Preparation Time

This is crucial to creating an effective learning environment. Preparation for a scheduled class begins weeks or months prior to presenting the class. Don’t think you can just show up at 0700 for a 0700 class. Teachers must arrive early and allocate time for personal reflection and preparation. Ensure you have all the tools you need to teach: perhaps a stick to point with, some rope and objects to make a terrain model, a map large enough for all to see, a compass to verify direction, markers that work for the dry-erase board.

Is the lighting just right so students can see what you show? Is there a generator running or is the AC too noisy? Is there an HDMI cable available to the projector from your computer? Are your PowerPoint slides formatted for 3:4 or 16:9 projection? Do the speakers work for playing your DVD?

Most importantly, what will you say when you begin? Where will you say it from as you start teaching? Once all that is done, greet the students as they arrive and remember as many names as you can.

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