The following are three brief scenarios designed to elicit strategies for responding to difficult situations in teaching. They are not intended to be comprehensive. In considering each case, focus on what you do know rather than the information that is missing. If you feel important information is needed, then consider how you would obtain that information and how the answer would change your approach. In a meeting with students in your section, you have just finished explaining from the instructor's notes how the answer was obtained.
Most students seem to accept and agree with the answer.
One student notes that the answer is incorrect and cites as evidence something that you are not familiar with. At the first meeting of your section, you discover that because of your regional accent, or differences in languages, the majority of students in your section have difficulty understanding you. During these meetings, he has mentioned to you that he has been struggling with a long-term relationship. One of your friends mentions that she is looking forward to a date with this student. The first 9 of the following principles are derived from a report for the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in Canada.