Teaching is a complex, multifaceted activity, often requiring from the teacher to be leader, psychologist, and instructors and have many other skills for the everyday life in the school. The following small but powerful set of principles can make teaching both more effective and more efficient. Can help the teacher by helping him create the conditions that support student learning and minimize the need for revising materials, content, and policies.

1. Effective teaching involves acquiring relevant knowledge about students and using that knowledge to inform the course design and classroom teaching.

Teaching is a process that contains not only the teaching of the content, but also, the teaching of the content to the students. A variety of student characteristics can affect learning. For example, students’ cultural and generational backgrounds influence how they see the world; disciplinary backgrounds lead students to approach problems in different ways; and students’ prior knowledge (both accurate and inaccurate aspects) shapes new learning. But, gathering the most relevant information as early as possible in course planning and continuing to do so during the semester can (a) inform course design, (b) help explain student difficulties, and (c) guide instructional adaptations.

2. Effective teaching involves aligning the three major components of instruction: learning objectives, assessments, and instructional activities. Taking the time to do this upfront saves time in the end and leads to a better lesson. Teaching is more effective and student learning is enhanced when (a) the teacher, as instructors, articulate a clear set of learning objectives, that we expect students to demonstrate by the end of a lesson;

(b) the instructional activities such as case studies, labs, discussions, readings, support these learning objectives by providing goal-oriented practice; and (c) the assessments, (tests, papers, problem etc) provide opportunities for students to demonstrate and practice the knowledge and skills articulated in the objectives, and for instructors to offer targeted feedback to guide further learning.

3.Effective teaching involves articulating explicit expectations regarding learning objectives and policies.

There is amazing variation in what is expected of students and even within a given discipline. As a result, students’ expectations may not match the instructors’ expectations. Thus, being clear about these expectations and communicating them explicitly helps students learn more and perform better. Articulating the learning objectives gives students a clear target to aim for and enables them to monitor their progress along the way. Similarly, being explicit about course policies in the syllabus and in class allows to resolve differences early and tends to reduce conflicts and tensions that may arise.

4. Effective teaching involves prioritizing the knowledge and skills we choose to focus on.

Coverage is the enemy: Instructors must not try to do too much in a single course. Too many topics work against student learning, so it is necessary for instructors to make decisions – sometimes difficult ones – about what they will and will not include in a course.

5. Effective teaching involves recognizing and overcoming our expert blind spots.

Teachers are not their students! As experts, teachers tend to access and apply knowledge automatically and so they often skip or combine critical steps when we teach. Students, on the other hand, don’t yet have sufficient background and experience to make these leaps and can become confused, draw incorrect conclusions, or fail to develop important skills. They need instructors to break tasks into component steps, explain connections explicitly, and model processes in detail.

6. Effective teaching involves adopting appropriate teaching roles to support our learning goals.

Even though students are ultimately responsible for their own learning, the roles instructors assume, are critical in guiding students’ thinking and behavior. The variety roles are really important in teaching (e.g., synthesizer, moderator, challenger, and commentator). These roles should be chosen in service of the learning objectives and in support of the instructional activities.

7. Effective teaching involves progressively refining our courses based on reflection and feedback.

Teaching requires adapting. It is needed to continually reflect on teaching and be ready to make changes when appropriate. Knowing what and how to change requires examining relevant information on teaching effectiveness. Based on such collected data, the learning objectives might be modified, such as content, structure, or format of a course, or otherwise the teaching is adjusted. Small, purposeful changes driven by feedback and the priorities of each course are most likely to be manageable and effective.