Teaching is as much as skill as it is an art. Good teachers have the skills down, but there are great teachers who have the skills and have developed in their trade as an art. Today I want to talk about the skill of moving the class along, and keeping things in tempo.

I’ve found that there are a few different way to receive permission to move the topic along in a classroom. This is a critical skill because time is limited and we all want to make the best use of our time in class. In my opinion, a good teacher should always seek to have an open dialogue with the students, confirming their comprehension of the lecture details. BUT a great teacher knows how to do this and keep with the tempo of class, not wasting time.

Here is one way to do things:

Given the following options which would you choose to receive confirmation?

• Do we understand?
• Any questions?

The first is good but not great. This is a good technique in a small group or one on one situation but in a group setting it limiting. You can’t expect 30 students to say “yes we understand.” Many students don’t engage in this way so the instructor has to move on without ever receiving permission to do so. Everyone is required to speak up if they understand, and those that don’t are also required to speak up.

The second requires the student to speak up only if they have questions. Those that don’t have questions can remain reticent. As a result, you have permission to move on. In my opinion this is better than good, it’s great. You are allowing for a moment to engage with the students but also can quickly move on if no one speaks up.

How do you engage with your students in a group setting? Do you take time to allow for questions? What strategies do you use to open the floor up for questions while keeping the tempo of class?