Spring 1998

First-Order Principles for College Teachers:
Ten Basic Ways to Improve the Teaching Process
Robert Boice. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing, 1996
Reviewed by Jennifer Chylack, Graduate Student Associate, TRC and Department of English

Good teaching is an endless process of reinventing the wheel. Instructors, isolated in their classrooms, develop their own approach through trial and error, not by picking up a set of guidelines. Along the way, they grow comfortable with their notion of "good teaching" and thus ground their theory of education in hard-won experience. Seasoned teachers might agree that this is the best way to "train." Robert Boice begs to differ.

In his book, First-Order Principles for College Teachers, Boice argues that basic skills of excellent teachers may be codified, learned, and applied to a wide range of teaching situations. He calls these skills "first-order principles" and, following a model sanctioned by time and authority, presents them to his readers in a handy list of ten directives, each of which receives its own chapter:

1. Moderate Classroom Incivilities with Prosocial Immediacies
2. Wait
3. Begin Before Feeling Ready
4. Work and Teach in Brief, Regular Sessions
5. Stop
6. Moderate Overattachment to Content and Overreaction to Criticism.
7. Moderate Negative Thinking and Strong Emotions
8. Let Others Do Some of the Work
9. Welcome Learning and Change
10. Build Resilience by Limiting Wasted Efforts
    
    

The list reveals the weaknesses and the strengths of Boice's approach. Unfortunately, the first principle's awkward phrasing is accompanied by a chapter peppered with distracting acronyms. Despite this flaw, the first chapter makes an excellent point: disorderly, unfocused, hostile classes are the bane of learning, and it is the teacher's responsibility to act quickly and positively when faced with inattention and/or resistance. Before most teachers can act this way, he argues, they must address their own contributions to the problem: impatience, stress resulting from procrastination, excessive need for control, oversensitivity, and unrealistic expectations.

Boice notes that most teachers feel paralyzed and alienated by difficult classroom situations; this reaction often leads to a vicious cycle of uncooperative students and distant, wary teachers. He acknowledges this problem in detail and then presents the nine remaining principles as a series of strategies for sealing rifts and avoiding "incivilities" altogether. Many involve de-centering the classroom structure, connecting with students, and relinquishing "authority"; they sometimes appear counterintuitive but are always backed up by evidence and by the author's relaxed, confident approach to the art of teaching.

I found Boice's emphasis on patience, time management, moderation, and optimism refreshing in its simplicity. Instead of lavishing pages on specific tricks, he advocates a holistic approach aimed at preserving equanimity, receptivity, and enthusiasm for teaching. I especially recommend the concluding discussion of teaching and research; Boice believes (and can prove) that teaching and research reinforce each other if approached with efficiency and a sense of balance. First-Order Principles is a terrific resource for anxious first-time teachers, frustrated instructors trying to pry themselves out of a rut, and anyone seeking ways to make teaching more enjoyable. Those intrigued by Robert Boice's ideas should be aware that he will be coming to the University of Virginia on April 10 to offer a workshop on first-order principles and their application.