Beyond the First Day

They'll be back. And you need to be ready again...and again...and again. What you have learned up until now should provide some structure for future class sessions. So let's do a quick review.

Plan carefully. Easier said than done. As the term progresses and your involvement in your own program becomes more demanding, planning your class(es) well will be more of a challenge. But the time invested will always be well-spent. The energy you put into your teaching will benefit your students and increase your knowledge and skills. For those of you planning to become teachers, this is invaluable.

Ask for help and guidance from your supervising instructor or from a veteran GTF in your department. And remember--you can always call on TEP. We make one-on-one consultation appointments for anyone throughout the term to help with lesson planning and any kind of problem-solving or troubleshooting situtation that arises. No problem is too small. Please don't wait until something feels out of your control. Maybe all you need is some validation that what you're doing is okay. Please--don't hesitate to contact TEP with any concern.

Set the stage. Put up some kind of agenda or have some way of letting students know both what will be happening in class that day and what they will know or be able to do at the end of the period. Connect it to what they have done previously whenever you can. Give them a big picture view of how today's session builds on or adds to what they have learned so far in the course.

Structure involvement. I am assuming that if you are leading a discussion or lab section you want your students to be involved. Labs are usually designed around structured activities. If you are leading a discussion section, consider group work--pairs, threes, fours as a good way to get students talking together, generating ideas and gaining the confidence to speak up to the rest of the group. Here are some ideas on how to keep students involved in discussions.

Other considerations. While the primary goal of this on-line training was to get you through the first day, we recommend looking through the topics listed below for more valuable information regarding your first teaching experience.

 

    Address questions or comments about TEP or this site to:
Georgeanne Cooper, Program Director, 64 PLC
Phone: 541-346-2177 Fax: 541-346-2184
Teaching Effectiveness Program, Teaching and Learning Center, University of Oregon.
Last Modified: 07/07/09