Students can non dual teacher in several ways, such as, in class during lecture, after class when formal lecture is finished, after school by taking an appointment with the teacher, via email, instant messaging or phone call. The method of approaching the teacher depends on the type of issue and its urgency. Following are some of the main ways students can approach a teacher and when they should be used.
During lecture
In cases where teachers prefer an interactive classroom environment, students can ask questions during the lecture to further clarify the topic of discussion. This will also benefit other students in the class as they might need similar clarification. It can generate healthy discussions and students and teacher can share different perspectives on the topic.
After class when formal lecture is finished
When there’s not enough time during the lecture and the student’s question does not apply to entire class, the student can approach the teacher after their formal lecture is finished. However, students should ask their teacher if they can spare a few minutes to clarify on certain aspects of the topic that was just presented by the teacher. Students need to make sure that their question is short and precise and may not require a lengthy discussion as the teacher may not have a lot of time and may need to go to another lecture.
After School by taking an appointment
If the question requires some deeper analysis or if there are multiple questions, the student can take an appointment with the teacher after school when it is convenient for the teacher and the student. This meeting can be made more productive if the student prepares well and lets the teacher know which areas he/she needs help in, so teacher is also prepared with the right information and can allocate the right amount of time.
Contact through email
Questions for which an email response will be enough can be articulated in an email to the teacher, along with some background so the teacher can answer it appropriately. Emails should only be used when the answer to the question is not urgent and can wait for a day or two.
Contact via instant messaging or phone call
If a question requires an immediate response, the students can either contact the teacher via instant messaging (if the teacher is online) or can call him/her if the teacher has agreed to accept a phone call. This should only be used when getting the answer immediately is really important and cannot wait for even an hour.
Students should precisely know what they need from their teacher. Students should be cognizant of using their teacher’s time efficiently to get the required feedback from them. This also encourages the teacher to respond positively whenever approached, as the teacher knows that the student will not unnecessarily waste his/her time.
In order to have a productive session with the teacher the students should prepare well for the meeting. They should define their problem or question very clearly, they should list down what they have done so far to find an answer and what possible avenues they think might help to answer the question. This also helps the student to build good rapport with their teacher that can help in resolving any future issues or concerns