Went well! Really! Went very well. I ran about 3 minutes short of the time, but all things considered it was a success.
The only glitch was that the phone on the stage of the lecture hall started ringing like halfway through my lecture. Strange, no? So I picked it up, and just said: this is a lecture hall. Do not call back. Then I hung up. The entire class erupted with laughter. I wish now that I had answered it and found out who it was–but the lecture must go on.
Little things I’ll keep in mind for next time:
- It’s helpful to summarize the preceding lecture briefly–in one or two sentences–before beginning in earnest
- Time really does speed up at the podium…slow slow slow
- Minor brain farts are an inevitability. Just recover, don’t freak out, and return to notes.
- Students are surprisingly generous and forgiving, and looking for opportunities during lecture to laugh or get engaged. Either that, or they are asleep. (I saw a few nappers). If they are asleep, then it’s pretty much impossible for you to do a bad job as a lecturer.
- Reading from a script really is OK, so long as you have moments where you either engage with students, or just speak more spontaneously. But TAs I spoke with afterwards said that it didn’t sound artificial or dry to have read thusly…so! Yes to fully written lectures.
- Slow down some more.
It was a good experience. I feel much more confident about my ability to be an academic…it’s an unexpected feeling. Lecturing is kind of fun.
