Conduct classes (Tertiary Education)

I want to ensure students can take away key learnings from every lesson.

“I am in the classroom to serve my students, but they are not in the classroom to serve me…Some teachers have the idea they are the boss, and I find that these teachers can’t work well with students.” 

Here, good practices in conducting and serving our students are;

1) During the first two lessons of the semester, I start by stating the ground rules and requirements to ensure students know my expectation. This is done by;

i) Explaining that we position them as best interest in our heart, but there must be hard rules that we all need to abide so we can learn and grow together effectively

ii) State clearly what will cause them to fail the module and prevent themselves from doing so. To allow them to understand the seriousness, I will use past real events on students who have failed as an example.

2) During every other lesson, I will deliver the class as usual by going through each topic and encouraging students to approach me if they have issues with understanding. This is also a way for me to identify if I have done my job well.

3) For project-based lessons, I will ensure students can work cohesively, no peer bullying or being left out by identifying;

i) If the class communicated and reacted positively and cohesively

ii) Separated into groups with occasional conflicts

iii) Work individually

4) It is our responsibility to identify if a class is victimising someone by observing the kinds of jokes and rumors they discuss openly or with me. If need be, we have to step in to protect the student.

5) For tutorial lessons, I will ask questions to identify the topic the class is struggling. I can then focus on their needs rather than based on my assumption to deliver the lesson. 

Also, I will coach and assist students in identifying solutions themselves rather than giving answers immediately. This enhances learning and their memory so they can better appreciate the topic.