STEM Course Design Series: In-Class Teaching and Engagement

The first thing I want to say about in-class teaching is make it fit your style.

It's probably the most important thing I'll say today is that you can go and see other people teach.

You can come watch me teach.

When you're in a workshop with me, you'll see how I do things and you'll get my figure out my style.

You'll go watch people down the hall from you teach.

But it doesn't mean it's the way you have to do it.

OK, everyone's a little bit different.

Everyone has different personalities.

Everyone will have a different niche and a different way of doing things.

So and that's totally OK. Don't feel like you have to shoehorn it in.

If you have colleagues telling you, you have to do X, Y and Z with active learning or you have to lecture this way or use this slide design.

No, that's not true, right? It's up to you because the in-class teaching part of teaching really is the most personal of the realm of course design and teaching, in my opinion, right? It's where you, your actual voice, your mannerisms, your eyeballs, everything comes into play.

And if it doesn't feel right, it's not going to land well.

So make sure you modify things for you.

Here's a quick example.

So when I do active learning a lot, and we'll talk a lot about that today too, when I walk around the room and I get my steps in, I like to say.

I walk a lot during class.

I walk around while I'm talking.

I walk around when students are working on things.

And I just listen.

I don't sit down next to them.

I don't probe them or ask them questions.

I'll answer questions if they raise their hands, of course, but I don't really pop in or pry into what they're saying.

But I have colleagues who they'll walk around and they'll pull up an empty chair and sit down and make direct eye contact and say, what do you think? What are you talking about? It's just not my style.

I have a lot of social anxiety.

The first thing I want to say about in-class teaching is make it fit your style.

It's probably the most important thing I'll say today is that you can go and see other people teach.

You can come watch me teach.

When you're in a workshop with me, you'll see how I do things and you'll get my figure out my style.

You'll go watch people down the hall from you teach.

But it doesn't mean it's the way you have to do it.

OK, everyone's a little bit different.

Everyone has different personalities.

Everyone will have a different niche and a different way of doing things.

So and that's totally OK. Don't feel like you have to shoehorn it in.

If you have colleagues telling you, you have to do X, Y and Z with active learning or you have to lecture this way or use this slide design.

No, that's not true, right? It's up to you because the in-class teaching part of teaching really is the most personal of the realm of course design and teaching, in my opinion, right? It's where you, your actual voice, your mannerisms, your eyeballs, everything comes into play.

And if it doesn't feel right, it's not going to land well.

So make sure you modify things for you.

Here's a quick example.

So when I do active learning a lot, and we'll talk a lot about that today too, when I walk around the room and I get my steps in, I like to say.

I walk a lot during class.

I walk around while I'm talking.

I walk around when students are working on things.

And I just listen.

I don't sit down next to them.

I don't probe them or ask them questions.

I'll answer questions if they raise their hands, of course, but I don't really pop in or pry into what they're saying.

But I have colleagues who they'll walk around and they'll pull up an empty chair and sit down and make direct eye contact and say, what do you think? What are you talking about? It's just not my style.

I have a lot of social anxiety.