While reflecting about my teaching I find myself recognizing just how large of an impact an instructor and course can be on a student.  I used to always say that I taught physics, but now that sounds incomplete and I find myself more often saying I teach students.  Students learn so much more than just what’s in Halliday & Resnick when they attend a physics course, come to office hours, or perform research in a lab.  Students are also practicing communication skills, sharpening their analytical skills, and being exposed to other people’s value systems.  While students had always been learning such things in my classroom, it is only in the last few years that I have come to appreciate this layered nature of the classroom and altered my classroom practices to enhance the students’ learning.
By defining education so broadly I certainly take on a large responsibility to organize my courses and conduct myself in such a way that allows students to achieve these goals.  Attention must be paid to every detail, from the selection of material down to hand gestures, since all will have an impact on the students. For example, non-verbal behaviors may help to express an instructor’s excitement for the material.  There is little chance students will get excited about physics unless they see that the instructor is visibly animated.  If done well, every action and activity can be used to teach.  It is only when teaching is approached with a holistic view will students be able to learn all they can.
Before I am accused of sounding like a “sage on the stage” I should be clear that equal emphasis is placed on what the students are doing.  I don’t believe the instructor should be the focus of the classroom; learning is a cooperative task.  While listening to a lecture or reading a book may be modalities that work for some students, most learn more while actively participating.  As the instructor, I have to supply the opportunity for participation and make sure there is a safe and comfortable environment for students.  Students may find themselves operating demos (or being part of them!), role playing an electron in a Hall Probe, or any number of activities that get the students thinking, talking or moving.  On the less physical side, I have tried to employ techniques much like Eric Mazur’s Peer Instruction where students are responsible for supplying the information.  Students generally are willing to participate as long as the expectations are made clear at the beginning of the course.
There are many benefits to keeping the learning process student centered.  One is that Peer Instruction and other small group work allows the students to interact with each other and not just the instructor.  This gives the students a chance to practice their various interpersonal and communication skills.  Also, I have seen that when students work in small groups they tend to relax much more (and consequentially learn more physics).  This collaborative effort gives the students some control over the learning process.  Now students are teaching one another and are on a more even footing with the instructor.  In order for students to work well in such an environment, the instructor needs to take on the role of facilitator.  The instructor may not be the central figure, but they can not completely disappear, as they should be readily available to assist and intervene if needed. 
With all of that said, you may be asking what is unique about a physics classroom as other disciplines can provide many of the same learning opportunities.  The one skill that students will have the opportunity to practice in a physics class more than others is problem solving.  By this I’m not simply referring to plugging numbers into an equation.  Rather the problem solving I’m referring to involves many other skills including questioning all evidence, reducing complex situations to simpler ones, and researching any necessary information.  Even if all equations are forgotten once the semester is over, students who have learned to “think like a scientist” will have a valuable skill for the rest of their lives.  A key to helping students improve their problem solving is for the instructor to model this skill.  This not only means explaining the logic of an argument, but also placing the problem in context and clarifying the questions involved.
One useful technique that I have inadvertently stumbled on is allowing the students to see any mistakes I may make.  Physics is a difficult subject and it can be comforting to know that even professors make mistakes and possibly relieving some of the anxiety the students may be feeling. Not being afraid to make mistakes is a great asset when it comes to problem solving.  Another way to model problem solving skills is to often respond to student questions with another question. By leading them in the right direction with responses such as “If X happens, what does that tell you about Y?”, I am giving them the chance to answer their own question.  In addition to showing them how a scientist thinks this allows them the thrill of solving the puzzle for themselves. 
I know it’s a cliché to say this but it’s true- the one constant in my teaching career has been the continual change.  Just as students are asked to challenge what is around them, I too search out new techniques and look to question any assumptions when it comes to teaching.  I have always been interested in learning from others and drawing upon other’s knowledge and experiences.  I have worked with many TAs from across the campus in training workshops and consultations.  These interactions have helped me tremendously as I have been able to learn skills that are new to me, but may be standard practice in non-science fields.   In many composition courses students are asked to peer edit each other’s papers.  In a science course students could be asked to evaluate each other’s homework.  Certainly the instructor is not absent from this process.  They can meet with the students acting as a mediator and providing feedback to both on how to solve problems and evaluate other people’s work.
In addition to talking with fellow instructors, it is helpful to talk to the “experts”- the students.  Soliciting feedback from students during the quarter, rather than waiting for the traditional end of semester evaluations, allows me to immediately correct any problems. Not only are anonymous evaluations helpful, but also having a small group of student representatives that meet with the instructor regularly has proven invaluable.  While I was teaching for the Division of Undergraduate Education, these weekly meetings with students provided a wealth of feedback and helped to incorporate the students as part of the teaching staff. 
Through my teaching and mentoring I strive to teach students many skills, ones that will hopefully have a lasting impact on their lives.  The classroom is a dynamic place where there are many layers of learning occurring at the same time.  While the topic may be physics, the students are also learning more about themselves and how to interact with their peers. 

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