108 Questions

Young Teachers Should Ask Themselves

Dr. Achuthsankar S Nair
University of Kerala
sankar.achuth@gmail.com
The following 108 questions are suggested to be addressed over a period of time by young teachers. Some, or even many
of the questions are subjective and the teachers are reminded that there is no urgency to arrive at and verbalize your
answers. It is more important that the issues raised by these questions are sensitized, various alternatives identified to
address the issues, read about/discuss with your peer group/role models, evaluate and test out the related strategies in a
continued and serious attempt. Ideally, the questions should be given a fresh look each year, during formative part of
your career. The questions can be classified roughly into the following categories: Questions 1-12: Assessment; 13-23:
professional Ethics; 29-55: Lecturing; 56-87: Professional Development 88-101: student interaction; 102-108:
Educational Technology
1.

Should I be liberal ( and become popular) strict (remain righteous) in assessment matter?

2.

Should I set tough/ moderate/ simple question papers?

3.

Do I differentiate between (and practice) formative and summative evaluation?

4.

Do I make an attempt to gauge the time required to answer when setting QPs?

5.

Do I make sure that questions in a QP assess achievement of objectives?

6.

What is my policy on late submission of assignments?

7.

What is my policy on late marketing of assignments? (Do I have a dead line for that?)

8.

What time should ideally be spent for marking a 3-hour exam paper? Is it OK to mark all
or-zero?

9.

Can I justify moderation of marks to pass students close to minimum marks?

10.

Do I announce assessment schedules and criteria?

11.

Am I aware of examination anxiety suffered by some students?

12.

What, if any, is wrong with an exam if average mark is (a) less than 40 (b) more than 80?

13.

Is my dressing and general behavior appropriate for the teaching profession?

14.

Am I aware of ethical issue in my discipline?

15.

Is my language gender- neutral?

16.

Do I make statements in the class that are racist/religious fundamentalist?

17.

Do I give equal opportunity to students in task assignments and group activities?

18.

Do I associate with students in a religious/ political/religious groupings?

19.

In case of linguistic heterogeneity among students, what language policy should I choose?

20.

Is it OK to take note of a love affair between students, pass remarks in the class room/
discuss it in staff room?

21.

Do I take the stand that a student is a consumer and offer services to the student on this
assumption? *

22.

I it improper to announce religious/ political stands of a teacher in a class room?

23.

Am I active in the role of knowledge extension?

24.

What are some of the co-curricular activities in which I can associate?

25.

What can I do to grow the social commitment of my students?

26.

Am I (i) administratively literate? (ii) Cyber literate? (iii) Legal literate?

27.

In view of the limitations, injustices and mediocre performances prevalent in our society,
how can I keep students motivated?

28.

A student offers his/her seat to me in a bus, should I accept?

29.

Should my teaching be exam-oriented or knowledge oriented?

30.

Should I give notes in the classes?

31.

Am I audible to the whole class?

32.

Do I have a special list of books to recommend over that is given in the syllabus?

33.

Do I differentiate between teaching and learning?

34.

Am I time conscious and do I manage my time well?

35.

Am I using the blackboard / white board effectively?

36.

Have I developed instructional strategies of my own?

37.

Am I aware of (or have I personally set) aims and objectives of courses taught by me?

38.

Am I conscious of the energetics of teaching ? (requirements of, and conservation of, energy)

39.

Have I attempted peer review of my lecturing skills?

40.

Have I attempted to incorporate technical vocabulary into day-to-day vocabulary?

41.

Am I capable of critically evaluating the logical validity of my own of assertions?

42.

In labs, what more needs to be done in addition to successful conduct & recording of
experiments?

43.

How many hours of preparations are required for a 1 hour lecture?

44.

How do I achieve better control of my sound, its volume and modulation?

45.

How do I face the situation of not knowing to answer a students question?

46.

Have I seen myself in action as a lecturer?

47.

Have I compared my course delivery and assessment with those in IITs & foreign
Universities?

48.

Am I making eye contact with all students? (What is my view sector?)

49.

Are any of my gestures very distracting?

50.

Do I and should I use lecture hand outs?

51.

What is a tutorial and how is it different from a lecture?

52.

Is it OK to conduct classes for two/three house at a stretch?

53.

Should I permit students to bring eats/ drinks into lecture halls?

54.

What should be done if a student writes a vulgar feedback?

55.

How can abstract topics be taught effectively? (Integration, Control systems theory, Black
Holes, DSP)

56.

Do I have a role model in teaching?

57.

Do I have a mentor in the teaching profession?

58.

What is excellence in teaching?

59.

Has my mind set as a student undergone any major transformation after becoming a teacher?

60.

Am I doing justice to my profession? Have I critically evaluated my commitment?

61.

Am I (Should I become) a member of any professional society in my field?

62.

Where do I see myself after five/ten/fifteen/thirty years from now?

63.

Am I efficient in managing routine information (personal and professional)?

64.

Have I developed philosophical interest in basic theories of my discipline?

65.

Do I know (and do I) read some prominent magazines and journals in my discipline?

66.

Am I aware of quality processes and certification of the same in education?

67.

Am I making any attempt for industry interaction/consultancy?

68.

Do I know 5 prominent personalities in my discipline?

69.

Do I know 5 prominent institutions in my discipline?

70.

Am I aware of historic developments in my discipline?

71.

Am I aware of futuristic projections in my discipline?

72.

Am I taking efforts to achieve journal publications?

73.

Am I taking efforts to establish peer-networking (through seminars, conferences/otherwise)?

74.

Am I attempting to identify a broad area for my future research work?

75.

Have I understood the basic principles of higher education?

76.

What are the technological skills in which I am strong?

77.

What are the technological skills in which I am weak and I need to improve?

78.

What are the technological skills I need to newly acquire?

79.

What are the various schemes for professional advancement (QIP, Fellowships, Schemes)?

80.

How, from where, and for what can I get funding for research projects?

81.

Have I attempted to develop an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge?

82.

What is my biggest motivation to remain as a teacher?

83.

How much time do I spend in the library?

84.

People in industry get more salary than teachers, so why should I remain a teacher?

85.

Which is the best profession in the world?

86.

How can and why should I attempt to achieve a patent?

87.

Gurukula system is often idealized by my many. Is there any principle in it which I can
adopt? *

88.

Am I sensitive to the political leaning of my students?

89.

Am I sensitive to the religion followed my students?

90.

Am I sensitive to the gender of my students?

91.

Should I keep a serious face/smiling face in the class room?

92.

Do realize the problems of adolescence?

93.

Am I aware of basic skills and principle of student counseling?

94.

How and when do you properly conduct a student feedback?

95.

How do you respond to and utilize a student feedback?

96.

What are the carious strategies for managing mob behavior of students?

97.

How do I deal with arguably 100% unreasonable and uncultured behavior of a student?

98.

How can I handle cheating/plagiarism by some students?

99.

What should be done if a student is caught cheating/plagiarizing?

100. How close can I become with a student?

101. Should I attempt to conduct a class when students are on strike/a bandh is declared?

102. Do I realize the possibilities of cyber media in teaching& learning?

103. Am I using IT as an effective educational technology
104. Do I know some prominent websites for each course I am teaching?
105. Am I exploiting the web to support my teaching? (Do I have a website? Should I have one?)
106. Have I mastered the art& science of internet searching
107. If I could get any software I dream, do I have a dream about a software which could be
helpful in learning a difficult topic?
108. Have I prepared multimedia presentations, which can be used along with lectures on some
of my favorite topic?
* There could be another 108 questions drawn up on the question of student-teacher relations.
One controversial question is Why do I want students to call me Sir ?
Dr Achuthsankar S Nair: 2003-2007: This document can be copied verbatim and distributed freely
provided this notice is retained in each copy.