1.6 Ten Best Practices To Consider, Aspire To

How to become a good or perhaps even a great teacher? What traits does a good or great teacher exhibit?

Our top ten observations and suggestions, in no particular order...

• In addition to some web grazing and a few short workshops, actually learn about learning theory and cognitive development. Use these in you course design and delivery. Try to make it at least the equivalent of two to three undergraduate courses on the subject. This will address many of the top mistakes.
• Empathy and respect for the student and the situation within which they find themselves. Transitioning from high school, midterms, times when all projects are due, hunting for jobs, possibly traumatic incidents.
• Think through the learning objectives and pick the appropriate methods and techniques for each. One size does not fit all, and it is important to learn how to use the methods first in a controlled way before making the method the foundation of the course. It is also important to transition the students to any new methods they do not have experience with.
• Design multiple assessments during the term so that the students can demonstrate their mastery in a variety of ways and minimize the reliance on large, unfair, and unreasonable final exams.
• The use of threshold concepts combined with deliberate practice during the term. It is not one and done and it is important to consciously design the learning for cognitive load and learning.
• Engage the teaching experts on campus, have an experienced buddy, peer who will sit in, review material, provide honest, critical feedback for the course design and delivery.
• Practice continuous improvement, use any time saved through efficiency and course repetition to improve the course. Get feedback during the course, and from past students, one or more terms after the course is taught.
• Give teaching the same importance and resource allocation as other obligations, such as research.
• Aware of knowing what they do not know, and do not assume that students can be or should be taught the way the instructor was taught, or the way the instructor liked.
• Willing to have a growth mindset, able to move out of comfort zones in a planned and systematic way, and be willing to eat any mistakes made and not punish the students for instructor failure.

Further reading

• Bain, K. (2004) What the Best College Teachers Do, Harvard University Press.