A dozen years ago, Mort Brown, Pat Shure, Beverly Black and I were having a conversation about helping TAs to become better teachers, and the question came up "What do we mean by 'a good teacher', anyway?" So I took notes during the conversation, and wrote a draft, which each of them, in turn, edited, and then I edited, and then we came to a consensus, and that consensus involved taking the Pink Floyd references out, and then I grew up and got a web-page and gave it a final edit without their consent, which did involve putting the Pink Floyd references back in.

I think that when developing a program to help instructors, it is a Good Thing to have a goal in mind. I believe that this list is a good place to start.

Elements of Good Teaching

I. Management

A. Organizing the information-flow

1. Policies and expectations about class procedures such as tests, homework, and student behavior should be clearly stated.
2. Homework should be announced far enough in advance, collected regularly, graded efficiently, and returned promptly.
3. Grading policies should be fair and conveyed unambiguously.

B. Planning the time

1. Staying with the syllabus.
2. Scheduling well in advance for quizzes, reviews, student presentations, etc.
3. Organizing the class period including outlining at the beginning of class and closing with a smooth summary.
4. Adjusting plans when suddenly faced with too much time or too little time.

C. Managing the students

1. Keeping order and focus.
2. Handling interruptions.
3. Fostering attendance and promptness.

II. Communication

A. Content

1. Knows the subject and is well-prepared.
2. Gives clear explanations.
3. Stresses the basics.
4. Uses the "rule of four."
5. Sets an appropriate level/tempo.
6. Anticipates student difficulty.

B. Presentations

1. Presents with enthusiasm!
2. Interests and stimulates students.
3. Exhibits good board work.
4. Encourages questions.
5. Appears self-confident and poised.
6. Speaks loudly enough and clearly; uses eye-contact.

III. Respect

A. "No dark sarcasm in the classroom"

1. Avoids gratuitous harshness. ("We've been over and over this. When are you planning on learning it?" "This is about as easy as it gets." "Didn't you learn anything last term?")
2. Avoids callous feedback.
3. Listens to students, never talks down to them.

B. "Teacher leave them kids alone"

1. Promotes gender and racial equity.
2. Avoids personal criticism; student-instructor, instructor-student, student-student.
3. Assigns grades fairly.

C. "All in all, you're all just bricks in the wall"

1. Learns and uses student names.
2. Shows concern for individual students and attempts to see things from their points of view.
3. Makes exceptions when appropriate.
4. Tries to be available.
5. Individualizes instruction if possible, especially during office hours.

IV. Commitment

A. Devotes the "right" amount of time to teaching

The particulars here were specific to Universiity of Michigan TAs. I am leaving it in because I think it is important to find out what your specific department's expectations are for teaching.

1. 20 hours a week (TA union contract)
2. 3 office hours a week.
3. 3 long grading sessions.

B. Utilizes opportunities to develop professionally

1. Participates in staff meetings
2. Cooperates with co-workers
3. Experiments and improves

V. Outcome

A. Students are successful in the course
B. Students agree that "this is an excellent course"
C. Students agree that "this is an excellent teacher"
D. Happy students make generous alumni