你的教学理念是什么?

作为一名初出茅庐的老师，我写的哲学是别人的好主意。我引用了有多年教学经验的专业人士，并试图根据我对自己的期望来调整他们的理想。差不多七年后，当我坐下来写这篇文章时，我决定重新审视那份文件。虽然这些值得信赖的专业人士的观点现在仍然像当时一样有效，但在过去的七年里，我发现我最有用的教学建议实际上来自作家道格拉斯·亚当斯。他可能是在教导学生如何在星际旅行中幸存下来，但他的话仍然是师生关系的一套很好的生存准则。首先，《银河系漫游指南》(Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)上印着两个字:“不要惊慌。”简单地知道任何挑战、场景、任务或问题都更容易解决，而不会失去理智，这是一个相当实用的建议。在课堂上，我经常提醒学生，他们将有能力完成任何布置给他们的任务，如果他们感到困难开始上升，我总是在他们身边。虽然“门户开放政策”已经不再是新鲜事物，而是常态，但我还是很重视为学生提供多种机会和机制，以便在问题失控之前与我取得联系。这包括所有常见的形式——办公时间、电子邮件、课堂提问机会，但有时还会以额外办公时间、安排“签到”会议、长时间留在教室、甚至设置Skype咨询的形式超越这些。 This is particularly challenging with online classes, but I've learned that prompt responses and being available when I say I am is often all it takes to encourage them to avoid panic and ask for help. Second, Adams declares there is an art to flying. "Or rather a knack," he says. "Its knack lies in learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss." Where this applies to my philosophy on teaching is simply in the suggestion that, in order to fly, one must take the leap in the first place. Fortunately, these leaps in public speaking, writing, or even astrophysics generally don't have 'not missing the ground' as a potential hazard, though it can certainly feel that way at times. In our case, I remind my students that I will be there in case you don't quite master the "miss" part of "throw yourself at the ground and miss" right away. I'll catch you, to be more cliché, and when I do, we'll find whatever it is that makes you the artist you need to be to learn the art of flying. Every one of us has a characteristic, personality trait, or interest that can be translated into success in speaking and writing; many of us have yet to be guided by that entity. That's what I'm here for. We'll draw out the thing that makes you stand head and shoulders above the rest, find the topic that makes the words flow like Central Florida rain, pull from you the very art of flying. Finally, Adams describes the "Somebody Else's Problem" (SEP) Field as an all-too-easy way to hide something from someone else. In our case, though, the key is in the discovery that the SEP Field exists because once you know it's there, you inevitably begin to uncover the things hidden within it. What's great about things hidden by an SEP Field is that the person willing and/or able to see them can make quite the impact by essentially turning off the field for everyone else. For practical purposes, this enlightenment occurs when we use research skills to find a little known fact, an ignored issue, or a completely weird phenomenon. Your task then becomes introducing this fact to the world, drawing attention to this issue, or simply sharing in the weirdness. Proper research skills coupled with a little passion can turn off any SEP Field. Imagine the power! When we're learning something new, we instinctively often ask why we need to know it. This is particularly true when something is difficult, scary, or unappealing. When I started working in radio, I asked my program director to explain the many symbols and designations found on the list of songs, and he responded with, "Don't worry about that. It isn't your job." I vowed in that moment never to be so dismissive, and I've carried that throughout my teaching career. We will learn why. We will question why. We will find alternate explanations. The Hitchhikers' Guide is helpful for more than traveling the galaxy, and using its wisdom can help students address the "why?" question with something more powerful than, "Because it's on the syllabus." So remember: Don't panic, use your strengths to fly, and take the batteries out of your SEP Fields. We're going hitchhiking!

在典型的与学生的第一次会面中，你会怎么做?

在我们的第一个疗程中，我会问很多关于你的问题。我想知道什么能激励你，什么不能。别担心;我不爱管闲事。我只是想确定我是在和你说话，而不是在对你说话。当我们写作或发表演讲时，它总是一种个人活动，无论我们一开始感觉与主题有多么脱节。了解你以及你的动力会帮助我找到帮助你成功的方法。例如，如果我知道你喜欢单口喜剧，我知道我可以在这里和那里加入一个笑话。如果有一天我发现你想从事IT行业，我可以问你怎么修我的旧笔记本电脑……只是开玩笑。我不会那样对你的。 I will, however, ask you to think about how whatever you're working on can benefit you in your field. The first session will be about you and what you want to get out of our sessions, including details about the assignments, your experience with speaking or writing , and your expectations from me. It'll be much easier to get results if we have this introductory session first.