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As professors of management and organizational behavior mature in their teaching, they should begin to develop a teachable point of view. In this article, the author describes several attributes of a teachable point of view. Based on his own teaching experience, the author outlines five criteria for the content of the material taught-the what of teaching-as well as the pedagogical approach to engendering learning-the how of teaching. These criteria are offered as illustrations of what it means to be a full professor.
Keywords: teachable point of view; abundance; competency development; full professor
It makes sense to me to think of the titles we receive in academia as being metaphors for our level of expertise in teaching. Assistant professors, as newly appointed teachers, need assistance to know what to profess. Associate professors become associates, partners, or collaborators in the content and process of teaching. Full professors, on the other hand, should own the content and the pedagogy of their teaching.1 They should have a fully developed teachable point of view (Tichy, 2004). The question is: How do people reach such a point as teachers? How can faculty members entering the field of teaching, especially in management or organizational behavior departments, grow into full professors-that is, individuals who are fully capable of professing? How do people come to develop a teachable point of view?
Excellent advice regarding such questions has been provided by a variety of insightful and masterful teachers (Palmer, 1997; Tichy, 2004), and this brief essay does not claim to adequately address these questions. However, as a maturing teacher, albeit one who long ago was granted the title of full professor at my institution, I shall share a few insights about what I have learned about teaching and professing. These observations are not intended to be right answers or prescriptions for excellent teaching. I don't claim to be a role model or an especially effective instructor. Rather, what I will share are simply some rules of thumb that work for me and that have emerged as I have progressed in my own teaching career. Some of these rules of thumb relate to the content of what I teach, and some relate to the pedagogical procedures on which I rely.
What I Teach
A few...