Confidence, Clarity, and Concern: Developing an Effective Teaching Persona

Credit: iStock.com/SIphotography
Credit: iStock.com/SIphotography
Critical to an instructor’s ability to confidently, clearly, and effectively communicate with students is an understanding of the truism that communication begins with the self (Watzlawick et al., 1967). To engage in productive interactions that result in student learning, we must be broadly but simultaneously acutely aware of ourselves and how we want our students to view us generally and in specific situations common to our work. Some instructors are strategic and goal-directed in terms of how they wish their students to perceive them—testing various personas to determine the type of teacher they want to be. Others may give little thought to the nature of their communication with students, relying instead on their content expertise or pedagogical strategies to promote student learning. The latter approach may not serve the instructional process well, as extensive research suggests that our relationships and communication with students play a central role in their learning. An exclusive focus on expertise and pedagogical frameworks is shortsighted since it ignores the importance of communication to teaching and learning.

To continue reading, you must be a Teaching Professor Subscriber. Please log in or sign up for full access.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

I have two loves: teaching and learning. Although I love them for different reasons, I’ve been passionate about...
Geniuses are inherently fascinating. The notion that a lucky few have innate abilities to push the boundaries of...
Teachers focus on developing students’ conscious learning and understanding of concepts, but there is a whole other dimension...
While much of online learning occurs through discussion board conversations, it can be challenging for students to offer...
“Why does my edition of Hamlet read ‘O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,’” my student...
After all, nearly every large language model (LLM) is good at summarizing readings, synthesizing large amounts of data...
In 1906, Francis Galton was visiting a livestock fair when he stumbled upon an interesting contest. Local villagers...

Create a free account, or log in.

Gain access to limited free articles, news alerts, and select newsletters

Login here

Get unlimited access to The Teaching Professor

Stay informed. Subscribe Now.

WELCOME OFFER

$19.00 $14.00/month

for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.

$19.00 thereafter. Cancel anytime.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of The Teaching Professor

You only have  free article views remaining.

WELCOME OFFER

$19.00 $14.00/month

for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.

$19.00 a month thereafter. Cancel anytime.

Are you signed up for free weekly Teaching Professor updates?

You'll get notified of the newest articles.