My mentor, Dr. Sarah Heckman, observed my teaching regularly during my participation in Preparing the Professoriate. In the first semester, we co-taught the course by alternating who lectured each class period. When I lectured - especially in the first several weeks - Dr. Heckman would sit in the back of the class observing my teaching and helping students who had questions during the in-class exercises. After I got used to the lecture materials, she would leave me on my own unless I formally requested an observation. During the semester, I had three such formal observations, one at the end of my first semester, one at the beginning of the second, and one at the end of the second.
When I was responsible for my own section of the course, we outlined some areas to specifically improve upon during the semester. Dr. Heckman made a few notes of concern related to the way I taught, such as a habit of including what she calls a "rhetorical 'right?'" that I append to many statements in my course, which is a problematic and leading non-question that fails to critically engage students listening to my lecture. I was clearly still uncomfortable using the powerpoint slides provided to me, and had trouble with the context switches from lectures to exercises. These were all areas that I would make massive improvements in by the end of the year.
In my final observation, Dr. Heckman took notice that I had matured substantially as an instructor. From my comfort with the technology to my command of the subject material, she commended me on addressing the elements of my lecturing style that revealed the apprehension and discomfort that I had when I started teaching. It is true that I had the benefit of covering the material for a second time, which obviously played a role in getting me comfortable with the course material. However, I strongly believe that shifting away from the provided slide decks and using the document camera gave me the flexibility I needed to give the lectures in my own voice. Furthermore, I more intentionally used the document camera/computer combo to more intentionally give students a hint of the theory/practice dynamic that is so important in the field of Computer Science.
Having a mentor that is willing to help indicate areas of improvement and recognize when I manage to improve has been the most beneficial part of participating in PTP. Dr. Heckman has shared her feedback on my teaching from both her practice in the classroom as well as her understanding of educational psychology related to our field, and it has made an immediate and measurable impact on my lecturing and planning skills.
Here is Dr. Heckman's observation report, in her own words.