Recently I became aware that while teaching I sometimes go on and on for far too long. It usually happens when I realize a student isn’t “getting it” after a period of time, after the rest of the group has moved on. I address them personally, repeat the nugget on information, and then I may go into the “why” portion of what I’m talking about, after which I may go into variations that might be helpful to think about, and then I may go back to the original point and re-iterate.
Annoying, right? Yeah. I need to chill. I should instead present one nugget/view/solution/technique and be done with it. It’s best to give the student some breathing room because they’re already a bit stressed if I’m addressing them one-on-one.
If I don’t back off, I run the risk of making the student feel incapable, or upset, or maybe they’ll just turn off. No good.