On Friday, I participated in the first part of a two-part series on teaching methods.  While it is not a required part of the PhD curriculum, I found it really worthwhile.  The session lasted almost the full two hours it was scheduled and there was a high level of interaction between the two who team-taught and the students who attended.  We covered a lot more material than I expected and in areas I wouldn’t have considered otherwise.  Topics such as how to create a lesson plan, strategies for ensuring understanding of the material, and how to keep students interested were covered.  While I don’t teach professionally now, I gained a lot of insight into what is needed to be effective.  I’m really looking forward to the next session on March 25!