Back to teaching
When I was still a student at Sofia University, Bulgaria back in 1999 I got an assistant position within the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics. It was so much involving and enjoyable for me that I went on and did it for 6 semesters up till I finished with my bachelor degree. This is not uncommon practice since the “students as teachers” tend to bring a lot of enthusiasm to the classroom. This was a very positive experience. It shaped and improved skills like talking in front of an audience, showing leadership, reaching out and inspiring the inner curiosity, feeling the audience with the most appropriate pace for delivering the content.
Of course back then I did not do it with the aim of self improving. I did it for the fun and the prestige in the eyes of friends, colleagues and family that comes with it. I realize the above mentioned added values involved with such activity only later, when looking back and musing over it.
And it was a lot of fun, especially after the kind of little bit rough first semester. After overcoming the shyness and stiffness when confronting for the first time 20 or so pair of expecting eyes. With the experience comes the easing and the confidence. And during this first semester, week after week, you start to overcome yourself, not to concentrate on what you will do, but what the audience is doing. To make the experience enjoyable and fulfilling for them. To help the students get the course, and in the long run find a good job. And the secret to it is – personal attention, easy going and familiar environment, and a lot of quality and fun challenges for them to overcome.
Then for 7 years I was working as a software developer at the current company - MPS. The work involves a lot of business traveling to Germany so I could not continue with the assistant position at the university.
But lately the company is not going very well. There are not so much traveling and when thinking back of the good memories of those years - got me nostalgic. Especially since the day to day work mainly involves human to screen via keyboard communication. I started to miss this face to face contact, reading the signs of the eyes, feeling the spirit of the audience.
And I wrote a mail with the idea to my previous professors. Oh boy.. how was I amazed, not only do they remember me, I was warmly welcomed. I felt right at home. So it started – every Tuesday 8-12am I have 2 groups each having different professors and styles. Turns out the presentation skills from nearly a decade ago are not entirely forgotten. Easily could face the group and make the connection on achieving the common goal – learning the c++ language and OOP techniques.
I was not impressed how quickly they solve the problems and by their motivation. I noticed that some turn on facebook or the mail. No, no, no ! Not in my class. First week I gave them an easy problem: “write a function for reversing an array in place”. I was switching quickly from one to another and helping them bit by bit to get the goal. And I openly showed displeasure with the people not using the Visual Studio. I was disappointed that for an hour they could not do it. The thinking like a programmer and the skills with the development environment were not impressing. It seems that the first semester they have not been working as they should for such a prestigious university.
How do you motivate them? The plan is the same as before – quality problems to solve, good and timely explanations, with a lot of quick review questions, personal attention, a lot, lot, lot of homework. The homework is the key here – they need to get lightning fast. So I tied up the score that they get for the course with their homework. In a group email every homework is reviewed with the strengths and weaknesses pointed out for peer review.
Up to now the experience is great. I get the positive rush after talking for 4 hours. But I would not be satisfied if at the end of the year I was not able to lead and motivate them enough so they could blossom as skillful entry level programmers and are at easе with OOP challenges and the quirks of the C++.
Of course back then I did not do it with the aim of self improving. I did it for the fun and the prestige in the eyes of friends, colleagues and family that comes with it. I realize the above mentioned added values involved with such activity only later, when looking back and musing over it.
And it was a lot of fun, especially after the kind of little bit rough first semester. After overcoming the shyness and stiffness when confronting for the first time 20 or so pair of expecting eyes. With the experience comes the easing and the confidence. And during this first semester, week after week, you start to overcome yourself, not to concentrate on what you will do, but what the audience is doing. To make the experience enjoyable and fulfilling for them. To help the students get the course, and in the long run find a good job. And the secret to it is – personal attention, easy going and familiar environment, and a lot of quality and fun challenges for them to overcome.
Then for 7 years I was working as a software developer at the current company - MPS. The work involves a lot of business traveling to Germany so I could not continue with the assistant position at the university.
Back to the beginning ..
But lately the company is not going very well. There are not so much traveling and when thinking back of the good memories of those years - got me nostalgic. Especially since the day to day work mainly involves human to screen via keyboard communication. I started to miss this face to face contact, reading the signs of the eyes, feeling the spirit of the audience.
And I wrote a mail with the idea to my previous professors. Oh boy.. how was I amazed, not only do they remember me, I was warmly welcomed. I felt right at home. So it started – every Tuesday 8-12am I have 2 groups each having different professors and styles. Turns out the presentation skills from nearly a decade ago are not entirely forgotten. Easily could face the group and make the connection on achieving the common goal – learning the c++ language and OOP techniques.
I was not impressed how quickly they solve the problems and by their motivation. I noticed that some turn on facebook or the mail. No, no, no ! Not in my class. First week I gave them an easy problem: “write a function for reversing an array in place”. I was switching quickly from one to another and helping them bit by bit to get the goal. And I openly showed displeasure with the people not using the Visual Studio. I was disappointed that for an hour they could not do it. The thinking like a programmer and the skills with the development environment were not impressing. It seems that the first semester they have not been working as they should for such a prestigious university.
How do you motivate them? The plan is the same as before – quality problems to solve, good and timely explanations, with a lot of quick review questions, personal attention, a lot, lot, lot of homework. The homework is the key here – they need to get lightning fast. So I tied up the score that they get for the course with their homework. In a group email every homework is reviewed with the strengths and weaknesses pointed out for peer review.
Up to now the experience is great. I get the positive rush after talking for 4 hours. But I would not be satisfied if at the end of the year I was not able to lead and motivate them enough so they could blossom as skillful entry level programmers and are at easе with OOP challenges and the quirks of the C++.
It's quite amazing how the person-to-person contact and being helpful can motivate and inspire someone!
ReplyDeleteYou're blessed, in a way, to have it!
So, keep going...wish you luck and power to change students' minds as they could getting better and better!Cause, as you change them, you actually change the WORLD!:)
P.S. ..and of course..looking forward for the continuation!:)
It is awesome..the way you talk about teaching...you discover and remind me the way almost all of us forgot- the experience of exciting classes, usuful knowledges and good challenge:)keep going the same way. i am proud of you! good luck!
ReplyDeleteSimona Gaberova