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3. Strike a good rapport with students. Your attitude towards them is very important and they read it correctly always and every time. Be sympathetic but firm in your approach. Your approach could be almost fatherly. They should be able to sense that you mean their good and that should b by your actions rather than you talking about it.
4. Read their mind and Eyes. You should be able to read question marks in their eyes. It is not difficult. Do look in their eyes and you will be amazed to see them speaking. Do not ignore that as if you do that they would soon loose interest and also track of what you are teaching 5. Why wait take feedback for yourself in very second week. Talk to them frankly and openly and try changing your style if required. After all what you teach is not important, what they learn is more important isn’t it?
6. Keep them on toes, if they do not put question bombard them with questions basically your approach should be to ensure that they listen to you and are mentally alert.
7. Use students as resource to clarify doubts. It is not at all necessary that you have to talk all time. They will be more attentive if they are to speak. Make your classes interactive with involvement of students in clarifying basic doubts raised by other students. This will give them confidence as well as improve their communication skills.
8. Show your genuine concern for their welfare. Do not only talk just do it best you can. Even accompanying some student to hospital in emergencies.
9. Earn respect by your behavior and knowledge. Even how you stand how you talk and how you dress up does matter. Do you remember your school/College days? Try to look back into those days and you will realize as to what needs to be done.
10. Do your homework thoroughly. There can never be any short cut for depth of knowledge. Each lecture has to be prepared thoroughly as if you are going to teach it for first time.
Why Limit ourselves? Learning cannot be limited to classroom
Classroom teaching could well be just less than 50% of total learning involved or PUT it otherwise it could be gateway leading to learning experiences. Use every opportunity presented to you to make them learn. Other Opportunities to Enhance Teaching Learning process could be following:-
(a)Lab Sessions (b)Tutorial (c)Seminars (d)Projects (e)Industry Visits
Make use of this time to fullest advantage. Demonstrate equipment in lab sessions and during industry visits and couple this with classroom teaching. Same way projects, seminars and tutorial time can be used to a great advantage. Invoke interest in students by taking practical systems and examples from visits, which you had undertaken to enhance learning.
Food for thoughts
Does Serving food means that it has been eaten and digested? Even if it has been digested completed, has justice been done? Be careful in choosing what you serve. Do you get me ? Yes setting of syllabus is what I am talking about. It is one of most important things for a teacher. I will go to an extent of saying that it is much more important than teaching itself. What you teach does matter a lot so be careful to choose should you get a chance to draft a syllabus. It should meet tomorrow’s requirement and not that of yesterday.
I think that is about all we can do for students.
BUT WAIT! IS THAT ENOUGH ?
Haven’t you heard about Self Learning? Just mark my words end of studies in college is going to be beginning of actual learning about real world where continuous updating will be required.
Where we fit in as teachers? Can’t we motivate them to develop art of self-learning and self-grooming to get ready for future?
Author has 28 years of experience in the field of Telecommunications. He is M.Sc(Physics) and has M. Tech from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. He has worked in different capacities including Signal corps Indian Army, Regional Manager of one of leading Telecom company. Currently he is Associate Professor with Institute of Technology and Management at Gurgaon, Haryana, India which is rated as the best Engineering colleges of North India