Pay more attention to student's needs, moods, body language, desires and motivations.
Hi Michael,
This will be very beneficial for you. I would suggest before doing an observation you develop a check list of things you want to be looking for. This will help you to focus on certain areas as the class flows and you will make sure you don't forget to look at all of the aspects of how the instructor conducts the class.
Gary
Hi Samantha,
Through these observations of both the great and the less that good instructors you can formulate a clear idea of what you want your own professional delivery to be like. Good professional development plan.
Gary
A technique I can employ to further develop my instructional style would be observation. Something I've done very little of that I believe would benefit my approach to teaching is to sit in on other instructor's classes to get new ideas and perspectives.
Hi Kenneth,
I know exactly what you are facing with the length of your classes. I teach two 3 hour block classes starting at 4 in the afternoon and going until 10 at night. My students are tired after a day at work. I use many of the examples you listed in my classes. I keep the students moving by lecturing, putting them into groups, and then having them do role play, etc. You are doing a great job with your strategies. I do know like you that when 10:01 pm comes I am tired. But, I look forward to the next day's class because I get to try some exciting new teaching methods out and that gets my energy back up. I wish you much success in your teaching.
Gary
I enjoyed your post and I agree. I think observing other instructors helps me find out who I am as an instructor. Sometimes I have observed great professors who really engage the students. Other times I have observed professors who do not seem to have the interest of the students.
I think that it is very important to continue to develop and enhance instructional styles. I like to take advantage of all the courses and events that my college has to offer. I also like to get feedback from the students themselves to see what is actually working in the classroom. I do this just by talking to the students but also with using various forms of classroom assessment techniques (surveys, emails, etc...)
Probably more role-play, elicit even more discussion from my students, more focus groups and more "problem" disection in which I pose a problem and the students will have to figure out the best course of action to take to solve the problem. The class I teach lends itself more to lecturing and I work very hard to elicit discussion, use Power Point presentations to keep things organized, interject much humor, and provide quite a bit of practical examples from my years of experience in the field. But it is a long evening class and the students obviously become tired and lose focus. I do break the class down into smaller pieces of lecture, discussion, group activity and breaks then back to lecture but 3 and a half hours is a long time. I fill it fine and try to keep the students focused but by the end of the class, even I am tired. Teaching this class is easier with 1 to 1 and a half hour class times but the 3 and a half hour class format is definitely a killer. How to vary activities to: (a) cover the material, (b) keep the students interested and focused, and (c) keep me from lecturing to long and boring them to death is the real challenge. Overall, I would say I do a pretty good job in lecturing but I want to do more than just lecture. My overall style is probably more interactive as I like to elicit discussion from the students and tap into their knowledge and their experiences. I find that students know more than they give themselves credit for and I not only want to encourage that but also make them aware of it. I score high marks in connecting with my students during student evals but, again, I want to do more than just lecture.
I think using your fellow instructors is a great resource. Seeing how others have taught your class or similar classes in the past is a great way to improve on your instructional style.
I try to remind my students often that everything that I am teaching them will be of use in the real world and point out the application in their future career. This helps them to focus on the material and encourages them to learn it.
Hi Tom,
Keep up the development plan you have set for yourself. Something I use a lot in my classes which are lecture based is case studies. You can introduce them through lecture and then have the students work through them in small groups, individually or as take home assignments. They generate a lot of discussion and transfer of knowledge.
Gary
Hi Jane,
I commend you for your professional development plan. By doing what you are you can see what works and what doesn't. The specific goal of improving your PP presentations is the result. If you hadn't been out and about you wouldn't have seen how awful some of them can be. You now have something against which you can measure your efforts.
Keep up the good work.
Gary
Hi Shajan,
This is a good way to start a class because it helps to get the students settled and get their attention focused the topic. Being a good story teller is an asset for teachers. This ability helps to entertain, educate and motivate.
Gary
Hi Shajan,
I think this is a good idea. Once you have created a library of these demos you will be able to refer students to them that need to review them or have missed class and need to see a demo. Also, they can review the demos for tests if they need to.
Gary
I perceive myself as a fairly good lecturer. I bring into the classroom real-life experiences which the students have stated they enjoy and the examples are relevant to improved understanding thier course work. Where I would like to improve on is the area of experiential learning in the classroom. To get the students to move and touch and see and challenge each other to learn the material is my goal. I'm learning various ways of accomplishing this task, but it is new for me as my learning experiences have been primarily based on lectures.
I read everything I can find on public speaking! Of course I always keep up with the latest technical info and trends of my field, but I have found if I think of myself as a dynamic public speaker, it works in class! I attend courses on public speaking and go to seminars, banquets, conferences, etc. as much as possible just to check out the speakers. I also learn a lot by seeing how they use visual aides...I have seen some pretty bad power point in my travels, and decided to make it my year's goal to improve all my PPT-driven lectures.
I think the course evaluations at the end of the course are helpful. I have changed things about my instructional syle from reading the evals.
sometimes you dont realize how your conveying the information untill the students let you know.
I always appreciate when a presenter opens up with some sort of story that doesn't directly relate to the subject matter, but as you listen you realize it does indirectly. I hope to start each class with some type of "captivating opener" - whether it be inspirational, humorous, or something that will lead into my demo/lecture.
Man! I need to be a better listener too! I'll ask a question, start hearing an answer, but before they're done I'm on to the next item! Ouch. I need to be
"...quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger."
With technology being where it's at, I think developing a way to capture my demo via video (to post via a school portal or internet) would definitely help my instructional style. If a student missed what I had said, they can reference the video.
It would also give me and my students the ability to move at a pace more custom to the student. I could spend more time with those who need it rather than slow down the entire class. And, it would also allow the student who needs more help to review what I have done over, and over, and over, and over, and over again. And did I say over again?
I think I need to grow in patience as well.
