by Matt Protsman
Since starting my journey as an instructor this semester, I’ve found that it is a rewarding and sometimes scary experience. I became a lab TA this semester because I like biology and I took this lab as a student. I didn’t think it would be too different to be on the other side of things. I found out after my first day that it actually is very different. Being at the front of a classroom of bright-eyed undergraduate students is more intimidating than I anticipated. I know that nobody is judging me on my “teaching skills,” but I felt like my students were used to a certain standard that I needed to reach. It felt like I was presenting for the first time in front of a panel of judges.
Due to this, at first, I tried to stay serious and very composed in my lessons. I read off the slides and told them what they needed to do for the day. I found this wasn’t getting much of a response. I felt like they weren’t interested in the content. I would ask my students to answer some key questions on the slides and struggled to find anyone with their hand raised. I thought about myself in the classroom—when I’m in their shoes. I hardly raise my hand in class because I have a fear of sounding silly. I also don’t want to come off as a Hermoine Granger, raising my hand at every question the professor asked. Nobody likes a know-it-all, right?
I found that as the instructor, you cannot forget how important it is to create a comfortable environment for your students.
After thinking about it, I came to a realization and pushed myself to find the solution. How can I relieve this anxiety students have about sounding dumb, or even sounding like a know-it-all? I started by putting small whiteboards at each of their lab tables with some markers. I asked them a question during the lab introduction and told them to collaborate on an answer and put it on their whiteboard.
Another thing I did was start playing music in lab through a collaborative playlist that students could add songs to. Suddenly, the previously silent lab erupted in bright conversation. My students weren’t just answering my question; they were talking to each other, too! They started to introduce themselves, talk about their music tastes, what other professors they had, etc. I finally found a way to get students talking because I made them feel more comfortable! When it was time to show the answer, many students raised their hands and told me what they wrote. It felt like a huge accomplishment, and it made me feel a lot more comfortable, too.
I found that as the instructor, you cannot forget how important it is to create a comfortable environment for your students. Say hello when they walk into your classroom, smile, laugh—show that you’re a friendly human being just like them. It’s the best way to cultivate a culture of creativity and learning in your classroom.