Faculty share lessons learned in the classroom

Of all the things new faculty members must manage once the semester begins, possibly one of the most nerve-racking is preparing and teaching their first class as an assistant professor. Tips for dealing with the stressful first year of teaching were covered at the inaugural Fasken Teaching Symposium, held last month in the College of Liberal Arts.

Four key points arose from the presentations made by five faculty and three administrators that might help assistant professors begin their careers with a positive teaching experience:

Prepare thoroughly

Taking the time to develop one’s course materials and develop clear classroom management strategies means the less time one will have to take in later semesters. The university requires certain information on a course syllabus, so be sure and know what is required and include it. If using technology in the classroom, go in early and learn how to use the equipment.

Being thorough also means making sure students understand the rules, such as cheating and plagiarism.

Michael Koch, assistant professor of political science, says he takes extra time to address this particular issue.

“Many students, and especially new students, have a difficult time with the concept of plagiarism,” said Koch, the college’s 2006 Montague teacher scholar. “I usually spend the better part of a class, if I have written work, going over what is and what is not acceptable so that students understand what is and is not correct.”

Be flexible

A wide variety of students will walk into one’s classroom. Some will have part-time jobs; some will not be academically prepared for college work; some will be heavily committed in extracurricular activities; and some will be on their own for the first time. These situations will affect how well students manage a professor’s expectations for what they can achieve and learn in your class. Be ready to adapt in order to help them learn, but remember to be fair in making any such adjustment. It is important that no student be unfairly penalized by any changes. What one wants is to create the best possible learning environment for his/her students, and sometimes that might mean knowing when not to hold class.

“On Sept. 11, my class showed up about an hour after the World Trade Center disaster,” said Pamela R. Matthews, associate dean and professor of English. “We talked briefly and aired our feelings then we left class. It just wasn’t a day to discuss literature.”

Respect your students

Get to know the culture of the school and spend some time those first few weeks getting to know the students. Brandon Schmeichel, assistant professor of psychology, said his students “cut him some slack” because he didn’t know some of the Aggie traditions.

“In retrospect, it would have been more respectful to learn about the culture and its traditions beforehand, Schmeichel said. “I know the students would have appreciated the effort.”

Glenn Chambers, a second year assistant professor in history, agrees.

“I wish I had spent more time getting to know the students during the first few weeks of the semester,” Chambers said. “I made the mistake of going into class and getting right to the subject matter without really asking the students who they were, what they expected, or why they took the course.”

Be yourself

Relax and be forgiving if you don’t get all the information covered that day. Chambers says the best advice he received from colleagues during his first year was to relax and remember that he wouldn’t get everything right the first time.

But he discovered that was easier said than done.

“I think I was so caught up in trying to cover all the material and adhere to the syllabus that I wasn’t as flexible at times.”

In retrospect, Chamber says that “at some point, you have to be natural and develop your own style.”

The Fasken Teaching Symposium was sponsored with funds from the Murray and Celeste Fasken Chair in Distinguished Teaching in the Liberal Arts, held by Steve Daniel, professor of philosophy. Daniel, who also was awarded a Texas A&M University Presidential Professorship for Teaching Excellence in 2007, intends to host a series of events, whether monthly dinners, a mini-conference or study groups.

“Regardless of how it is done, my aim is to help all of us in the college become better teachers,” said Daniel. “And because the funding from the Fasken Chair is substantial and lasts for five years, it really can have a major impact.”

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