Teaching

What makes a good teacher? This page is supposed to indicate what seperates a good teacher from a bad one. Feel free to contribute! Please don't identify any specific instructors (at least on this page...)

• Chalk/white board etiquette
  • Important stuff goes up top, less important stuff on bottom - not everybody can see the bottom.
  • Do not erase what was just written/drawn
  • Do not make wide lines of text/code
  • Try to have columns of notes so that there is something old to erase when more space is needed.
  • If boards can move, utilize this; move a board to the opposite side of the room when it is full.
  • Bad handwriting? Write in all capitals (smallcaps is good)
  • Hold chalk at an angle and it will not squeak or break.
• Speech
  • Be consistant. If something has more than one name, it is okay to mention them, but always refer to it by the same name.
  • E-N-U-N-C-I-A-T-E
  • Be sure to say everything you write, especially if your handwriting needs improvement.
• Lecture style
  • Look at the class more than half the time, make sure they are interested and following along.
• Slides
  • Do not read slides aloud! lecture details should not be on the slides.
  • Slides are like shared note-cards, they highlight the points, not the entire talk
  • Problems with slides:
    • They are very linear; jumping around is hard
    • You cannot go on a tangent
    • Slides-based talks are scripted.
    • Slides are not interactive; if somebody asks about a scenario where one aspect of an example is changed, it is hard to talk about the modified example.
• Website
  • Minimum content: Teacher name and contact, TA name(s) and contact(s), meeting place(s) and time(s), semester, syllabus
  • Mention how often you intend to update it and be VERY clear if it is likely to be out-of-date and how often you check your email.
  • Blackboard or other required-account systems are turn-offs, use them only when there are copyright issues.
  • Posting MS Word documents is not acceptible; they are not easily read. Use the "export as HTML" feature in Word.
  • Everything should be in HTML format in addition to whatever else you use. Slides should be in HTML and PDF in addition to other formats (PS, PPT, ...). Items that need to be printed and adhear to a rigid format should (also) be in PDF.
  • Other neat things to have:
    • Announcements
    • Homework assignments and solutions
    • Sample quizzes/tests/midterm/final, and solutions to them
    • Actual quizzes/tests/midterm/final and solutions, from semesters past and/or present
    • Lecture notes - at the start of each class, have one student take notes and later submit them in HTML to the teacher. a wiki website (like this one) allows the student to post the notes, too (in wiki-text, not full HTML).
    • Links to relevant websites, including those of the textbook(s).
    • Forum or newsgroup for class discussion (pupil-to-pupil)
• Email
  • Do not send email to every member of the class using the To: or Cc: fields. Use Bcc: or create a mailing list or newsgroup.
  • Mirror all email announcements on the website. Most mailing list systems can host their logs online.
  • For mailing lists: unsubscribe students after the class ends and/or use the term (eg Spr03) in the list name.
• Homework
  • Announce assignments as early as possible
  • Some people do not have the book(s) at all time. Do not put problem numbers alone.
  • Hand back assignments or at least grades for them before collecting additional assignments.