First Time Lecturing...

theredletter

Hi guys,

I've been tutoring for over two years now and did a certificate course in teaching (not the HDip, it was one of those internal courses they run now and then). Anyway, I was asked to teach two modules this coming September in a small course (20 students). It's more like tutoring, I suppose, but I am pretty nervous. Both courses are within my field but I would only have general knowledge on both topics. I'd have to do my own research to organise them and deliver them right. As it's my first time doing this I'm obviously a bit worried.

I've done out a slide show of my first lecture and I have 3000 words of notes to have with me as a back up. As I'm not that educated on these topics I'm afraid I'll choke. I'm teaching first years, and I suppose I do have something to teach them, but I suppose it's more of a confidence.

Anyone in the same boat? Any helpful advice?

Thanks,

Ross

Tom Dunne

The first thing I would do is plan out exactly what you are going to say.

I am not a fan of lesson plans, but in this situation, it might help. When you get more experience, you can wing it.

I've been lecturing for a number of years now, but I know exactly how you feel. One time I was giving evening courses and walked into a large lecture hall which held about 120 people. Most of the students were probably 10-20 years older than me. I was petrified. But then I realised, hang on, I do know more than them about this subject. The course went fairly well after that.

Powerpoint slides give good structure to your class - don't put more than 5-7 points on each slide, don't use tacky animations and just put bullet points. Elaborate on each of these points, they will prompt you to talk more.

Also use diagrams to explain concepts, perhaps with some animation.

And don't lie. If you are not sure about something, come straight out and say it. Tell the students you don't know, but will find out and get back to them. Ask them to send you an e-mail to remind you. You will gain more respect if you are honest.

Finally, make it as entertaining (within reason) and interactive as possible. Put some questions on the Powerpoint slides and try to elicit the answer from the students.

theredletter

Thanks a million, Tom. Yeah, lesson plans are useful, if anything to calm your nerves with a solid structure. I definitely agree with being honest, and I have been in the past when questioned about something I was unsure of. I like the idea of making it as interactive as possible. I think that having 20 students gives me an opportunity to really connect with them on a personal level and trash out some ideas surrounding the topic!

Cheers again!
R

Tom Dunne

theredletter wrote: »

I think that having 20 students gives me an opportunity to really connect with them on a personal level and trash out some ideas surrounding the topic!

It's interesting that you mention this as the place I am working in now limits class size to 20.

One thing I found worked amazingly well was to break them into smaller groups to, as you say, thrash out a particular topic.

I was fortunate enough to be allowed have a say in the design of a classroom, so I got in four whiteboards and an ActiveBoard. The whiteboards made an amazing difference, it facilitated them working in teams and trying out ideas, plus you can see what they are doing and give them a nudge if they are going off track.

Certainly something to be encouraged.

Ostrom

Ah! My first was two years ago, and i was terrified also, so dont worry Remember (without being too cocky!) that you know much more than they do now, and always be honest when you dont. I'm the opposite in that i choke with lesson plans. Lecturing always throws up surprises, and part of the enjoyment is going with the flow and adapting to the students. Try not to script it too much to keep them interested, and dont be afraid to let them lead. Monitor their experience as best you can, invite comments and feedback so everyone is getting the most from the session. Also keep some group discussion exercises on standby if you stall or need to gather your thoughts. Worst mistake i made starting off was not planning the assessment; have a clear outline and reading list, and exam questions/c.a. to focus your content.

livinginkorea

Hello all,

My two cents for what it is worth. 20 people is a really nice size. 5 groups of 4 or 4 groups of 5. I always use group work in my class, even if I am presenting for most of it. I would use a general lesson plan, do not make it too specific because you might become too rigid then and have a good few discussion questions to stimulate students' conversation. That can give you a small break too; while they are discussion for a few minutes you can quickly run over your notes for the next section or interact with them in their groups when you are monitoring. If you have some practical activities then even better.

I do not know what your subject is or how long the classes are but in my case I teach a MA in TESOL with two and a half hour classes so I need to have discussion questions / activities here and there to break the lecture up. Their comments are always important too.

What the previous poster said about assessment is very true. Naturally, students want to know how and what they have to study, make it very specific for them. If they are going to write an assignment (as they often do in my case) then detail everything they need to know about it (length, subject matter, due date, outline, etc). The more you think about it and the more specific you make it then the better prepared you will be.

What Tom said about Powerpoint slides is very important too. I had a co-worker who would spend hours and hours every week developing these fanastic powerpoints with lots of amination and bells and whistles but once you actually read them, the material was pretty simplistic. He was spending too much time on the "show" and not enough on the content. Do not be flashy, try to be simple. Students will be able to take down notes and remember the details a lot easier when the material is presented in a straighforward manner.

Remember the smaller the class, the more you have to prepare. Start researching the hell out of your area, academic journals, papers, recent articles and book. Even youtube might have something. I try to bring in a few quotes to get the students thinking too.

Best of luck!