I am just now teaching my first course, so this will be a learning period for me. I think next quarter I'll probably have several ideas for how I can instruct more effectively. I'll learn from experience. :-)
I also think that since I'm a new instructor, it would be a benefit to talk with some of the other instructors for the course I'm teaching. From my experience in the world outside of education, I've found that networking is so beneficial.
I too think shadowing experiences can be very powerful to a visual learner who needs to see the working in progress. The more visibility to others instructor style provides a wealth of new learning experiences to bring into your own course setting. Katie
Since I am an adjunct instructor online, I could learn more technical skills that can help enhance my online classroom. I could create tutorials through Jing where students can actually "view" and "hear" the steps they need to take in order to complete a task. This would work well with teaching them how to research different topics through our library link. I could also learn how to use all the different types of instructional styles so that I can attend to all student needs.
I am taking the course EL101 to develop on line course material.
Use and learn different style of delivery options.
I do quite a bit of lecture in the courses that I teach. I would like to come up with new small group activities for the students so that I would have more variety in the course. Discussing with other instructors for their ideas might be a good way to start.
I think that my style is to keep it very professional. A good sense of humor helps only because it keeps the students interested but making sure that I stay on topic.
95% of our class is hands on. There is no option here.I love teaching this way. We demo and the students do it as we walk around and help correct misstakes. This is the way that I prefer to learn and learn best. I think that the students who enroll know their learning style ahead of time. This should make it easier to get through to them. It keeps you close and personal with them.
Hello Daniel, I have been teaching for over 30 years and I have discovered that I do a self evaluation at the beginning of each class I teach. It is important for me to assess the readiness of each class member to process the material I have to present. Many times I have to "plow the road" to prepare the students for what I want them to learn. One can imagine that many lesson plans were changed; what I learned was that I could get more out of the students if I won them over to a learning mode that I could control rather than force them to do something they did not want to do. Best wishes.
Yes Bruce I agree that this is sometimes a trap that us technical/program instructors fall into sometimes. It is all about how it works and the steps to make it work.
I think perhaps putting it into a perspective of "what if" may work in beginning of instruction to real life scenario may be beneficial as to how the students can visualize themselves in the same situation. This could personalize the lecture material a bit more.
I am very proud of my technical and professional styles but I could use more refinement with my personal style. At times, I think I am talking more about what I want to say then figuring out what students want to hear.
May I suggest that you do an introduction with Power Point first to get the students interested visually in your lecture. That are many publications available in Power Point usage. Then with lights back on cover the key points with details on the board so students can take notes.
Another option is to supply the notes students can use as a reference in handout and leave room for them to add to the content.
I believe that continual self evalutaion as well as judging student response to weekly courses helps me find a starting point for further development of my instructional style. I try to keep the materials as hands-on as possible and balance fun with functionality in the classroom.
I think taking a look back at some of my prior instructors' techniques and what really made an impression and impact on me has been beneficial in developing my own instructional style.
There are always new articles and techniques being promoted and it is good to keep abreast. However, at the end of the day you can't just plug-and-play any of these into your method and delivery. You need to keep true to yourself and blend new concepts and refinements into your core style.
My instructional style is enthusiastic and energetic. I try to bring alot of energy into the classroom to pair with my enthusiasm for the subject matter. I am a business instructor and sometimes the material (for students) can be quite dry. I make sure to keep up with business news of all kinds, so that if it comes up in the classroom I can help guide the discussion or answer the question. I have made mistakes in the classroom at times. I feel that this gives me a human quality that students like to see. As the course suggested, I acknowledge my mistake and move on. This is integral to helping to develop the soft/career skills that students will need to learn and master in the workforce. I am constantly making changes to lectures and course material so that, not only is it fresh, but it is also tailored to each class section.
-Greg
Beverly,
I too have observed other instructors and what they are doing in their classrooms even if I am teaching the same material. I am an online instructor only right now, but when I taught live classes, one of the things my colleagues and I practiced was observing each other in the instructional environment and provides critiques to one another to help enhance instruction. A very useful tool.
As a business instructor, I also found it imperative to be on top of all business subjects that were headlined in the news. Most students want to talk about what is current either in a live classroom or online. They look to us to be SME's and that in itself can be like a second job. But when they are able to link terminology to current trends, it really goes a long way to enhancing their understanding of the material.
-Greg
I think your idea of observing other instructors is great. I learn so much from other teachers. I took over an online course for another instructor about halfway through this quarter. It was very helpful to see some of the things he had set up for the class. I will utilize some of his ideas in my own class.
Thanks for sharing.
Experimentation and exploration of instructional delivery styles and assesment of the positive or negative results or ramifications.
To further enhance my instructional style I would vary my delivery of information to my students. My subject matter involves a lot of show and tell (software program instruction) followed by student application and sometimes directional handouts of step-by-step information. Unfortunately this puts me at the front desk for extended periods of time making it difficult to mentor the student's progress.
I think periodic trips around classroom to review student progress or assist with questions that arise should be done more frequently.
Also reviewing material learned upon completion of an exercise or project especially if there is a gap in instructional classroom learning would be beneficial.
I usually try to reflect back to when I was a student and what helped me learn the most. I also think of other students in my past classes and the ways that they were learning. I then try to explain the material in several different ways to make sure everyone understood it. I constantly read new books and magazines that describe new Photoshop, Flash and Illustrator techniques. I go to seminars and workshops and see how other instructors teach. I also look at how I feel as a student and what I would do differently. At a recent Photoshop workshop I had two women sitting behind me that were contsantly talking. I was hoping the instructor would let them know that others are trying to learn. Now I try to watch out for possible distractions to my students to make sure their learning is uninterrupted.
I want to include the use of the computer and power point to illustrate better my food science curriculum. As such I would like to eventually use the electronic media to replace my use of the white board; however, my computer acumen at this time does not match my subject knowledge. In fact I would like to use both, but the lighting in the classroom is not ideal for Power Points so we turn the lighs off when we use them. This does create a dilemna for the students that want to take notes. What do you suggest?
