Remembering how to Teach

Maybe it's the fatigue of a semester's end.  Maybe that's it.  But I'm tired, and I think my teaching reflects this.  Kevin Brooks, at Ten Minutes a Day, has a list of six maxims that he says he needs to remember in his own teaching.  I need to remember them, too.

1. Don’t just assign writing, teach it.
2. Don’t just cover material, interact with it.
3. Don’t just teach the course, teach the students.
4. Get the students to teach; they learn more from teaching than listening.
5. Don’t let the students disengage; confront disengagement.
6. Remember that the classroom is an environment; don’t let the environment deteriorate.

I might add:

7. Don't just know their names; know each student (and in writing classes that's easier than in large lectures, I know), his strengths, her interests.
8. Don't just provide feedback that supports/defends a particular grade; provide feedback that will help that student improve (whether or not the student actually reads it).
9. Remember how much they have to provide to a teaching / learning environment.

What might you add to this list? to Kevin's?

Comments

[Julie Bogart]

Great list!

I'd add:

1. Find nuggets to affirm (content driven insight that you can identify).

2. Talk to the student, not the paper when you grade.

3. Leave time for revisions.

4. Model the writing process by writing together as a class on the blackboard (an intro, a transition, an integrated quote). Say out loud what you are going through to find words and ideas.

Those work for me!

Like your new digs. :)

Julie

[billie]

Thanks for these, Julie. I miss seeing your photos!