What is a "bad" class session?

You knew it was coming……. What is a “bad” class session?

Again, this is a simple, but complex question and I don’t have any concrete answers. Perhaps it is just in the eyes of the beholder. However, here are some elements that contribute to a “less than prime” class session.

Students are disengaged. The day after a mid-term exam clearly means that the students are not focusing on the “new” or the “old” material. They have not read ahead and they are may be preoccupied with the results of the exam. They may be fearing a bad grade or excited in anticipation of a good one. Attendance is down (unless the word is out that the exams will be returned at the end of class) and those present are in body only!

Often Fridays are a hard day to teach, but when the students get to know me, they know that I ALWAYS do something important on Fridays. Yes, it is true. In the real world, people work a full week…. And students need to learn sooner rather than later that Fridays are a work day.

Equipment mal-functioning can be a factor in a “bad” day, but I have some back-up plans. Normally I have at least one photo/diagram that can help if the video equipment isn’t working. We have a problem in that sometimes the previous user makes settings that can only be reversed on complete start-up. And sometimes, I do have to restart, but it is a distraction for the presenter and contributes to a bad day. It happens to all of us.

The reason I have this as a blog topic is that RECOVERING from a bad day is essential. What can you do? Make sure the next class goes well! Be super prepared, have all bases covered, and take charge. Normally students are forgiving when the inevitable “bad day” happens, but a good recovery is essential!