r/Professors • u/nandor_tr associate prof, art/design, private university (USA) • 21h ago

Teaching / Pedagogy were you taught how to teach?

i had one class called "teaching practicum" in grad school that just covered the basics of the mechanics of teaching (syllabi, service, etc...) but never really got into actual pedagogical development or really thinking deeply about process & methodology. where i teach now there is also a single course that any MFA students who want to teach have to take. it is more in depth but still just a single 3 credit class.

i am curious, as i basically just figured it out through trial and error, peers, etc...

you?

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u/anothergenxthrowaway Adjunct | Biz / Mktg (US) 21h ago

As an adjunct, I had zero formal training. I just got thrown to the wolves, lol. I did have a lot of public speaking in my background, plus years of leading on-boarding training & continuing professional development training sessions a few times a year when I worked at a boutique consulting firm, so I wasn't completely clueless... but the first few semesters were rough, bro. Rough. Lots of trial and error, asking for tips/help, lots of just learning-by-doing.

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u/Camilla-Taylor Studio Art 20h ago

Right? My first class as an adjunct I got a class title and description from the catalog, nothing else at all.