43 Final words

Many depictions of teaching in popular culture suggest that some people are simply innately gifted teachers with an instinctive ability to inspire greatness in their students. Yet a robust literature suggests that good teaching comes from intentional and evidence-informed practice. Effective teaching is not a product of happenstance, but a skill that can be developed and honed. This is good news for anyone who has ever thought back on a day of teaching and wished it had gone a bit differently.

Whether you are an experienced instructor or preparing to teach your first-ever course, we encourage you to think of your experience as a teacher as a journey in which you are also a learner. One of the most powerful habits you can cultivate is simply taking a few moments after every teaching experience to reflect on what happened, to briefly analyze whatever artifacts are available to you (students’ work or the marked-up whiteboard, for example), and to make a few notes for next time and to generate a few questions for future reflection.