Good teaching guide: Difference between revisions

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=== Presentation tips ===

Everyone has their own style ~~- some~~ are chatty, and some are more ~~formal - the~~ following hints and tips ought to help you when ~~setting~~ out.

Everyone has their own style of delivery—some are chatty, and some are more formal—and there is no single best way to deliver material. The following hints and tips ought to help you when starting out.

; ~~Always make clear when you are stating your own opinion, rather than facts. Recognise that other opinions may exist~~.

; Don't rush.

: ~~For example, "The Caracal~~ is a ~~great ship and I would normally passive tank it for missions~~, ~~although you~~'~~ll see people active tanking it as well~~. It ~~comes down~~ to ~~personal preferences. For a passive tanked Caracal~~, you~~'d fit with..." is a lot better~~ than ~~"A Caracal should be passive tanked for missions~~. ~~You need~~ to ~~fit...". The last thing you want is~~ to ~~have people arguing with you in~~ the ~~middle of a~~ class ~~- recognise up front that alternative opinions are valid~~, and ~~then present your own~~.

: Burning through material extremely fast is a very, ''very'' common habit in new teachers. It might seem to you like you are taking your time, but often you will be going through things more quickly than you think. Take time to explain things, slow down your delivery, and don't be afraid to pause before answering a question and between each sub-section of the class. You'll come across better for it, and you'll help students, who will be absorbing the material.

; ~~Don't rush~~.

; Draw on personal experience.

: ~~You~~'~~d be surprised how fast you run through material~~. ~~It might seem to~~ you ~~like~~ you ~~are taking~~ your ~~time~~, ~~but often you will be going through things more quickly than you think~~. ~~Take time to explain things~~, ~~slow down your delivery, and~~ don't be afraid to ~~pause~~ for a ~~second or two before answering~~ a ~~question~~. You'~~ll sound and come across better for it~~.

: Anecdotes and examples from your own experience can really help points stick in students' minds. If you can underpin one of the ideas you're getting across by telling a brief story from your own gameplay, go for it. Stories of lucrative successes and impressive killmails are great, but don't be afraid to tell stories of failure too, especially if they're amusing: everyone appreciates a teacher who can see the funny side of their own past mistakes.

; Always be clear when you touch on matters of opinion, rather than facts.

: For example, "The [[Caracal]] is a great ship and I would normally passive tank it for missions, although you'll see people active tanking it as well. It comes down to personal preferences. For a passive tanked Caracal, you'd fit..." is a lot better than "A Caracal must be passive tanked for missions. You need to fit...". The last thing you want is to have people arguing with you in the middle of a class! Recognize up-front that alternative opinions are valid, and then present your own. Doing this also helps the audience trust that when you're stating facts, they really are facts.

; Note what your annoying habits are and damp them down.

; Note what your annoying vocal habits are and damp them down.

: Almost everyone, erm, says "erm", a lot, at first. But with, erm, some practice, you'll, erm, say it less often. Which is, erm, good.

: Almost everyone, erm, says "erm", a lot, at first. But with, erm, some practice, you'll, erm, say it less often. Which is, erm, good. Don't feel guilty about this, but do your best to reduce it.

; Don't get side-tracked.

: Especially when questions come up, it is tempting to answer them right away. However, ~~this~~ might be a totally different part of the class than ~~what~~ you ~~are~~ currently talking about. ~~It is much easier to~~ follow ~~for everyone~~ if your story/explanation progresses logically~~, so do~~ your ~~best not~~ to get ~~sidetracked. If necessary~~, ~~answer questions with "~~I~~'ll~~ cover ~~this later on in the class~~".

: Especially when questions come up, it is tempting to answer them right away. However, they might relate to a totally different part of the class than the one you're currently talking about. Students follow better if your story/explanation progresses logically. It's fine to say "Thank you for your question; I'm going to get to that in five minutes—and don't worry, I will cover it!"

; Practice makes perfect.

: Players will memorize the subject matter better if they are able to put the knowledge into practice. ~~Therefore~~, ~~adding~~ a practical part to your class ~~greatly enhances~~ its effectiveness~~, as well as making it more entertaining for the students~~. This is, of course, not possible with all classes, but a Research & Production class, for example, can be greatly enhanced by handing out 1-run BPCs at the start of the class. Then, as the class progresses, the teacher talks the students through all the required steps to install, run and deliver their production job. ~~Consider adding~~ a ~~practical~~ exercise ~~or two to make your class more interactive and engaging~~.

: Players will memorize the subject matter better if they are able to put the knowledge into practice. For some topics, including a practical part in your class boosts its effectiveness. This is, of course, not possible with all classes, but a Research & Production class, for example, can be greatly enhanced by handing out 1-run BPCs at the start of the class. Then, as the class progresses, the teacher talks the students through all the required steps to install, run and deliver their production job. You can stream gameplay from your own EVE client over Discord to show people how to do things. You can spice up some practical exercises by awarding prizes (small prizes, so that students don't envy each other!), e.g. free nanite repair paste or cheap combat [[Medical boosters|drugs]] for the first students who warp-in on the target in a directional scanner exercise.

=== Fielding questions ===

@@ Line 122: / Line 122: @@
 === Presentation tips ===
-Everyone has their own style - some are chatty, and some are more formal - the following hints and tips ought to help you when setting out.
+Everyone has their own style of delivery—some are chatty, and some are more formal—and there is no single best way to deliver material. The following hints and tips ought to help you when starting out.
-; Always make clear when you are stating your own opinion, rather than facts. Recognise that other opinions may exist.
+; Don't rush.
-: For example, "The Caracal is a great ship and I would normally passive tank it for missions, although you'll see people active tanking it as well. It comes down to personal preferences. For a passive tanked Caracal, you'd fit with..." is a lot better than "A Caracal should be passive tanked for missions. You need to fit...". The last thing you want is to have people arguing with you in the middle of a class - recognise up front that alternative opinions are valid, and then present your own.
+: Burning through material extremely fast is a very, ''very'' common habit in new teachers. It might seem to you like you are taking your time, but often you will be going through things more quickly than you think. Take time to explain things, slow down your delivery, and don't be afraid to pause before answering a question and between each sub-section of the class. You'll come across better for it, and you'll help students, who will be absorbing the material.
-; Don't rush.
+; Draw on personal experience.
-: You'd be surprised how fast you run through material. It might seem to you like you are taking your time, but often you will be going through things more quickly than you think. Take time to explain things, slow down your delivery, and don't be afraid to pause for a second or two before answering a question. You'll sound and come across better for it.
+: Anecdotes and examples from your own experience can really help points stick in students' minds. If you can underpin one of the ideas you're getting across by telling a brief story from your own gameplay, go for it. Stories of lucrative successes and impressive killmails are great, but don't be afraid to tell stories of failure too, especially if they're amusing: everyone appreciates a teacher who can see the funny side of their own past mistakes.
+; Always be clear when you touch on matters of opinion, rather than facts.
+: For example, "The [[Caracal]] is a great ship and I would normally passive tank it for missions, although you'll see people active tanking it as well. It comes down to personal preferences. For a passive tanked Caracal, you'd fit..." is a lot better than "A Caracal must be passive tanked for missions. You need to fit...". The last thing you want is to have people arguing with you in the middle of a class! Recognize up-front that alternative opinions are valid, and then present your own. Doing this also helps the audience trust that when you're stating facts, they really are facts.
-; Note what your annoying habits are and damp them down.
+; Note what your annoying vocal habits are and damp them down.
-: Almost everyone, erm, says "erm", a lot, at first.  But with, erm, some practice, you'll, erm, say it less often. Which is, erm, good.
+: Almost everyone, erm, says "erm", a lot, at first.  But with, erm, some practice, you'll, erm, say it less often. Which is, erm, good. Don't feel guilty about this, but do your best to reduce it.
 ; Don't get side-tracked.
-: Especially when questions come up, it is tempting to answer them right away. However, this might be a totally different part of the class than what you are currently talking about. It is much easier to follow for everyone if your story/explanation progresses logically, so do your best not to get sidetracked. If necessary, answer questions with "I'll cover this later on in the class".
+: Especially when questions come up, it is tempting to answer them right away. However, they might relate to a totally different part of the class than the one you're currently talking about. Students follow better if your story/explanation progresses logically. It's fine to say "Thank you for your question; I'm going to get to that in five minutes—and don't worry, I will cover it!"
 ; Practice makes perfect.
-: Players will memorize the subject matter better if they are able to put the knowledge into practice. Therefore, adding a practical part to your class greatly enhances its effectiveness, as well as making it more entertaining for the students. This is, of course, not possible with all classes, but a Research & Production class, for example, can be greatly enhanced by handing out 1-run BPCs at the start of the class. Then, as the class progresses, the teacher talks the students through all the required steps to install, run and deliver their production job. Consider adding a practical exercise or two to make your class more interactive and engaging.
+: Players will memorize the subject matter better if they are able to put the knowledge into practice. For some topics, including a practical part in your class boosts its effectiveness. This is, of course, not possible with all classes, but a Research & Production class, for example, can be greatly enhanced by handing out 1-run BPCs at the start of the class. Then, as the class progresses, the teacher talks the students through all the required steps to install, run and deliver their production job. You can stream gameplay from your own EVE client over Discord to show people how to do things. You can spice up some practical exercises by awarding prizes (small prizes, so that students don't envy each other!), e.g. free nanite repair paste or cheap combat [[Medical boosters|drugs]] for the first students who warp-in on the target in a directional scanner exercise.
 === Fielding questions ===