Hi Sara:
Prepared means being ready - ready by having the needed resources, lessons, equipment or instructional aids, handouts, etc available when needed. Even ready for extra questions, interruptions, or changing direction midtream. Readiness will allow this and the students won't necessarily know the change wasn't planned.
Students wnat to know their teacher is prepared. I think it's great to arrive early to get the class in order, but to be available should early arriving students can ask questions, or even just chat informally.
Regards, Barry
Hi Tracey:
I can tell you are a naturally an organized teacher as these simple techniques are probably just a sampling of many oranizational "tricks" you use to keep order. What a great great trait for students to see and experience as I'm sure they'll pick up some of these techniques and apply them in their own lives. Thanks for sharing.
Regards, Barry
Hi Tim:
Organized teachers can take pretty much all in stride:
* The student who arrives early and wants some extra attention or clarification
* The clique of back row deviants disrupting class (again)
* The genius students who ask textbook-level questions and require more explanation
* The class wanting extra review
* The LCD or classroom computer on the fritz (again).
When we're prepared, we're ready. Ready for what? A well prepared lesson that can be interrupted or distracted but gets done smoothly and completely regardless of the circumstances. Ready means organization has preceded the lesson and the classroom time, allowing for "life to happen" in a dynamic environment.
Regards, Barry
Hi Bonnie:
Structure, as restrictive as some students may feel, is actually usually appreciated by students who long for order, rules, guidelines, maybe so they know what the boudries are but I think more because it helps them organize their time, wwork plans, and assignment progress.
Regards, Barry
It not only assists the students with learning, but it helps me to be more effective, efficient, and productive.
I use colored folders for each class to keep organized. I also give students the same colored folder to keep themselves organized.
As I teach my lesson for that class, I check it off on my syllabus and lesson plan. I also keep a paperclip in book so I know exactly where I left off.
An instructor is the role model for the student. Any instructor who is organized and prepared before entering the classroom will encourage students in the class to be organized and prepared as well. If the instructor is organized and prepared, they will not be frazzled and will be able to focus more on the learning and teaching going on in the classroom, not to mention the overall classroom management. All instructors should be the first to arrive in the room, with an agenda on the board, handouts ready to go, and activities prepared from start to finish. Papers should be graded and handed back in a timely fashion. It is difficult to encourage students to be organized and prepared when the instructor is not setting the proper example.
As an instructor, you need to be well organized and be fully prepared for class. The students need to have structure and a well organized classroom. They learn by example and they also maybe thrown off, if the instructor is continously not prepared for class and taking away from the student learning experience.
It's not just a question of being organized so that you know what the next activity or part of lecture is, but also so that you can focus your energy on managing your classroom. You need to have the ability to make corrections for behavior or for misunderstandings, and being organized and prepared enables you to do that fluidly and quickly. Another reason is respect. Being prepared to teach shows the students that you have enough respect for them and your subject that you will spend time to prepare properly
I try to have everything prepared the night prior to class so when I arrive, usually an hour early, everything is laid out. Having everything ready provides me time to interact with the students as they arrive for class. I have gained useful insight into student needs and how they perceive what is going on in the classroom. From student feedback I learn what think about how the class is going and they like that I take a personal interest in them. Now if I could just get them to come on time!
I agree with your points. The days that I am more organized tend to go smoother than others.
I think that is extremely important for an instructor to be organized and prepared because we are going into these classrooms and telling students that they need to time manage as well as being prepared and organized so how can we get them to buy into the program and the concepts if we the instructions are not doing the same thing. I also think that it makes the student take us seriously in the respect that we know what we are talking about and that we care about their education. I have had students tell me about instructors who are not prepared and organized and they do not take these instructors seriously because the students feel like it is more of a "do as I say not as I do". I also believe that this is a help tool in the event that there is a bump in the road, you can have a "plan B" just in case as well as having other material in the event that an activity takes less or more time than planned.
From the instructor's point of view, being organized and prepared greatly reduces pre-class anxiety and boosts confidence. From the students' point of view, being organized and prepared demonstrates that the instructor is committed to the learning of his/her students.
Being organized and prepared shows the students that you care about them and the subject you are teaching. One has to be prepared in order to get anywhere in their profession. An Instructor that uses "the fly by the seat of his pants" method is telling their students that it's ok to be not prepared. A bad example to set.
being prepared shows you are knolwegedable in your field of instruction.
being organized shows the student you care
Being prepared shows the student that you know your subject matter and you are professional.
Preparation is everything. I have seen instructors who are very knowledgable come in and think they can wing it. Things fall apart quickly because they have not stopped to organize and recollect the under lying facts.
That is an essential tool for presenting effectively and efficiently.
It is important for an instructor to be organized and prepared to teach because it shows the students that you are serious about their learning and success in the course. The students will benefit from your organization and will feel more comfortable in class because they know the expectations up front. Being prepared to teach includes not only the paperwork preparation for the teacher but also preparing oneself to speak comfortably in front of the class.
It is very important for an instructor to be well prepared for class to show the level of professionalism expected from the students. If the teacher is not organized, how can he expect the students to follow suit?
