I assume that those of you who want to be—or already are—teachers have a broad and deep experience as learners. You likely succeeded in school, an achievement that may actually have remarkably little to do with formal teaching and learning. You have also likely been a successful learner outside of school. After all, one does not become an instructor without developing deep knowledge and the ability to reason within their field of expertise.
Furthermore, I assume you are successful within your profession, and that you hold well-entrenched ideas about what is necessary to enter and succeed in your field.
However, each of my assumptions about you comes with a two-part corollary.
1. The Balance of Competence and Ignorance
First, because you have been hired (or have been working) as an instructor, you clearly have the capacity to be effective. Let’s call this the “presumption of competence.”
But right alongside this is the “presumption of ignorance.” Educators who remain effective over long periods recognize that every class is unique. What worked beautifully last semester will not work exactly the same way now.
The Takeaway: Effective teachers are perpetually learning about teaching.
2. Your Path is Not the Only Path
Second, your personal experience with teachers and learning is entirely unique to you. The strategies your teachers used, and the approaches you brought to your own studies, worked for you. You became skilled because of—and in some cases, despite—your teachers.
Your education was one path that led to your current position, but it is not the only path. Some students will find your route too circuitous. Others will find your “very clear” explanations confusing. Some students will even find the exact methods that worked for every previous class to be completely ineffective. Your task is to keep adapting so that all students can succeed to the best of their ability.
The Takeaway: Even when they believe they “know” the best approach, effective teachers develop, use, and refine a wide variety of strategies.
3. Expertise Can Be a Double-Edged Sword
Third, your hands-on experience in the field will serve you well. It will help you put the curriculum into context, making your classes more engaging and relevant.
At the same time, your experiences can limit you. Your field is constantly evolving. Regardless of your current level of expertise or the degrees you have earned, you cannot perfectly predict what your students will need to know to succeed in the future.
The Takeaway: Effective teachers draw on the past while actively preparing students for the future.