As regular readers know, I’m kind of an education junkie, both as a receiver and as a giver. I spend my days developing and delivering leadership and marketing training programs and coaching individuals and groups, and I spend as many evenings as possible in front of a class somewhere, working hard to learn what it means to become an effective educator.
It’s common for me to run across other professionals who discover that I’m teaching in the evenings and express their own interest in this noble endeavor. I encourage them and offer to help. However, much like the, “I would love to write a book,” crowd, many people have the desire to teach, but some subset of those interested actually take the plunge and either write the book or teach the classes.
Note to everyone interested in translating his or her professional experience into a dynamic classroom environment, it may not be as easy as you think. Not impossible, but in my experience, you’ve got to work remarkably hard to do a great job.
I’ve always respected great educators…those that inspire, motivate, open our eyes to new possibilities and embolden us to learn by experimenting. Sounds a lot like the outcome of working for a good leader, doesn’t it?!
I have not found the magic formula yet, but as I embark this evening on teaching an 8-week course on Global Business to a group of motivated professionals, it helps to review my basic approach to developing a great class. Additional advice welcomed and encouraged!
Art’s Guidelines for Having a Fighting Chance at Doing a Good Job as an Instructor:
- I treat my students…whether professionals or full-time students as customers.
- I seek feedback frequently. By the time I read the post-course instructor surveys, it’s too late to make a difference for that group.
- I probably break most of the rules of the die-hard academics. I am teaching in business programs, and view it as my obligation to balance the theory and textbook teachings and niceties with the unvarnished truth about the real world along with an ample number of practical lessons to take back into the workplace.
- I work hard to follow the talk less, ask more and encourage asking approach to leadership.
- Students are often their own best teachers, learning from each other. I create situations to facilitate this learning.
- There is a big, bold, vibrant laboratory with thousands of experiments occurring in real time right in front of our eyes…I bring these experiments into the classroom and we work to tie them to the core concepts. Many of the ideas generated in these discussions are remarkable in their simplistic elegance and potential for effectiveness.
- Leadership lessons are part of every program, regardless of the topic name. At the end of the day, all of business comes down to people, so to ignore the practical, managerial and leadership implications of issues would be doing a disservice.
- Smile, laugh and have a great deal of fun. Education is a privilege, as is the opportunity to lead and serve in business.
The Bottom-Line:
Wish me luck in the new course tonight. Of course, I prepare hard, so luck should not be an issue. Perhaps the unwitting students need the good luck, as they have no idea that they are about to run into someone that really loves what he is doing in the classroom!
Great stuff, Art! Your philosophy is very sound so I bet you are a great teacher. I would add to that one I learned from a sage a few years into my academic career – have something to profess. When I was first thrown into the classroom, all I wanted to do was survive. Now I have a clear message I want to communicate in every class I teach. Students know how passionate I am about that message and they respond. Oddly enough, one way I know I am doing a good job is if a couple of students every semester complain on my end of course evaluations that I don’t do well with viewpoints that differ greatly from my own. Damn right. I am not getting paid to come in and take a vote on what it means to lead and manage well. It’s my job to have a very informed opinion and to communicate it with conviction and as much evidence as possible. I strongly believe that when you teach leadership and management you have to push people out of their comfort zones to think not just about how things are “in the real world” but to think about how things are NOT, why they are not, and what it will take from all of us to create a new and better reality.
Keep up the great work, Art! Bret
Art,
fascinating post, especially as it came out at the same time Tom Friedman did a piece on how one of the causes of the Great Depression was a failure of education.
His point, briefly, is that workers who make their living waiting for their company to hand them work to do, are likely to have a long wait. That work, whether it’s computer programming, accounting, law, manufacturing or medical verification, will find that that work is sent somewhere cheaper. Their job will be outsourced.
Those people who have the skills to innovate new ways of doing things, solve new problems or save money for customers, will excel. http://bit.ly/1AhzzL
Essentially, we are in a time of great change. Whatever your field, if you wait for someone to tell you what to do, you’re in a risky situation. Challenging people to think about this is a great service.
The fact that you found a way to do this, indicates that you’re probably a good person to learn from.
All my best,
Andy
Bret, I love the notion of “having something to profess.” You do a wonderful job describing what I agonized over earlier in my teaching activities and have long since cured. I now do what you indicate…bring a clear message into the room and I challenge and don’t feel uncomfortable sharing my disagreement with the students. I love your passion and clarity around your role. Thanks for the inspiration! I suspect that we would have fun co-teaching a class. -Art
Andy, I haven’t read Friedman’s piece, but I will now. Consider us in violent agreement on the notion of “If you wait for someone to tell you what to do, you’re in a risky situation.” And I’m working hard on becoming that good person to learn from.
Thanks as always for your thoughtful comments! Best to you. -Art
Art, Andy, I did not have a blog post when I woke up this morning, now I do! Andy, the tip to the Friedman article was an inspiration – thanks! Bret
http://www.bretlsimmons.com/2009-10/are-you-untouchable/
Art, Something tells me that your students (or perhaps I should say, your fellow learners) are in for a treat.
Teachers who work hard to create an environment where learning is stimulating and fun are like gold. I rather suspect that, as a teacher, you’re worth your weight in it.
Gwyn
Gwyn, thank you for the kind words! I have a lot to learn about being a good educator, but I’m giving it my all Thanks for reading and again for your kind words. Best, Art
As a costumer I would love to see the kind of effort you show for every class you teach, in every person who considers teaching, this would make such a difference in the education system. Sadly not all the teachers I have had in the past show the same motivation, of course teaching is not for everybody, but if you have the feeling to teach, why not try to do a good job! Great post, thank you. Aaron.
Thanks Art! As a current student I certainly want to be in a class that facilitates learning from my peers and most importantly I want to be taught by a teacher that is excited about teaching his/ her topic as this is inspiring and would draw me in. Goodluck on the rest of your classes, your points above should cetainly help your students get involved with the material and are essential for an effective and meaningful learning experience.
Aaron and Alicia-Ann, thanks for your kind comments. -Art
Art;
I can’t tell you how many professors I have had over my years who simply walk into class and proceed to read from a pre written set of notes for the entirety of the lecture. In these classes, students were made to feel that any sort of discussion was prohibited. In fact, when someone would raise their hand with a question, they would either receive a brief answer consisting of no more than one sentence, or the professor would refer them to his office hours. This is sad, because it is my firm belief that individuals learn best when discussion is encouraged. Having an open forum within in a class allows students to both better the material being taught, as well listen to other views and interpretations. The best types of classes are those that allow students to become involved with the learning experience. Not only does it make the material richer in the minds of those being taught, but increases the possibility for the information to stick with them for a long period of time.
I wish you all the luck in the world with your class.
-Zack
Zack, well said! Let’s hope professors everywhere read your comment! -Art
The best professors I have ever come across are those that talk less, ask questions, and then encourage more questions. They make it safe to learn and truly safe to ask questions covered with topical ignorance. My intuition says that these students are in for a memorable learning experience. I still place my vote on having one of your students live tweet one of your classes. I can see it now…#artpetty
Thanks
Garrick, thanks for commenting! Somehow I keep forgetting about that tweeting exercise that you keep suggesting! Who knows, it might be fun! Cheers! -Art
Art, great post. I think the guideline of treating your students as customers is tops. Many teachers have the bad habit of treating their students as inferiors.
Art,
Great article! I wish more of my past teachers would have done this. It would have made me more interested in the classes.
Importantly, I have found in the past that, especially when I was an undergraduate in the Biology department, feedback was never requested. We would sit and listen to lectures primarily off of PowerPoint slides without much elaboration of personal insight or facilitating of student involvement. This made the learning process more difficult. By the end of the semester (without asking if we would learn better a different way) we would just send in our evaluations with no hope of things getting better for us. In the MBA program, the teachers are much better at asking for feedback, and learning is easier.
In addition, creating situations for students to learn from each other is vvery helpful for me. I learn the material better with additional help from my classmates in some of my classes. Having group projects helps facilitate study group creation for exams among students. Grades will improve as a result.
-Mark
Hi Art-
I really liked this article. I think that you hit the nail on the head with the two following points with respect to being a great teacher:
There is a big, bold, vibrant laboratory with thousands of experiments occurring in real time right in front of our eyes…I bring these experiments into the classroom and we work to tie them to the core concepts. Many of the ideas generated in these discussions are remarkable in their simplistic elegance and potential for effectiveness.
AND
I probably break most of the rules of the die-hard academics. I am teaching in business programs, and view it as my obligation to balance the theory and textbook teachings and niceties with the unvarnished truth about the real world along with an ample number of practical lessons to take back into the workplace.
In a subject as dynamic as Global Business, or any other business course for that matter, there is only so much a textbook or theories can say. It is when those theories are applied to current examples that we, as students, can experience first hand that makes me understand the theories even more. If a student cannot apply the theories that they learn to a real-life situation, then those theories become useless to them. Additionally, I think it shows that not every situation can easily be classified as a specific topic or theory that is learned in class. This shows that it takes both an educated and and well-seasoned individual to make the appropriate decisions in business. I think the “educated” part can be easily achieved (maybe not without work, but definitely possible for everyone to achieve), but becoming well-seasoned takes time, practice, and experience.
Thanks for the good words and I bet you are a great teacher.
Mr. Petty,
This is a very interesting point. I have been in the University system for the last 5 years (4 undergraduate and 1 MBA) and have had a myraid of professors. Generally, they have been very enjoyable and informative. However, I find that some of my favorite classes were not taught by PhD’s but by professionals who were guest lecturing. The insight and real-life experience they brought to the classroom greatly enhanced my learning experience. Furthermore, the instructors themselves seemed to enjoy the classroom setting immensely. It seems like a win-win.
However, do you believe this was because the kind of professionals who guest lecture have certain, specific personalities? Is a lack of this personality keeping others, who would “like to teach someday” out of the classroom?
George, Mark, Kim and Zac, thanks for the comments and for sharing your thoughts on what creates an effective classroom environment for you.
George, I remember that “superiority complex” and I rankled at it as a student and have vowed not to go there as an educator.
Mark, a well constructed group effort can truly be a great learning experience.
Kim, we are in complete agreement on introducing the real world into the classroom. I appreciate the broader context and foundational benefits of the text theory, but the real application of the insights and ideas provided by the theories is where the learning comes in.
Zac, interesting question. Believe it or not, it can be an intimidating experience to put yourself on the line as an instructor in front of a group of students. Like so many things in life, the first time is the most difficult…you try…and you make mistakes. There’s no doubt in my mind that some very experienced people are a bit hesitant about following through. It’s back to the “write a book” comparison. Reading a book is easy…talking about writing one is still easy, but actually doing it is like running 10 marathons…or at least it seemed that difficult!
Thanks to all for the comments today and your many, many other comments on other posts. I suspect a good number of you come from Bret’s program and I can see why he enjoys working with you so much! -Art