In progress…
I had the privilege of being a graduate student instructor for five different courses at my university, ranging from biology with freshman to natural resource economics with second-year Masters and business school students. While this diversity required that I tailor my teaching approach to each specific setting, I have learned and believe strongly in several principles of teaching that are transferrable across different teaching environments.
For much of my experience as a GSI, I have acted as a guide to approaching complex problems such as entrenched poverty and environmental degradation – the solutions of which require systematic integration of several disciplinary perspectives. The art of guiding groups through such problems is fast-paced and requires an understanding and appreciation of relevant perspectives, as well as a great deal of patience and humility. When definitions, let alone optimal solutions, of complex problems aren’t agreed upon, then a teacher works to cultivate solid theoretical foundations and analytical tools to gracefully, and respectfully, move groups towards a place where objective inquiry is a first reaction. In other words, I try to enable students to learn how to learn. Politics is pervasive in the university setting, all the way down to freshmen. Modern information technology provides students with the ability to locate a plethora of resources to support any preconceived ideological positions, and teachers need to take every opportunity possible to encourage objective and logical thinking. I believe that teachers that adhere to this principle provide students with the tools to acquire and retain intellectual freedom.
Being prepared is essential to teaching. A well-prepared teacher can navigate course materially tactfully and craft participatory, fluid discussions that give way to self-discovery. Preparation, also, makes teaching much more enjoyable—and the positive energy generated by this enjoyment projects itself directly back into the classroom. Preparation, however, should not crowd out a healthy degree of acknowledged uncertainty about subject matter. True experts do not exist, and setting yourself up as one can serve to establish false expectations in the classroom and stifle your message of the importance of lifelong learning, especially among younger students. Instead, teachers should be candid in situations of uncertainty, and be explicit about how such uncertainties will be resolved.
Quality discussions are the product of assimilating various teaching strategies. Grading on participation is one method, but I prefer to focus my energy on conveying the relevance of the subject matter in all of our lives and careers, thereby generating participation autonomously from the group. I enjoy structuring in-class case studies for conceptual material, and exercises for technical material, that require group work and subsequent sharing. These activities are opportunities for students to practice working in groups—which, for most, will prove to be valuable beyond graduation—and allow them to dig into relevant cases and acquire a sense of attachment and enthusiasm for their work. When relevant, these activities should make use of modern information technology as analytical tools and/or for the purpose of captivating attention.
Every term, I must establish my role appropriately in the classroom so that interactive discussions and exercises are anchored and therefore focused and efficient. This is challenging in graduate courses, where many students are also the peers of a GSI, and in undergraduate courses, where a teacher’s assertiveness must be carefully measured to inspire confidence in students and reorient common sentiments of entitlement. Properly managed, a teacher’s confidence is vital to classroom productivity.
I believe that a teacher needs to be open to constructive criticism from students and outside observers, and be self-aware of his evolving performance in the classroom – and humble enough to alter his approach when it is deemed beneficial. I strive to set realistic objectives and monitor my classes along the course of the term. One-on-one interactions with students outside of class—something that I am drawn to, naturally—are opportunities to acquire feedback about the learning environment and course objectives; and they develop trust, which contributes to more relaxed, creative, and dynamic classroom experiences for all.
