Kumar Appaiah, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Bombay
I would like to preface this with the information that I chose to become a teacher primarily because I was very positively influenced by my teachers, especially at the undergraduate level. The happiness of seeing my students graduate and do great things in industry is a reward that has no parallels, and I am very grateful for this opportunity.
One important point to note is that none of the prescriptions is a one-size-fits-all, and different approaches work for different people. Having said this, here is what I think worked for me:
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Prepare for class, even if you're confident: Yes, this is the same topic you've been working on in your PhD, postdoc, industry experience etc. However, I still recommend reading the material, or, better yet, write down the material in a notebook before going to class. This applies even if you have already taught the course as well. Writing things down prevents you from skipping over some of the aspects that you take for granted, and forces you to convey the concept using a more natural flow to the students. I would go one step further in saying that prepare material for three or more classes in advance, because you don't want to run the risk of running out of content in the middle of a class!
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Connect the course with what students know or experience in their daily lives: Luckily, I teach courses in communication and signal processing, and this is relevant to what the students end up using daily in their phones, laptops etc. It is quite easy to draw a parallel with their daily experiences with regard to buffering videos, call drops, blurry digital photos etc. with concepts being taught in class. This, I think, reinforces their learning. I try to give them computer assignments with some of these practical use cases wherein they can observe these effects themselves.
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Show your enthusiasm and excitement: This is connected with the previous point. I emphasize the excitement in connecting the material with what they see and use every day. For instance, something like "Isn't it wonderful that we are able to have a video call with our families in real-time?", or something similar, emphasizing the amount of engineering complexity that goes into making a technology that we take for granted work so well. This excitement sometimes rubs off on the students, and also prompts them to ask questions related to these concepts based on their own experience, and enhances engagement.
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Speak slowly, wait for questions: When I was beginning my teaching journey, I was making some cardinal errors, including speaking too quickly, and not really waiting for students to ask questions. This risks losing too many students' attention in class. To avoid this, consciously speak slowly. Second, when you are moving across concepts, if you are awaiting questions, count to ten while eyeballing across the class and wait for them to ask, and don't move too fast.
If you are like me, and sometimes can't slow down your speaking, some ways around this are:
- Repeat yourself. Say the same thing twice or thrice. This ensures that the concept gets across to a larger section of the audience.
- Write phrases on the board. This also forces you to slow down, since writing on the board acts as a natural speed breaker.
I have heard from a colleague that the potential impact of good teaching is quite large, since positively influencing a class of students has a multiplier effect. Tens, or even hundreds of students over the years, would leave with your imprint on them, and work effectively in academia, industry, the social sector and beyond, resulting in a cumulatively large positive impact on society. This immeasurable impact is what I think we should strive for.