Summary Observations of What Makes a Class Great

There are, of course, many possible ways as to why a student may find comfort in learning to read, write, and analyze different issues. To be encouraged to learn at the university as a result or consequences of the effective teaching is not a simple task. Recent studies almost invariably agree that some of the successes may be due to factors innate to the student, whilst others are due largely to outside influences. For certain, teaching method is one of the most influential of the outside influences. My assumptions about the influence of great teaching have become more conclusive after observing the subtle nuances of two lectures of different courses given by two professors who were named niversity !rofessor for their significant contributions. To put it simply, teaching style as a ma"or causal factor has been strongly confirmed after my short observations. #s a part of the assessment of two niversity !rofessor courses, $ decided to observe classes from departments other than %ociology. $ observed &ulia !a'ton, !rofessor of (conomics who teaches (conomics of )evelopment which is designed as an introductory course in development economic theory. $ also observed !olitical %cience !rofessor *ancy Manring who teaches !olitics of the +ontemporary (nvironmental Movements this course is designed to critically analyze the modern environmental movement in the .%. !rofessor &ulia !a'ton delivered her lecture on the ,arrod-)omar Model. #s $ always wonder how to begin a lecture, $ saw that before beginning her lectures, !rofessor !a'ton interacts with students talking about the required te'ts of the coursethis indicates whether students. are doing fine in collecting books. ,er measured tone, engrossing way of talking and arranging speech, interacting positively with students all are signs of the dedication to her profession. /ith the need to establish the relevance of content, neither !rofessor !a'ton nor !rofessor Manring is dependent on the power point slides. $nstead, they are confident on their own of way of lecturing and engaging students throwing questions in class. To me, they are significantly different than those who only like to profess to the students rather than inspiring debate in the class. #nother point that $ find particularly intriguing with !rofessor !a'ton, for the dynamism of class room environment, is using the chalkboard for illustrating concepts and equations which encourage students to stay active in class. $ saw her using the chalkboard a number of times, and after presenting and clarifying a concept, she presents a simple puzzle for students to solve. 0iving the definition and, then, elaborating helps her students to learn appropriately. For the purpose of helping students to ruminate on the described sub"ects, she has brought other theorists who are known as the proponent of the classic growth models such as Rostow.s stages of development and discussed how they are qualitatively different from the ,arrod-)omar.

#part from her required te't, /illiam (asterly.s The Elusive Quest for Growth, she uses citations from many articles to describe why and how the ,arrod-)omar model influenced the /orld 1ank.s policy. %etting a single country as an e'ample and using /1.s database, she shows how this model can be used to determine the 2financing gap3 in the country. $n the mean time, she has set homework for the students to find out the financing gap of their own assigned country. This is certainly another aspect which is pertain to and noteworthy for the overall ob"ective of the course. My list of factors intrinsic to teaching is being enlarged and enriched after another observation of !rofessor Manring.s class. %he makes my belief stronger that 2good teaching fosters a sense of student control over learning and interest in the sub"ect matter.3 ,er style of lecturing fully engages students in the discussion. Rather than only standing at the front, $ find the changing of her position also to be effective in order to encourage students to look for the interesting aspect of the lecturebecause, as $ believe, when our interest is aroused in anything whether on academic sub"ect or a leisure pursuit, we en"oy working hard at it. $n focusing the modern environmentalism in the .%. and particularly the statutory aspect of environment, !rofessor Manring cited president 4bama.s speech to help students understand the underlying standpoint of the 4bama administration. /hile discussing the characteristic of the mainstream, she values students. opinion which is noteworthy to mention since effective teaching refuses to take its effect on students for granted. 5es, good teaching is open to change. 0ood teaching leaves room for students to think on their own. Therefore, both of the professors treated the students with respect and sincerity. ,aving completed my teaching observation, $ e'plored and learned some other techniques of genuine and passionate teaching which, $ believe, produces effective learning outcomes that eventually enriched my list to follow for learning the art of teaching.