Classroom Presentation
Appendix
A
General Information
This appendix begins with general advice about teaching techniques for those who serve as
graduate assistants, or section leaders. Asking and answering questions is taken up in the
second part, and the final section examines administrative responsibilities. To some extent,
this appendix follows the chronological sequence of the term.
Before your first class meets, those of you who serve as graduate assistants should have a
thorough grasp of your responsibilities in the course. Ideally, the professor has carefully
The professor in the course should have prepared a syllabus telling students all they need to
know about the course, such as required textbooks and reading material, course outline, exam
schedule, and the relative weights of various course components in the final grade. Students
must understand the role their weekly sections play in the course, attendance policy, and
what part of the final grade, if any, stems from the weekly sections.
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Check other features of the room ahead of time. Turn on the lights. Do they work? Is there a
table or podium for your notes? Is there equipment to support PowerPoint slides, Internet
Class Begins
When you begin class, make sure that the room is well lighted and well ventilated, that the
chalkboard or display area is clear, and that students can hear you. All of this may seem
obvious, but new instructors sometimes forget the fundamentals. Success in the classroom is
Display a Class Outline
At the beginning of each class, try to give students an idea of how the day’s material will fit
into the broader framework of the course and what specifically you expect to accomplish
during the period. Put a brief outline on the left-hand side of the board, on an overhead, or on
some other display or handout. For example, your outline might begin with “Questions?”
This is a full agenda as described. The emphasis you put on each topic will depend on how
much discretion you have in running your section, how much material you must cover, and
how much time you have. As you complete each part of the agenda, you can check it off your
outline. One advantage of providing the class agenda is that it imposes a unity and continuity
to your class.
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Do Not Leave Class Discussion until the End
Since discussions are usually flexible and open-ended, you might be tempted to leave class
discussion until the end of the period. Then, when the period is over, you could simply bring
the discussion to a close. But DO NOT LEAVE DISCUSSION TO THE END. If you do,
The best way to put students to sleep is to try to tell them all you know. Don’t try to pack too
much into each class. Think of the material presented during class as furniture in a room.
When furniture is crowded together, as in an antique shop or a used furniture store, people
The Key Ingredient: Enthusiasm!
Perhaps the most important quality you need is a desire to be an effective teacher.
Enthusiasm is your best ally—an enthusiasm for the material, for the students, and for your
ability to get things across. Enthusiasm is the oil that lubricates the machinery of teaching.
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Strengths of the Lecture Approach
The outline you provided students has you answering questions, reviewing trouble spots,
leading a class discussion, and presenting new material. When you review trouble spots and
introduce new material, you will be, in effect, lecturing. Consider the advantages of the
lecture approach. What can lectures do that the textbook can’t, and how does the lecture
approach compare to the primary alternative—class discussion?
Lectures are efficient ways of conveying large amounts of material. Lectures are good at
say, class discussion because lectures do not require student participation.
Weaknesses of the Lecture Approach
Because lectures are one-way communication, they offer little or no feedback about student
learning. The typical student’s attention span is said to stretch less than a half hour, so a 50-
minute lecture loses many students along the way. In fact, there is no guarantee that students
Variety Spices Up Your Presentation
Your presentation is made more interesting through variety—variety in the types of material
presented and in the way material is presented. Your presentations could include facts,
statistics, graphs, anecdotes, parables, examples, questions, opinions, discussions, and other
approaches.
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If your objective is to present material, have a good idea of what you are going to say, but
don’t read from notes. You can and should refer to notes during your presentations, but
reading verbatim is verboten. When you read from notes, some students dutifully take notes
without thinking much. Thus, your notes can become the notes of the student without first
passing through the mind of either of you.
In your sections, you should aim for give-and-take, providing students with an opportunity
for interaction with you and with one another. Incorporate student questions into your
presentations. An informed conversation is preferable to one-way communication because
more critical thinking is likely to occur.
Board Use and Power Point
If you use a chalkboard or a white board, think of it as a large piece of writing paper. If you
scribble all over the paper in no apparent order, anyone trying to make the connection
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orderly and sequential way, students can take better notes because they can get the logic of
the presentation from the board. If you are using PowerPoint slides, you can post them on
your Web site, allowing students to download them before or after class.
Body Language
Your nonverbal action conveys as much as what you say. Try to direct your nonverbal action
in positive ways. Students are able to sense how organized you are. Send the message that
you are in control of things. Get to class on time. Be prepared, organized, and alert.
Your posture conveys your sense of purpose. You indicate to students that you view your
responsibilities as important when you maintain an alert and an erect posture. Schlepping
In your presentation, maintain eye contact with the students. Nothing is more
distracting than an instructor who looks at the floor, the ceiling, out the window—
everywhere but at the students. Students will perceive your inability to establish or to
maintain eye contact as shyness, aloofness, or even a mind that is elsewhere.
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Learn how to “read” your class through the unconscious body language that students
transmit. Some students feign interest when they are bored, but the ruse is easily unmasked
(and most students make no attempt to conceal their boredom). Teaching is all the more
How to Handle Mistakes
Errors of fact in your presentation are easily corrected: simply acknowledge the mistake and
move on. Nobody said you were perfect. But errors of poor judgment in your dealings with
students in class are more serious and can cause more harm. A careless remark that belittles
or offends a particular student or a group of students calls for an immediate apology.
How About Humor?
Humor can often be an effective addition to your presentation. If you have a sense of humor,
don’t be afraid to use it. The use of humor does not mean trying to go for big laughs, but it
Asking and Answering Questions
Don’t expect your students to be note-taking machines. After all, if class notes were the only
purpose of attendance, we could save everyone a lot of time by sending students home and
simply posting the lecture notes.
Questions That Monitor Student Learning
Just because you are speaking does not mean students are listening or learning.
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you with valuable feedback on your delivery. You may think the presentation
is quite clear, but if nobody in class can explain what you just said, perhaps
you should reevaluate your approach.
Questions that are particularly unhelpful are “Does everyone understand?”, “Is that clear?”,
and “Do you have any questions?” The typical response is silence, which you incorrectly
take to mean that the lesson has been understood. A question requiring a detailed response
will show you quite directly if your message is getting across. For example, you can ask
“Which HR functions most directly impact employee discipline?” Ask specific questions
that flow from your presentation. This manual suggests many such questions.
Responding to Questions
You should welcome questions at any time. Students often ask vague and squishy questions.
A student might say “You lost me” or “I don’t know what’s going on.” That sort of comment
is better than no response at all, but not much better. Reviewing all you have said is
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Course Administration
You are usually expected to hold office hours at a regular time each week. Customs vary, but
two to four hours a week usually are sufficient. Announce your office hours during your first
class. As I noted at the outset, let students know your office location, office telephone
number, e-mail address, and the location of your departmental mailbox (in case they want
write you a note or drop off an assignment).
Keeping track of students’ grades is an important duty, and it is one you must take seriously.
During the first few weeks, many students drop the course and others add it, so you might
want to wait until enrollments stabilize before you enter a final list of names in your grade
book. Even then, changes will still occur. Use the registrar’s enrollment list as a temporary
SOURCE: Adapted from material written by William A. McEachern, University of
Connecticut.