Awful teaching, going to hide in a hole

[DirtyDennis]

Oh god, I've just done a terrible lecture.

I gave the students an activity to get on with but I fucked up the basic information I gave them (equations) so as we were discussing the answer it became increasingly clear that it was all built on bullshit.

I got all panicked and started bumbling my way through.

The students looked really annoyed.

Then I just wanted to cry so I really abruptly just ended the lecture early.

I'm 6-months into probation and need good scores.

Fuck.

Please tell me this will be okay. I could just cry right now.

I’m not a teacher, I am a masters student. I have been in terrible lectures and tutorials. In this situation I would want the lecturer to come clean, back up and deliver the information correctly. Nobody wants to see you fail, and no one expects you to be perfect, but they do presumably need the knowledge you were trying to impart. Apologise and do what you can to put it right. No one can ask you to do more.

Next time will be better.

The activity was just to let them have a worked example of something I'd taught so they already had the knowledge IYSWIM.

I did the activity to use up a bit of time (bloody 2-hour lecture slots) and to do something a bit different.

Wish I hadn't bothered now.

I'm not returning to it next week, I just want to bury it forever and pretend it never happened.

Ah well, then. Just chalk it up to experience and move on. We’ve all had days like these. You’ll laugh about it in time.

Thank you!! Every time I think about it every organ in my body shivers.

I am so worried about failing probation

I do think you need to correct it. Can you stick the correct equations on blackboard or email them?

It sounds like the students know exactly what happened. If I were them I'd want a short and clean apology and corrected info - and a chance to clarify because I imagine some of them had got it but are now confused.

Do you have a mentor or a friendly line manager? Because if I were them i'd far rather you came to me and said I've cocked up, this is how I propose to put it right, what do you think?" than to hear about it by receiving student complaints.

No, my line manager isn't particularly friendly and he's the one who does my probation assessments so I feel very reluctant to telling him I fucked up.

My mentor is a older, male professor who's very old school and thinks I'm basically neurotic because of how much I worry about probation. We get on really well but he'd see this as a total non-issue.

I think I might put the corrected equation on the VLE but I don't want to offer a long explanation/apology - I don't want it to be more of a "thing" than it was IYSWIM.

Give a very quick explanation at the start of the next lecture, with a reference to where the correct material is. The students will appreciate this and likely have forgotten about it at the end of the lecture. Make sure next week runs impeccably smoothly and all will be fine. OP, I had similar happen last year when heavily pregnant and my brain was frankly incapable of rectifying it on the spot. It was fine in the end.

Yes don't go on about it, just a brief correction and apology for any confusion.

I think you are doing the wrong thing by not addressing it. Students do have a voice at most institutions now and if you don't address it, they may well either complain or just make noises in the relevant student committee. I'd be up front- say we got into some difficulty last week with this equation, and address it. Or address it by email with some suggested approaches. Then move on.

I've had to send out emails before now correcting or clarifying things in the lecture. This isn't such a big deal.

You do sound nervous, crossed fingers for your probation.

Thanks @springisallaround
I am nervous, which is ridiculous as I have already met my probation grant income target and am well on the way to my publication target.

I am nervous about teaching bringing my down though as I'm not terribly confident with teaching.

I also recommend a simple, confident apology. Something like put the correct equations on the VLE (and perhaps the worked example?), and a brief email saying something along the lines of "Apologies for the confusion about the equation today; correct information is now up on the VLE for your reference".

I understand - I was near tears during one of my first lectures (to ~300 students) when a student challenged the meaning of an extremely basic acronym in my field. Extremely basic. I can't stress that enough. You (no matter what field you're in - it's also popular knowledge) would even know it. I got super flustered and confused and really did not give a good showing. The shock when I explained to the module organiser what had happened did not help. But I did a bit of research, and started the next lecture with a "tale of historical interest", where I covered how the acronym's meaning had shifted over the years, plus a few even more obscure terms for the same thing.

And just last week I accidentally told a class full of students that an assessment was due that day when it was really due 5 days later. I sent out an emergency email to the whole class with the title "Deadline next Wed!!!" when I realised a few hours later... And apologised in class next time. I feel really bad about panic I might have caused there, but am still mystified that no one said anything!

I would flip it and set it as a task to work out what had gone wrong. Pretend it was a critical thinking assignment!

I think it's best to briefly acknowledge the mistake and move on. I also wouldn't stop your practice of doing an exercise mid-way through - that's good practice.

A one off mistake in a lecture is really not going to affect their judgment of you.

If your university is anything like mine the probation decision seems to be wholly based on research

What did you end up doing OP?
I'd have gone with the PPs suggestion
"Apologies for the confusion about the equation today; correct information is now up on the VLE for your reference"

Ignoring it would have been the worst option.

Teachers sometimes cock up, cut yourself some slack. No one is perfect, but as a teacher your mistakes are on display to lots of judgemental eyes!!! Just remember they won’t be dwelling on it like you are. I agree with pp -just be honest