Teaching college is much different from even teaching high school students. Your students are not there because they have to be. They are there because they want to learn. Further, your students, even when they are just a year out of high school, are in a much more adult environment than they were a year before. While the basics of teaching still apply, there are some things to consider before you start lecturing.
Respect
It is even more important to be mindful of respecting your students in a college classroom atmosphere. Remember that you aren't dealing with children. These are young adults, motivated by a love of knowledge and a desire to better themselves. Treating your students with the proper respect is a fundamental way to motivate them to achieve.
Connecting
Your students will be able to understand new material much better if you are able to connect it to something that they already understand. Whether referring to things commonly taught in high school math class or using popular culture references to hammer home the allegories of Shakespeare, connecting new knowledge to old is a powerful teaching tool for the college level.
Interest
Getting your students interested motivates them to want to learn more. Remember that your students are there because they want to learn. They are motivated to acquire new knowledge. Find ways to generate interest in the material, even if it's a rather dry textbook. When possible, select texts that you are excited about. Your students will notice this and it will engage them as well.
Feedback
Some college students accept feedback well, while others do not. Regardless of a student's attitude toward feedback in general, providing good feedback is one of the most important parts of teaching at the college level. Use assessments that engage the student's knowledge and understanding of the material. This allows you to tailor your feedback to him, rather than providing generic criticism.
Challenge
Challenging your students shows them respect and gives them incentive to perform. It is easy to blow off a class if the material does not seem challenging. Give your students the benefit of the doubt. Assume that they can and will understand advanced and challenging material if presented in the right way.
Availability
Make yourself available to your students. Particularly when teaching large lecture classes on a tight schedule, not all the information can come across. Maintain regular office hours, and give your students email. It is important that you allow for open, two-way communication. This will enrich both you and the students.
Tags: your students, because they, high school, there because, there because they, want learn