Thread by @Dr_KatieG1

A friend asked me recently for some teaching tips for a #newPI teaching a “new to you” class for the first time and I thought I’d share them with y’all! First I’ll say these strategies won’t work for everyone, especially if your teaching load is high and/or you don’t have 1/n

Materials from a colleague. So this works best for a class that’s been taught before, just not by you.
First, the biggest problem for new PIs honestly is spending too much time on teaching. We approach all things in academia as if we only get one chance to get it right. 2/n

Because that’s all we usually get. But teaching doesn’t work that way usually. Most classes you’ll teach repeatedly over your career. So you’ll have 10 times to get it right! That means the first few times the bar for the class is “good enough and DONE” not perfect. 3/n

Your teaching effort will be too much the first time. Trust me. But your goal should be to keep it reasonably “too much”. Try to keep your teaching effort from taking over your life. I’m supposed to be equal time research and teaching, so I can’t spend 30 hours teaching & 10 4/n

On research. To limit your effort you have to accept less than perfection. Ok from that framework, how do I structure my effort? The week before the semester starts, I dedicate that entire week to teaching prep. Day 1 is the syllabus and canvas pages. Organize the topics 5/n

Decide when you’ll have quizzes/exams, homework, and what grades will be based on. Set up at least a basic Canvas page for the class. Days 2-5: prep weeks 1-4. Each day the goal is to prep a single week of class. Not necessarily to get the lecture or discussion finalized 6/n

But to get a general class/homework/quiz plan and a list of the readings/videos done. Start with material from colleagues or the internet if you can. I limit each class to 2 hours per class that day. Whatever is done is done but I move on after 2 hours regardless of progress 7/n

Then I allow myself 1-2 hours before class to finalize class prep. I usually teach at 11 or 12 so I force myself to wait til that morning. Again whatever gets done gets done. The goal is good enough. I borrow my own slides all the time. I “adjust & fix” next time 8/n

This means I start the semester with 4 weeks mostly prepped in an ideal world. Then while I’m teaching week 1, I also prep week 5 and follow that schedule each week through the semester. Doing this allows for “life” to happen during the semester. Maybe you have a grant 9/n

Due or a family illness or you’re sick for two weeks! During those weeks, you just teach. Because this WILL happen. Skip forward prep during that time and return to it when things have calmed down. Yes, this strategy is stressful if you feel the need to have perfect classes 10/n

But here’s a secret: it’s NEVER perfect. Especially the first time you teach it. You’ll rearrange the topics. You’ll find new readings. New discoveries will be made. Etc. no point in perfecting a lecture if the next time you cover that topic at a different time so you need 11/n

Different background or to add/cut information. I’ve also found that using the same structure for each class no matter the topic really helps. Eg I teach a “topic” like evolution for 2-3 weeks, then we have a review day, do a homework, and they take a quiz. Then move onto 12/n

Primate origins and Human evolution. Another tip I’ve LOVED is building in Flex days. Like 2-3 days where you have no planned content. If you’re running behind, you can move things into that space. If you’re not, let that be a home study or rest day! And that’s all I got for now!

Oh my god I forgot the MOST IMPORTANT TIP. Copy your schedule of topics onto a blank document and at the end of each class, make a few notes. What went well, what went badly, if you were over time or had time left, etc. anything you think of. You will thank yourself the 2nd time

https://twitter.com/philipleftwich/status/1622718561541128222

I messed this up my first year & took notes by date instead of topic. Which was not helpful when I moved the topics around my second year.