Chapter 4. Improvising
According to the poet Robert Burns, the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. Wise teachers plan effectively, but they also face surprises. How well they handle the unexpected is the subject of this chapter.
Despite well-planned explanations, lack of student comprehension is common. Teachers look out at faces full of confusion, consternation, frustration, or defeat. What to do next? The best teachers depart from their preplanned script and respond to the audience. Using knowledge of both students and subject, they try different approaches. Teachers add more examples, act out a procedure, invent an appropriate analogy, or stop to query students step by step: "Do you understand this part? What about this step?" Spontaneously finding appropriate responses to student needs—be it one or many—indicates strong improvisational skills. Those lacking this skill move lockstep through lessons without making adjustments to the needs of listeners.
The Unaware Teacher
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