Something that I consider important for us teachers is that we need to be prepared for the student’s feedback. It doesn’t only matter how much we know about what we are teaching, but how we use this knowledge. The reaction of the students cannot be predicted, so it is of vital importance that we are prepared to the unpredictable.
Being a teacher for more than 10 years, I can surely say that some of my most productive classes were the ones that had not been prepared. By not prepared I don’t mean that I didn’t know at all what I was going to teach. I mean that my students and I didn’t follow what was scheduled according to the book. However, we were able to practice everything that was included in the syllabus in a more natural way.
Of course that focusing has always been a bit of a problem for me. The moment you have nothing to follow, you can get a little lost. But this was not a problem that could not be surpassed by any of us, neither the teacher nor the students. I have already been in some classes were the teachers were so stuck to the class plan that they had to look at their notes the whole time, and if any of the students got out of the main topic in the class, they would simply ignore the comment made by the student and keep on following their plan.
So, are you prepared for the unpredictable?
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