1 TIPS FROM OUR BEST: UVic Award Winning Teachers Elsie Chan UVic Alumni Association Award Winner, 2000 Orientation for All New Instructors Tuesday, September 5, 2000 University of Victoria, Learning and Teaching Centre

2 As teachers, we need to:  Recognize good teaching qualities.  Develop those qualities by practicing and testing ourselves.  Maintain those qualities throughout our teaching careers.

3 Passion  It is an inner desire expressed – it comes from within (inner) and cannot be hidden (expressed).  It cannot be dictated or commanded.  It provides energy, focus/intensity, persistence, and leads to excellence.  It is the energy that moves students from within.  Function is possible without passion; success and satisfaction are not.  Passionate instructors teach out of love, regardless of expectations, and/or requirements. Result: Students are inspired to draw up their energy and talents and are motivated to keep moving toward their goals.

4 Mutual Respect  Treat opinions and questions with respect.  Understand one another's perspective.  Seek mutual understanding.  Listen without judgement.  Value the differences  Take into account the weaknesses of students. Result: A respectful, diplomatic, and humble learning environment.

5 Understanding and Listening  Sense students' feelings and perspectives and take an active interest in their concerns.  Practice active listening - listen without judgement, with respect and with an open-mind  Be sensitive to students' different needs, including mature students and younger students.  Seek first to understand others and then to be understood.  Empathize with students learning the material for the first time: put yourself in your students’ places and acknowledge their struggles. Result: Teachers are able to discover what students do and don’t know, and why they don’t know the course material. Teachers can then help students to learn the material more effectively. “Nobody cares what you know until they know that you care.”

6 Communication  Listen well and deeply; practice active listening.  Seek mutual understanding.  Welcome hearing of information fully.  Deal with difficult issues in a straightforward manner. Result: Solid teacher-student relationships where information flow smoothly and questions are encouraged.

7 Integrity  As the foundation of trust, it is essential to cooperation and long-term personal and interpersonal growth.  Honesty is telling the truth - conforming our words to reality  Integrity is keeping promises and fulfilling expectations - conforming reality to our words.  It requires an integrated character - a oneness with self and with life.  Demonstrate integrity by being loyal to those who are not present.  Treat everyone by the same set of principles.  It means avoiding any communication that is deceptive. Result: Enhance the learning process because students trust that the teacher won’t betray them and vice versa.

8 Evaluations  Encouraging evaluations - observe the progress, praise the progress (effort), record performance and redirect efforts that are off-base.  Three benefits to measuring progress and performance: –it shows use where are now. –it tells us whether we are heading toward our goal(s). –it allows us to make improvements along the way.  Evaluations apply to both instructors and students.  Encourage constructive comments with words of encouragement and reasons for the comments. Result: Students and teachers learn from each other and mistakes get corrected.

9 Set Clear Boundaries  When they are established in the context of the above, they empower people to act on their best attributes.  They are related to clear expectations.  They require maintenance. Result: A fair environment where mutual respect and understanding flourish.