Being an effective teacher takes more than preparation and hard work. Successful educators must carefully consider how they incorporate student feedback, employ fair grading, provide individual student attention, and implement course rules, among other concerns. In the following paper, the author, a veteran teacher both of traditional and incarcerated settings, explains how she achieves these goals in pursuit of pedagogical excellence.

"Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach." I have no recollection of the first time I heard that epitaph: I remember only that it bothered me. Because when you decide to be a teacher, you are electing to become a parent, friend, role model, disciplinarian, and sometimes, social worker. Not only do you possess the potential to change an individual’s life, you have the ability positively to influence the lives of her children and of her children’s children.

Being a good teacher doesn’t require brilliance, dedicated committee work, or an impressive publication record, though those are the variables used to determine whether or not you are allowed to continue in your profession. High quality teaching takes time, care, concern, and a commitment to improving the lives of others. Over the years, I have developed a number of approaches to teaching that allow me best to express those goals while effectively facilitating student learning. This paper explains some of the strategies.

My first graduate assistantship was to teach several sections of public speaking. Unfortunately, not only had I never taken a public speaking course, I had never given a speech. Back then, I could count on one hand the number of times I had spoken in a classroom from kindergarten to my senior year. Instructing a speech course meant confronting my worst of fears, day after day, after day.

I survived four years of teaching that class not because I liked it, but because I had to teach to survive: my assistantships rendered tuition remissions. Along the way, I learned to love both public speaking and teaching. It was a time of epiphany, the antithesis of the quotidian.

Not only have the number of years I have spent as an instructor — nearly a decade — sharpened my insights about pedagogy, I have taught on six different university campuses, public and private, civilian and penal. In addition to having a full-time tenure track position, I teach public speaking in Bedford Hills Correctional Facility’s College Bound Program. Bedford Hills, New York State’s only maximum security prison for women, requires inmates enrolled in the college program to take public speaking as part of the core curriculum. The lessons I have learned at each institution have been unique in content, but similar in importance.

In short, teaching on a variety of campuses, under varying circumstances, has provided me with the opportunity to do quite a bit of experimentation. Over the years, I have developed a few pedagogical strategies that seem to be beneficial both to my students and to myself. In the following pages, I will expound on some of those techniques.

One of my earliest weaknesses as an instructor was my refusal to make adjustments in the syllabi, even when they were clearly needed. This was partly due to the fact that my first year of courses was centrally administered, but mostly was a reflection of my own insecurities. Failing everything else, that syllabus provided me with some sense of formality, order, and control. It was easy to hide behind its static calendar.

As I became more comfortable with my role as an instructor, I felt more at ease with deviating from the syllabus. During one summer school course, in fact, I completely revised my approach to teaching public speaking to meet the needs of that particular student group best. When it became clear that I had an entire class of extremely reticent students, I altered the assignments, their due dates, and included more group work. What I learned from that experience has influenced the manner in which I have taught the course ever since. Minus the ability to tailor that document, those changes would have been impossible. (Appendix A highlights the evolution of my grade and course schedule that term.) As a result of that experience, each time I begin teaching at a new campus or begin teaching a new course, I undergo this adjustment process, making sure to include student feedback along the way. Until a majority of the class has mastered a concept or a set of skills, we do not proceed. I refuse to be ruled by a calendar.

Next, syllabi should include clear statements of all rules, requirements, and grading weights. Not only are clear descriptions of these variables instrumental in reducing student stress, you can avoid potential problems later on by stating your requirements in writing at the beginning of the semester.

For example, during the first week of class, I read aloud and explain my "rules" at least twice, telling my classes that if they show up for the second week of classes, they are tacitly agreeing to abide by my rules (see Appendix B for examples of rules.) Later, if a student claims to be unaware of my policies regarding attendance, document preparation, or participation, all I have to do is point to the relevant section of the syllabus, preferably, on his or her own copy of that document. Again, I have found that clear delineations of my expectations serve to minimize student anxiety — especially in incarcerated settings.

Additionally, though this is clearly not necessary, I put in bold face important dates for the students. This practice is especially helpful for younger or new students who often have difficulty navigating the intricacies of their first year of college. Should a student claim not to know about a due date, all I have to do is point to the bold face areas.

Finally, I give a quiz over the syllabus after the first week of class (see Appendix C). This sets a "tone" of seriousness for semester and encourages students to recognize the importance of the schedule. Although using such a detailed document might seem initially restricting, I have found a well-developed syllabi benefit both myself and my students.

Almost all people want to be liked by others — teachers are no exception. That is one of the things that makes grading so difficult — you want to be popular with your students, but the work they surrender can require the assignment of unpopular grades. Likewise, it is easy to be torn between using grades as accurate symbols of work quality or as self-esteem boosters. Another challenge to fair grading is the dilemma between grading performance, intention, or effort. All teachers face these questions, and our subsequent behavior is to a certain extent dependent upon tenure status, the type of teacher evaluation being used, and the mission statement of the institution. The next few grading tips, however, have worked for me in a variety of pedagogical circumstances.

For the students in the open-enrollment system in which I currently work, I have decided that to use grades as indicators of anything other than actual performance is unethical. For example, a grade of "C" indicates that the student barely met the minimal requirements for an assignment and had a number of errors as well. A grade of "F" indicates that none, or merely a couple, of the minimal requirements were met, while an "A" indicates an excellent performance with no more than one minor error. Rewarding students for substandard performances, especially during their first or second semesters, not only provides them with an inaccurate gauge of the caliber of work expected of college students, but also means that we, as educators, are not doing our jobs. Proper education implies student correction, and modifications can only be made if the work is marked as inaccurate in the first place.

Because I adhere to these standards, I often distribute failing grades. I cope with the compromised morale/hostilities/disappointments of my students in a number of ways. First, during the initial class meeting I elucidate my philosophy of grading to each of my classes, explaining that I take grading very seriously. Since many students do average work, many students will get average grades. Second, I provide each student with a page of hand-written notes detailing exactly what areas of the performance or assignment were well handled or in need of improvement. Later, when the students attend each of the two individual meetings with me that I require of them, our conversations can be as specific and helpful as possible. Finally, I weight the grades so that speeches given late in the semester are worth much more than those given early in the semester. Student improvement is highly considered in the assignment of the final grades. To me, the last performance is much more important than the first, and students who have worked hard over the course of the semester should be duly rewarded.

Finally, for the public speaking course in particular, I have developed a course of action that convinces the students of the seriousness of the course and grows basic skills. The first graded speech of the semester is evaluated solely on the students’ ability to clearly organize, research, and create an informative speech. Meeting the requirements for the assignment means delivering an appropriate introduction and conclusion (explanations of which are beyond the scope of this paper but clearly outlined to the students) and accurately citing a variety of high-quality, relevant sources. For a variety of reasons (again, which are beyond the scope of this paper), I tend to award 3-6 "A’s" out of 120 student performances for this speech. Grades of "C" and below are much more plentiful.

Naturally, student reactions range from shock, to despair, to rage. Since I provide all speakers with a highly detailed grade sheet, however, it is immediately clear to each of them why they received their respective grades. I again explain to my classes the importance of teacher "correction" in education, and make the following offer: I will diminish the importance of the first grade if they can significantly improve their performances on a second presentation of the same speech. In each class, there are usually two or three students who maintain the same poor standard of work, but the vast majority of my students improve — and some of them, dramatically. The combination of the higher grades they receive and their subsequent rise in self esteem do wonders for future performances. Some students make greater improvements than others, of course, but to me, any positive change is a victory, and demonstrates to students that temporary failure does not mean permanent disappointments. Allowing students to complete assignments twice has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

But not all of my students’ final grades come from formal performances: I count participation as part of the final grade. Having been an extremely reticent student myself, I realize that participation comes in many forms. To that end, I count not only class room questions, comments, and small group performance as part of the participation score, but also after class questions, unsolicited office visits, and appropriate in-class nonverbal feedback as participation. Undoubtedly, lively in-class discussions usually add to the overall quality of any class — but it is unlikely that every student will participate. And in the event that 100% participation were achieved, the class would be difficult to manage. Just as we cannot all leader, we cannot all verbally contribute. Expanding my definition of "participation" lets me appreciate the diversity in student responses.

Finally, one of the most important qualities of an effective teacher is her ability to be consistent in the application of grades, rules, and punishments, and in the use of sound judgement in recognizing truly extraordinary circumstances. Yet providing an operationalization of the preceding statement is somewhat akin to braiding sand. Since my syllabus guidelines require documentation of each illness or disaster, that dispenses with a great number of difficult decisions. At other times, intuition, contact with the student’s other professors, the dean of students, or other members of the department can facilitate decision-making. My litmus test is that I never make a decision regarding a student’s grade or the excuse of absences that I would feel uncomfortable announcing in front of my chair, my peers, and the totality of the students enrolled in my classes. If I hesitate to disclose it publicly, I won’t proclaim it privately.

To the extent that you know your students as individuals, it will be easier to make decisions concerning the evaluation of their work. Likewise, it will be easier to facilitate your students’ learning — you’ll have a much better idea as to how to "reach" your target audience. You can achieve that knowledge in a number of ways.

First, I require two individual meetings per semester. Because there are no admissions requirements at the institution that currently employs me, I find that my students possess an array of deficiencies on varying levels, some of which can only be discovered or addressed in one-on-one confrontations.

For example, during individual meetings I have learned that students were submitting inappropriate outlines because they did not know how to use the shift key to create Roman numerals. During individual meetings I have taken students to the library to show them how to use basic equipment. During these conferences, I have become aware of serious personal issues that too often challenge students: domestic abuse, unplanned pregnancy, homelessness, and suicidal tendencies. Without those private meetings, I would not have been able to give my students the assistance and the counseling referrals they so desperately needed.

Second, early in the semester I provide each student with a 3"x5" note card and require them each to list their names, phone or beeper number, major, year in school, expectations for the course, and any information they would like me to know about them — this might include special needs, health issues, etc. Such information allows me quickly to reach students in the event that they are absent or are displaying inappropriate or troublesome classroom behavior. The small writing sample I solicit in the form of course expectations gives me an idea of the sort of work I will be seeing in the immediate future, and can also alert me to students who are especially unhappy about being enrolled in the course. As a beginning teacher, I could not imagine needing to call a student at home; as a veteran teacher, I, my students, and my students’ parents recognize and value the potential importance of such personal contact.

Next, as alluded to previously, do more than simply slap a grade on students’ assignments: write messages which specifically address each student’s weaknesses and strengths. With that sort of tailored information, your students have the opportunity to follow your comments line-by-line as they make corrections to old work or prepare to complete new assignments. If you adopt this habit, each subsequent meeting you have with one of your students will be more specific and potentially beneficial. Over the years, I have found that time spent on student evaluations early in the term proves highly efficient later in the semester.

Finally, tell your students when you hold unscheduled office hours or plan to stay late. No matter how liberal your hours offers are, some students will be legitimately unable to meet with you during those times. Occasional changes in your availability allows you to assist students whom you otherwise would not be able to reach. Plus, the goodwill you convey by announcing unscheduled office hours will be beyond measure.

As the daughter of a marine and fellow social scientist, I’m extremely fond of rules. I do, however, employ three considerations in the implementation of "Marsha Law": first, students are humans, as am I; second, there will always be exceptions to rules; and, third, enforcement is not always worth the ensuing battle. Examples will elucidate my assertions.

As a student, and indeed, as a professor, I have often found myself thirsty or hungry in class. Although I no longer eat during lectures, I carry liquid to each and every class meeting. Clearly, I am in violation of the signs banning food and drink in my classrooms. Due to a medical condition, I am chronically thirsty. To forego liquid is to invite torture into my life. To prohibit my students from similar necessities, in my opinion, would be cruel. Plus, I would rather a student eat breakfast in my class rather than skip class to eat breakfast. Thus, I regularly yield and fail to enforce a school policy.

Similarly, many of my peers deduct points from the final grade for tardiness. Although I do have a policy that states that I, too, will reduce the final grade for tardiness, I rarely do so. I would much rather a student walk in late than not walk in at all. If it becomes clear that a student is habitually late without merit, I will then consider an appropriate lowering of the grade. We all have occasional surprises and emergencies. To hold my students to a standard to which I do not hold myself would be unfair and inappropriate.

Third, most of my students carry telecommunications equipment. Although, I have peers who disrupt class room proceedings at the sound of a "beep," I do not support this approach. As a seasoned professional, a "beep" or ring should not disable my performance or concentration. Moreover, my students were raised in an environment of beeps and rings — those noises are familiar to them — and thus rarely truly disruptive of the learning environment. Fourth, I have decided that when a student wears a beeper or a phone to class, it is not a sign of disrespect. Students wear those technologies 24 hours a day, everywhere they go. To interpret those accessories as an affront to my authority is to display profound insecurity. Besides, I have only a limited amount of energy, and I would much rather spend that energy teaching a student than fighting with him.

Much less disruptive than beeping equipment are sleeping students. Since I’ve never seen a sleeping student disturb the learning process, I don’t bother sleeping students. If they choose to forego the information exchange for that day, that is their responsibility and decision. Although I hold those individuals responsible for the material they slept through, I do not disrupt naps. In truth, however, this is not a frequent occurrence.

Finally, all teachers are likely to be confronted with the occurrence of occasional "side-talk," conversations between students during lectures. As a beginning teacher, when I was more likely to interpret unusual behavior as a direct challenge to my authority, side-talk upset me very much. Now, I realize that not all cross-talk is disruptive — oftentimes students are clarifying notes, exchanging relevant observations about class materials, or encouraging one another to share an exciting story with the rest of the class. In the event that none of these explanations prove true, I stop the class, and tell the students that they are making me uncomfortable. In the rare event that the talking should continue, I stop the class, tell the students that I plan to talk aloud during their respective speeches, and will deduct one letter grade from their speech grades each and every time they behave in a disruptive fashion. This has always worked for me.

Occasionally, and hopefully very rarely, one has experiences that beg the involvement of officials outside of your classroom. Without attempting to delineate what those situations might be — we all have different needs — allow me to make a few preemptive suggestions.

First, introduce yourself to your director of security. It might be possible to do this at an orientation meeting or faculty teaching seminar. Otherwise, consider making an appointment with the director. Ask him or her what the protocol is for dealing with excessively disruptive students both within and without class. Find out how frequently security’s services are needed. Learn the procedures for filing formal complaints. Engaging in these sorts of behaviors is not an indication of paranoia, but preparation for the inevitable. Should you find yourself in a difficult situation, you want to be able to behave and make decisions in an informed manner.

I met my director of security at a teaching seminar. During his presentation, he stressed the importance of saving student correspondence that might be threatening or inappropriate in nature. Ironically, a student in one of my classes had indeed sent me a strange email message that very day. When I spoke to the director after his presentation, he urged me to save the message in the event that the messages should re-occur. That information proved invaluable when the messages did indeed continue. Without contact with the director of security, I would not have proceeded correctly.

Finally, know at least one person from the office of the dean of students, preferably the dean. Know at least one person in the counseling center, the writing center, and the tutoring center. I have found that when you take the time to get to know these employees, they will take the problems of you and your students more seriously. Additionally, on numerous occasions, individuals from each of these offices have provided me with invaluable advice and guidance in areas outside of my realm of expertise.

Undoubtedly, the discerning reader has noticed that my suggestions have implications for the usage of one’s available time. My only defense is that time well spent today equals time saved later, and that serving your students does take time. To that end, allow me to suggest one more classroom related time expenditure. Observe the classes of your peers.

Not only will such sessions provide you with alternate teaching approaches/ideas, you will also be able to assess a different class room environment. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, you will leave those observations with a list of experiments to try and approaches to avoid. You will be able to ascertain how your students’ performances compare to the performances of the group you are observing.

Finally, observing the performances of others demonstrates a commitment to pedagogical development on your part. Perhaps more than other occupational groups, being an educator means dedicating ones self to the challenges and thrills of life-long learning.

My final suggestion has less to do with actual classroom performance than with institutional survival. Time and again, I have discovered that the most knowledgeable people on campus are the support staff — the janitors, secretaries, and security guards.

These people know the location of your classrooms, make book requests, tell you what your schedule is for the next semester, etc. They know when you get paid, when the building is accessible, and when the mess in your office will be removed. While your peers can keep you abreast of the latest developments in the field, your institution’s support staff knows everything about the on-goings that keep your organization alive. Never underestimate their knowledge.

Each of the above suggestions, though simple, has been used successfully both with incarcerated and traditional college students, and with private and public students. At private institutions, I have not had to teach: my students were literate, disciplined, and the progeny of generations of college graduates. I don’t know that I taught those students anything — I merely guided their receptive minds through a few readings and assignments. They came to college with the ability and basic skills to learn.

At the public schools and, to a certain extent, at the prison, I have different responsibilities. These students need parenting, discipline, and positive role models. And I like that. Over the years each of those experiences has taught me that clearly stated, frequently implemented "rules" facilitate student evolution and improve my quality of work. It is my hope that these suggestions will prove similarly beneficial for others.

Speeches 250 total points

Speech I 25 points

Speech II 50 points

Speech III 75 points

Speech IV 100 points

Exams 100 total points

Exam I 50 points

Exam II 50 points

Papers 50 total points

Self critique 25 points

Peer critique 25 points

400 points available

Week 1: Introduction to the Course; Perception Exercise

Communication Basics

Topic Selection, Audience Analysis, Speaker Anxiety, Source Credibility

The Ungraded Speech: My Greatest Achievement; Finding Information

Week 2: Speech Organization, Informative Speaking

Speaker Delivery

Review, Video Analysis,

Week 3: Speech I (organization skills graded)

Visual Aids

Speech II (delivery skills and organization graded)

Speaking Persuasively

Week 4: Peer Critique Due

Speaking Ethically

Speech III (visual aid, delivery, and organization graded)

Week 5: Self Critique Due

Review for Exam II and Final Speech

Speech IV (persuasive appeal, visual aid, delivery, and organization graded)

Three Speeches 60% of total grade

Informative Speech I (20%)

Informative Speech II (20%)

Special Occasion Speech (20%)

Self Critique Paper 20% of total grade

Final Exam 10% of total grade

Participation 10% of total grade

Week 1: Introduction to the Course; Perception Exercise

Communication Basics

Ethics, Anxiety, Topic Selection, Audience Analysis

Research

Week 2: Research

My Greatest Achievement / Research, Support Materials, Organization

Introductions and Conclusions

Outlines

Week 3: Informative Speaking

Video Analysis

Speech I (content and organization)

Week 4: Language, Delivery

Video Analysis

Speech II (content, organization, delivery) 6-7 minutes

Week 5: Workshop III

Speech III (speech of tribute or acceptance)

Appendix B

* Students are allowed four absences. One letter grade will be deducted for each absence after the fourth.

* Failure to bring assigned materials will result in an absence.

* Failure to prepare for workshop days will result in an absence.

* Repeated lateness will be interpreted as absences.

* One-half letter grade will be deducted for missing, incorrect, and/or "untyped" outlines and bibliographies.

* Late work will not be accepted.

* Speaking dates cannot be changed. All speeches must be given in class.

* Students are responsible for the readings. Not all readings will be discussed in class.

* The College Policy on Academic Integrity will be followed.

* Students must attend at least one department sponsored event.

* If you are absent on your assigned speech date, you will receive a zero.

* Participation is defined as making positive class contributions and attending

department events.

Appendix C

1. Of the 12 "Course Guidelines" appearing on your syllabus, list at least three.

2. How many graded speeches will you deliver in this class?

3. From looking at the syllabus, how do you know when assignments or speeches are due?

4. What information is included at the top of your syllabus?

5. What is my name?