Teaching is being able to facilitate learning by being able to give learning to a student as well as the student receiving the learning. My particular approach is a thorough knowledge of my field of expertise while also having a very broad base of knowledge to draw from. Even though teaching occurs in the class setting, it still comes down to teaching individual students. By understanding what areas a student is likely to have knowledge of, I am able to translate the knowledge I have and make associations with the knowledge they have.. An example I recently used was being able to explain computer operating systems to a carpenter with no computer knowledge. Take the example of processor sorting algorithms, To the carpenter, "Have you ever been building something and needed your next piece of lumber, went and looked around to find a piece that was just long enough without too much excess waste?" Now you understand the Best Fit sorting algorithm. Maybe you were in a hurry and just grabbed the piece closest to you.......and so on.
By creating such associations you tap into the knowledge a student already understands and knows. Granted, every student is not a carpenter, but every student has picked classes, studied, played video games, not had enough money.....etc. You don't have to look too far to find an analogy that will make a connection.
Also, teaching must be dynamic. Employing a variety of learning methodologies and modalities increases the student interaction and involvement. In-class experiments, multimedia presentations, student centered learning, pair programming, group projects, and so on are effective in getting more students involved that what a lecture style format can ever hope for. Since many students have different learning styles and abilities, using a varying format will facilitate better learning overall.
Perhaps my greatest tool for teaching is keeping the student mindset. I try to ask myself, if I were a student learning this material,
- What would I want the end result to be?
- How could it best be presented that would make it easier to learn?
- Is there a way to make this "fun" to learn?
By considering these questions in the preparation of instruction materials, I am able to gain realistic expectations for the quantity and content that can be learned in a session. I am able to set goals for each class as well as for the course. Additionally, I attempt to set goals for individual students, having greater expectations for every single one than what they came into class with.
I also feel teaching needs to be relevant. Material presented in class should be time-relevant as well as having a meaning and purpose that can be demonstrated in terms of skills learned, concepts understood, and progress toward a measurable goal. Teaching computer science courses, the knowledge learned needs to be relevant and marketable to the computer industry.
What I value as the end result of teaching, is the ability to take something away from the class a student can use in the future. If the class is of the type that teaches a skill, then I expect the student to have an end product that can demonstrate that skill. For example, in a class teaching HTML, the end result should be at a minimum that the student has a working website available on the Internet whereby they can showcase their learning from the class.
