What Constitutes Masterful Teaching?

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Source: J. Lowman, Mastering the Techniques of Teaching, 1995, Ch. 1

From J. Epstein, Portraits of Great Teachers, Basic Books, 1981, p. xiii

What all the great teachers appear to have in common is love of their subject, an obvious satisfaction in arousing this love in their students, and an ability to convince them that what they are being taught is deadly serious.

- solid mastery of subject

- ability to communicate effectively

- relate with students in ways they find positive and stimulating

- skills of lecturing and discussion leading are enhanced when teacher stimulates students to care about subject matter and to work hard to master it.

- college teaching occurs in what are "undeniably dramatic and interpersonal arenas, that it is above all an enterprise involving students' human emotions and personalities as well as their cognitive reasoning, and that cannot be reduced to mechanical cause and effect relationships."

- unless traditional skills are mastered first, innovative methods are unlikely to lead to exemplary teaching and student learning.

- Kolstoe (1975): "Nobody can't teach nobody nothing."

  (Hire better teachers vs. admit better prepared, brighter students)

- discuss Figure 1.1

- Epstein's book

- student evaluations of teachers: show how well teacher presents material and fosters positive interpersonal relationships with students.

- dimension I: Intellectual Excitement

• clarity of an instructor's presentations and their stimulating emotional impact on students

• clarity dependent on accuracy of content--no Dr. Foxx

- dimension II: Interpersonal Rapport

- combining the two dimensions

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