IF YOU WANT TO:
Inviting guest speakers to your course.
Several excellent teachers believe that guest speakers can be a real plus if they are selected for their expertise or practical experience and carefully informed about what is expected of them. An English professor sometimes invites professional actors to talk about their interpretation of a scene or a role from a play the students are studying. "It's very important to make clear to the guest what you expect of him or her in order to ensure that it is an educational experience for the students," he points out.
"I always take detailed notes during a guest lecture," says a professor in the biological sciences. "In this way I am able to answer student questions about the material during later sessions and may learn something new myself!"
An architecture professor goes even further in preparing his guest speakers well in advance so that they know exactly what is expected of them. "Practicing architects are asked to submit working drawing, models, photos, and publications on one of their buildings so that the students will be well acquainted with their work beforehand," he says.
"Students are required to submit a set of questions to the guest speaker beforehand about his/her work and designated students are assigned responsibility for seeing that these questions are addressed to the speaker." As a courtesy to each guest speaker, he makes a point to confirm the time and place of the guest's presentation, provide a map of the campus, arrange for campus parking, and promptly send each speaker a thank-you letter.
Limitations on Use of Suggestion
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