I need to be mindful of bringing more "real life" experiences to the classroom. So much of what I teach is in the textbook. Yes, it does apply to the workplace, but incorporating role playing and different applicable hypothetical situations would further enrich my classroom.
I wholeheartedly agree with Herb. Flexibility is necessary for all his reasons.
The other thing is, don't be afraid to say "I don't know - - But I will get the answer to you for tomorrows class". You can't know everything, and trying to talk your way through something you don't honestly know can only lead to a total loss of credibility.
In this unit we learned that there are several competencies required for successful instructors. The first is technical knowledge. The second is professional and the third is personal. I believe my area of improvement is in the professional competency area. I am a SME in my field as I am a full-time professional who is a part-time adjunct. However, my classroom management and course development skills are not as developed as I would like them to be. I want to take course development courses to further understand how to create and deliver courses that will meet the learning objectives I establish for the course.
A technique that I can employ is to increase my creativity in the classroom. Last term I introduced a semester-long team project that facilitated a learning objective. The course was very successful and the students truly enjoyed the project. I need to learn to think outside of the box and bring more challenging group projects to the classroom.
Amy Thenor
I teach middle school and now college English/writing and something they both have in common is the challenge to keep interest level and motivation high...I like to use humor, first of all, to keep myself relaxed and to show the students that learning can be enjoyable (it also shows students that their instructor is a normal, approachable person). Practically speaking, I think the use of examples and modeling is also a very important strategy/tool in teaching. Not everyone can understand or picture what you are saying or asking, and an example or the act of modeling can really assist students in fully understanding what is expected of them. I believe, in preparing my curriculum for tne next class, that I will incorportate much more example/modeling as a regular, ongoing part of my lessons. Also, adding a "closure" activity would be beneficial to me and to my students. A summary of what we've done/learned; a forum for asking questions and exploring ideas for what I can provide for them at the next session to make things clearer for them, etc.
Continual Education, Seminars, Inservices are the mainstay to enhancing anyones instructional styles. Along with enhancing my own listening skills, it will continue to open and maintain the communication channels that our students of today need.
I believe that developing a checklist to assess types of activities used within instruction helps to pinpoint my style. Observatons of fellow instructors always provides fresh ideas and enthusiasm. I am most successful when using methods with which I am comfortable. Feedback from students can also provide valuable insights into what works well and what does not.
I think I could improve my instructional style by offering different ways to do hands on skills in the lab room setting, or reviews for test material. I teach in the Vet Tech Department and struggle trying to get students to understand that there are different ways of doing things in our fields, and the more different ways I show, maybe it will help that acceptance down the road.
I do always learn from mistakes. If something does not work in one class, I do not continue to do that technique in another class or the same class if I teach it again. I am open to criticism, so I take what people say about my teaching style seriously.
I use a variety of techniques to develop, refine, and enhance my instructional style. I always reflect upon my high school and college instructors and how they taught me. I look to see if there are techniques and methods that I can implement into my own classrooms. I also review back over my college textbooks that I used in my teaching method courses to be sure I am using everything that I learned during my teacher prep courses. Before the end of a class, I also always ask my students how I could change my instruction so they learn better for the next group of students I have. I also pay attention to the feedback that I am given from teacher evaluations that my college does and comments that my students make to me on a sometimes daily basis. I change a little bit of something everytime I teach a course based on the evaluation I received the last time I taught. I also try to add different activities and teaching strategies to make sure the concepts are carried across to the students.
First and foremost, learn from your mistakes. What worked in one class does not always work in every class.
Secondly, as in the case of our industry, know your audience. Pay attention to what methods of delivery the students in each class respond to.
My instructional style and one of my biggest talents is to be very organized. The best content can be lost if you do not deliver it in an organized fashion. Years ago I taught college in a prison setting. I learned one valuable rule that has helped me in every aspect of my teaching career. The rule was "Firm, Fair and Consistent". I also use numerous practical experience examples to explain my points.
My instructional style and one of my biggest talents is to be very organized. The best content can be lost if you do not deliver it in an organized fashion. Years ago I taught college in a prison setting. I learned one valuable rule that has helped me in every aspect of my teaching career. The rule was "Firm, Fair and Consistent". I also use numerous practical experience examples to explain my points.
I use a variety of techniques to develop, refine, and enhance my instructional style. I always reflect upon my high school and college instructors and how they taught me. I look to see if there are techniques and methods that I can implement into my own classrooms. I also review back over my college textbooks that I used in my teaching method courses to be sure I am using everything that I learned during my teacher prep courses. Before the end of a class, I also always ask my students how I could change my instruction so they learn better for the next group of students I have. I also pay attention to the feedback that I am given from teacher evaluations that my college does and comments that my students make to me on a sometimes daily basis. I change a little bit of something everytime I teach a course based on the evaluation I received the last time I taught. I also try to add different activities and teaching strategies to make sure the concepts are carried across to the students.
A little self-depricating really reels in students as well. Shows we are human!
I have tried asking students to write a brief statement about what they felt was important about the preceeding lecture or a question they might have. This has been somewhat successful. Interestingly, this has been more successful with my evening student populations than with my day students.
I know exactly what you mean about the lecturing. Ofetn times, I try to get a feel from the students expressions whether or not I am lecturing too much. If I get the perception that I am that is when I try to change it up a little bit by doing an exercise or asking the students to give me some feedback on what I have been lecturing on.
I have found that a strong presentation while lecturing and performing demonstrations has improved the likely hood that students will pay attention. Adding some drama, comedy and surprise phrases, keeps them on the ball and interested in what I have to say about the subject. The more passion for the subject that I show them, the more attentive they are to that subject. You can 'weave a magic web' that involves all your students. Even the most stubborn of students usually can't resist this type of instructional style. I've also found that adapting lectures into a 'game-show-type' format usually keeps the attention high and creates for a healthy competition among the students (i.e. - using the game show Jeopardy as an example). I have found this to be extremely successful in retention of information given.
I would like to get away from using lecturing by PowerPoint as my main means to teach. I do have students do activities, exercises and virtual labs whenever I can but I still think I lecture too much. But in a general introductory course with so much material to get through it is tempting to turn to lectures because of the high volume of information you can turn out. But I often think that a trade off occurs, students learn better with hands on and interactive settings, so is it better to teach less more effectively or have a high volume of information which they may or may not retain. I am constantly trying to balance these two items in my style of teaching.
That sounds like a really great idea! I also like the 10 slide quantity. Some students need the help of parameters more than others.
You are correct. Must have structure and video taping lectures is a good review, thanks
Informal with some stucture. I believe to expect students to perform to professional standards.
