In his next chapter, “Making Classes Work”, Eble further discusses the classroom, its use, support, hindrances, and the idea of teaching a class as a whole. To open with a blanket statement, he writes that “such tight control may foster the delusion that every class is going well . . . I prefer and advise more looseness in trying to make classes work.” The classroom is cold, rigid, and formal, and while it fits many of the needs of a course, it can also hurt the class if the idea of the class is treated in the wrong light. So, Eble’s chapter now discusses how one can, in fact, make classes and classrooms work.

When the course begins, it is imperative that there is an understanding between teacher and student. As Eble writes, “more and more,  [he thinks] that intentions and expectations – stating objectives, if you will – should be written down as well as discussed in a useful give-and-take with the students.” When this understanding exists, the formality of the course is recognized and has been discussed. By clearly outlining the course and going over the expectations and goals, there is, frankly, an understanding of the course, and a precedent has been set for the commencing quarter or semester.

The opening of a class may actually be more important than one might think. As our writer explains, “skilled teachers know that any audience, even the captive one in the classroom, needs a short period for settling in.” Basically, there needs to be a standard opening for a course. As the text continues, “whatever a teacher can do to provide an easy transition from the student’s real world to the artificial world of the classroom is likely to be appreciated and to aid learning.” As it says, the classroom is an artificial world. It’s strictness is often standard and students need a viable transition from the actual to the artificial. Learning in the classroom environment is much different than learning is outside of the room.

When professing a course, the attitude, demeanor, and candor with which the instructor presents himself will drastically affect the overall class as well as the student’s overall impression of the instructor. Eble states it simply when he says “‘be yourself’ is as good advice for approaching a class as any.” It may sound obvious, but it’s best to present oneself as he or she is, authentically. Our author continues on this topic by stating that “openness, for example, is good for teaching, and it has ways of making itself apparent to others. Some deliberate candor about likes and dislikes in classroom matters can go beyond course outlines and statements of objectives.” Personality plays a surprisingly large part in course instruction, to the point that Eble continues that “a sense of humor, which almost everyone prizes and claims to possess, is tricky to define. Indeed, the joke, as such, is somewhat suspect as part of the teacher’s repertoire. Nevertheless, humor is an excellent way to establish rapport with an audience, provided the humor is not forced, inappropriate, too obvious, or too subtle. . . The best kind of academic humor grows naturally and spontaneously from the situation.” So, once again, be yourself. One shouldn’t force humor where it’s inappropriate, Eble even cautions that we should “use humor if you can, but only if you can do it well.” By acting human, the professor is being human, and the students will recognize that ‘hey, he’s a human, too!”

Within the classroom, teaching exists without the professor, as well. Students must be encouraged to seek out their own knowledge, share their experiences with their class, and get themselves to think – critically or not (as mentioned in his earlier chapters). In layman’s terms, he states that “the students . . . have to use their own imaginations and intellects and desires to demonstrate that they were getting something out of the course.” This goes beyond mere brakes from formal learning. “Getting the students into the context of discussing their work has the advantage of going beyond remembering names toward actually knowing them as individuals.” Easy enough, right?

Eble briefly mentions grading and the concept of grades. In his words, “grades, more than anything else, are likely to cause students to feel that a teacher has betrayed them, or, less often, has treated them better than they deserve. Ideally, teachers should be sufficiently self-aware to maintain some consistency between their manner as persons and their conduct of the course as teachers.”

In his concluding remarks, Eble again stresses the importance of the professor’s demeanor and personality. He reminds us that “as for the ideas generated, information exchanged and absorbed, a subject matter in its abstract form, they are dependent, within the classroom, on teacher and student.” Teacher and student – half of that is the teacher. He reminds us that “without character, a teacher is more ill equipped than if he or she had not mastered particle physics, Shakespeare’s tragedies, or harmony and counterpoint.” The professor’s personality dictates more than he or she may be aware. To close, at long last, “being available to students is still the best way of signifying the teacher’s genuine concern.”