity to learn from the teaching
styles and techniques of other GSIs. Peer observations should follow the
same procedures as those recommended above for faculty observation of
GSIs. GSls can also exchange ideas with peers in departmental 300-level
pedagogy seminars, at informal gatherings within their departments, and
across disciplinary and department borders at the GSI Teaching and Resource
Center .
Consultation
Staff at the GSI Teaching
and Resource Center provide confidential individual consultation for GSIs.
Consultants assist GSIs in developing specific teaching strategies, reviewing
feedback received from students, and finding ways to improve teaching
and learning.
Consultants are also available
to conduct classroom observations and videotaping, together with preparatory
and follow-up discussions when these programs are not available in the
department. Videotaping is an effective tool for reflecting on teaching,
as it enables GSIs to see themselves in action and to develop strategies,
in dialogue with a consultant, on how to improve teaching. Please arrange
for observations and taping at least two weeks in advance.
Articles GSls may wish to
read in conjunction with videotaping include: David Taylor-Way, “Consultation
Through Video: Memory Management Through Stimulated Recall,” in Face
to Face, ed. Karron Lewis, Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press, 1988,
pp. 159-191 and Barbara Davis's “Watching Yourself on Videotape,”
in Tools for Teaching, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993, pp. 355-61.
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