Whether a student feels inspired in a class depends largely on whether they feel inspired by their teacher.
In a new article for Harvard Business Publishing Education, “Is Your Teaching Style Working?” associate teaching professor Patti O’Brien-Richardson advises educators and advocates for education to keep a finger on the pulse of what engages students by paying attention to how they respond to class discussions, to their classmates, and to how they teach.
Dr. O’Brien-Richardson gives three indicators that tell can give educators an idea of whether their teaching style is working, including noise level, out-of-classroom engagement, and student bonding. She also provides some tips for with actions that can be taken if those indicators are not being seen in the classroom.