it has everything to do with your delivery methods. I am the type of person who does not like my time being wasted while the teacher talks about their children, sports or unrelated topics. Because of my personality I end up giving the students the information that they need, not wasting their time with unrelated, important material. Any personal information I share with my students relates to the topic we are talking about.
Mark,
Great! I think students appreciate when their instructor is sincere with them, providing them with parameters that help define what is and is not acceptable. Being real, honest, and approachable endears most students whose instructors practice the dismeanor in class.
Barry Westling
You can be as organized and knowledgeable as you want but if your personalilty does come across to the students as being passionate and enthusiastic you will lose them in the first moments of the course. I include it in my phsychological contract with them that they are to include respectfull and relevant humor during their participation...this matches my personality and puts adult learners at ease.
Stephen,
Right! I liken it to seasoning in a meal: a little sprinkle goes a long way to adding flavor, whereas just a bit too much can spoil the whole meal.
Barry Westling
Stephen,
Getting student actively involved in their own learning is a winning idea on several fronts, with the results leading to better student retention and learning outcomes.
Barry Westling
Stephen,
Great point about the importance how students perceive their instructor.
Barry Westling
I definitely agree with the humor part. I have woke up many a class with finding humerous ways to deliver the material. This game-plan can back-fire though because if a teacher uses too much humor, the students can think of him as a buffoon & not take him seriously.
This is so true. Instructor's must work with what they have. One technique that I have employed with a high degree of success is that when I do not know the answer to a certain question, I inform the students that I will research the question & have some information relative to the question next time the class meets. This conveys humility to the students & the fact that the instructor cares enough about them to research their individual questions. The result is a better rapport with the students & a greater accumulation of verified knowledge relative to the tematic material of the class :)
A huge role! For example, we had an instructor who was so very overqualified that she was arrogant about it. She was hired to teach business professionalism to a bunch of dental hygiene students and the students (who tend to be a little sensitive & insecure) were quite intimidated by her & consequently complained & certainly did not learn much in this particular instructor's class. Relative to the instuctor's personality, she should have been observant enough to realize that her job was not to convey impressiveness, it was to be grateful that she had skills & knowledge pearls that she could share freely with her students.
Rena,
Students like stories, and I find many times a good story of a past experience, situation, interaction, or big snafu can capture attention and also bridge the "theory with reality". Students usually appreciate these sidebars.
Barry Westling
I like to start my lecture from life experience then it becomes more interresting for the students.
I am very enthuziastic person so they see mr very excites by the board walking in the classroom making the pause during the speech, askink them questions , encourage the students.
Joel,
Having fun within the invironment of learning sets the tone for more effective instruction, as humor and laughter can help diffuse the stringent rules and gudelines that so many schools enforce (rightly so).
Barry Westling
Deborah,
Right. When we are being genuine and honest with students, they will see a caring individual there to assist them achieve their hopes for a better future.
Barry Westling
Personality shows in everything you do. I am always positive and upbeat, so that comes thorough in the class and how i deliver lectures. I like to have fun and encourage my students to make the classroom a fun enviroment.
Instructors need to be authentic to who they are inherently- we cannot pretend to be someone else. It's like students have x-ray vision and can see right through someone that is trying to be someone/something that they aren't, or are not being sincere.
Clare,
Discussion is among the better strategies because it gets students thinking. The more they are able to do this without promting, the better they will be prepared for their career and even much of what they will encounter in life.
Barry Westling
I like to have discussions with the class. I think my understanding of how they learn best is critical in selecting the mode of delivery. Adult students have knowledge and preferences of how they would like to receive the course material. Asking leading questions is another way I like to direct discussions.
Marie,
I agree, students like stories, and it's a longtime (effective) approach to sharing vital information. I think before there was formal learning, our ancestors probably taught through story telling. Anyway, students enjoy them especially when they are interesting, related to the current topic, and students can apply the information to a practical application.
Barry Westling
I am a passionate nursing faculty educator that loves to teach psychiatric nursing through storytelling. The students quickly get involved as the stories invite them to share their own experiences, insights, as well as ask thoughtful questions.
Every semester, students honestly state, they had no interest in this topic until they started to grasp the material while listening to the stories and actively participating.
Therefore, I work hard to keep my level of energy and passion elevated for their benefit, thanks, marie
Clay,
Very important. I would put it like this: Students can see us as real helpers in their journey for learning, or they can see us as the guy who gives us work and assignments to do. In both cases, the same assignments may be a part of the class, but it's how the delivery of that material is presented that can make a difference.
Barry Westling
