10 Rules For Teaching

I’ve been a teacher for over 20 years, almost always one-on-one. I’ve taught lots of different subjects, to students from very different backgrounds and ability levels, but these principles always seem to be important. I wonder if other teachers agree or would suggest others?

1. Let the student do all the work. Ultimately, the student needs to solve the equation or write the essay. The more I talk and demonstrate, the less he retains. I want to find the smallest possible action from me that results in the right series of actions from the student.

2. Encourage positive interruptions. If I’m in the middle of a multi-step explanation or a brilliant (haha) analogy and the student jumps in with an idea, I shut up immediately. The whole point is to get the student to take over.

3. You use my brain, I’ll use yours. Of course I want students to see a problem the way I do, but it’s just as important for me to know exactly how the student sees the problem. What concepts does she already understand? What words would she use? What steps would she take? Where exactly does she get stuck? If I can find her exactly where she is, with the tools she has, I’ll have a much easier time suggesting the next step.

4. Rhythm is more important than learning styles. I rarely think about visual or auditory learning, but I think about rhythm constantly. How fast am I speaking? How quickly should I move on to the next variation? How much of the assignment should be review? If you move too fast, a student feels dumb and wants to quit. Move too slow and the student gets bored.

5. Don’t take their word for it – test. It’s easy for everyone if I say something for 30 seconds and then the student nods, smiles, and tells me everything makes sense. But actions are the ultimate proof. Presumably I’m rambling on and on because I want the student to be able to *do* something...so let’s see if he can do it! 

6. Know your student’s learning pain tolerance (and increase it). Most students don’t like the feeling of not knowing something. But all students can learn to like the ‘not-knowing’ state – they just have to develop confidence that a ‘knowing’ state is next. You have to be very careful, though – if you are too aggressive, kids will quit. As a general rule, the younger the student, the more she likes to win. 

7. Don’t hide your weaknesses. It’s important for students to know that I don’t know things. Some of my best learning experiences have been with teachers who were willing to explore questions with me. Of course, if I don’t know something that is critical to their goals, that is a problem...and it probably means I shouldn’t be teaching that thing. 

8. Make sure they need your help. When I first meet with a student, we both need to know that I have something to teach her – maybe she knows more math than I do! So I will keep asking more and more difficult questions until we find something that she wants to know that I can help her with.

9. Give clear assignments. If you give students a buffet of educational options, they’ll do nothing. It’s much better to ask for this test section, this one page essay, this explanation of these three paragraphs.

10. Have a clear plan and share it with them. The more detailed and realistic it is, the more motivated they will be. But you have to explain it to them. Otherwise, you’re just another adult telling them what to do.