Teaching Technique-Make students like your classThe question you obvious have is, HOW? Consider this, if you went bowling for the first time and threw gutter balls every time. After it was over, you would probably say, “I don’t like bowling!” If you played golf for the first time and couldn’t even hit the ball. You just hit dirt and missed the ball every time, you would probably say, “Golf is not right for me!” If you went to archery range for the first time and hit the center of the target every time without any previous training, what then do you think you would say? Of course, you would say I like the Bow and Arrow.
So?
PEOPLE LIKE THE THINGS WHERE THEY HAVE A MEASURE OF SUCCESS PEOPLE DON’T LIKE THE THINGS AT WHICH THEY FAIL OR ARE CRITICIZED A LOT.So? Design you class, whereas for a least the first two weeks, there is no failure, no non-success. In fact build in SUCCESS exercises. Each student should start with at least three good grades. Make it happen. After that, if “bad” grades appear, offer the student a “do over”. Also never embarrass any student. Never, after an incorrect response to a question, scream “wrong”. Say, I see how you might arrive at that answer, but think a little deeper and try again” Never call on a student to answer a question that did not have his hand raised. That seems like a personal attack. It seems as if you are trying to humiliate him. Plan success exercises. Make success happen. You can do this! Think about it, do you like to do things at which you fail?
