Your Instructional Style
I loved college and one of the main reasons was because of my professors. I think that one way to be a good instructor is to think of my favorite teachers and why I liked them; what style they used to keep me focused and interested in the class subject; and what I took with me when the course was completed.
I also need to understand what my college will be expecting of me as a teacher and what their mission is as a career college.
I need to know my students and what they are expecting from the course. Since it is a career college and I am teaching a general education course (psychology), I need to keep in mind that their major is NOT psychology, but at the same time be able to teach them how they can use the knowledge they gain from my course in their field of study.
I should do my best to get acquainted with my colleagues and ask questions or seek their advice when I need their expertise.
Finally, I have to be myself. My favorite professors had a passion for teaching and I could feel it. I have a passion for learning and want that passion to come out in my teaching and help my students to gain my passion for learning.
Jared,
I really like the way you are approaching the sharing of your content and resources. You are showing to both the students and faculty that you have something of value to offer, even if some don't see it right away. In addition you have incorporated some fun things into the learning process so they will know what your library and library website has to offer. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I am also a librarian, and most of my instruction comes in "one-shot" sessions in classes. This can be a problematic in that it is difficult to get some instructors to see the value in such presentations. It can also be difficult to assess how effective they are because the only frame of reference I have outside the classroom is if I see the students applying the techniques later in the library.
Luckily, our school requires an information literacy class, and the buy-in from faculty to promote the library is pretty good. However, I see some of the same issues as you and definitely try to work the CRAAP test in my research presentations (I would bet you've heard of this method, but there is plenty of information about it online if you haven't). I also explain that Google is not the fount of all knowledge that many people make it out to be and stress the difference between scholarly and non-scholarly information.
Also, if your school requires some kind of introductory/preparatory course, incorporating an introduction to library resources and a scavenger-hunt style assignment that requires them to visit the library/library website is a good idea that we do at my school as well.
Hi Norma,
With these strategies I know you are going to have more engaged and focused students.
Gary
I have thought much about refining my style. One was to include students more in my teaching--maybe even having them explain a technique to the other students. Using this method would show how well the student teacher has absorbed the lesson. I also plan to use more visual aids in my teaching such a showing letter styles and such on my screen. Norma Liberatore
Hi Charles,
Good point about grading time. Each time I start a new course I make the assignments and then when the course starts to wind down and all of the assignments are turned in I start to wonder why I made the assignments I did since I am devoting so much time in grading. I swear that I won't make that many assignments again but then I do it all over again because the students need the skills that the assignments help them develop.
Gary
Yes, the more I teach, the more I realize the invaluable benefits of experience. Even in applying the concepts of economics, experience in those concepts flick that switch in the head that will never be dimmed.
I find myself avoiding classes where I lack the career experience. Relating that experience is like a salesperson believing in his/her product.
I need to increase the amount of writing assigned to my classes. Writing assignments force students to take the time to think about a topic versus just responding to a question. Writing assignments pose a difficult choice for me as the more I assign, the more time I dedicate to the class grading the assignments.
Hi Wilma,
Good approach. Your evaluation method should give you a more accurate picture of what your students have actually learned plus can apply.
Gary
I already employ a very interactive style. I use a variety of methods to engage my students. I provide some information by handout which I also post on the portal. I like to use in-class activities such as group/team case studies, sdtudent presentation of sections of the chapter, media book - a compilation of current articles of relevance to the course. These activities are intertwined with short lecture on each segment. I also use short video snippets to demonstrate a concept.
If i notice a timid student who hangs back and doesn't participate, i first try to meet one-on-one and discuss the importance of working on ways to overcome their intimidations.
The newest technique i have employed is regarding testing. I no longer give multiple choice/TF exams. I only give short answer mid-term and a cumulative final. I create a study sheet for each chapter (from the instructional materials/test bank. The students use these guides as they read thru the chapter, listen to lecture, watch videos. The exams are created from these questions. The stuents did far better than they did on multi choice exams.
Integrate new techniques into my usual format to enhance my instructional delivery
Hi Tamika,
You have hit upon a sound learning theory with your discussion of using student discussions as a content retention method. By internalizing the content in their own words it is easier for the students to store the information in their working memories.
Gary
I tend to be quiet around staff, but very outgoing in the classroom. I enjoy student participation, because this to me keeps the students involved in their learning and engaged in ideas, viewpoints and perspectives. In Yoga there is something called 'upunishads' or discussions and I feel students need time to discuss what is being lectured. The more they talk about it the more they become familiar and their listening and respect is also enhanced as they listen to others.
Hi Mariela,
Good observations about assessing students. It is not a single source of assessing but needs to come from a variety of input sources. Like the difference between a snapshot and an album. By using the different methods you get a more accurate measurement of the what the students have learned and how they are going to apply their new skills.
Gary
Why would they be (subjective, as you say)? My exams are multiple choice, true and false and matching terms. This takes care of my using "objective standards of measure." Essays, on the other hand, I agree may have a more "subjective" component. Due to testing time constraints, I do not make essays part of my exams. However, so called "objective" test measures do not capture the full measure of a student's knowledge. That is why in the overall course grading I base it on tests, a field trip and a report on that experience. The reason for the field trip is that I want them to experience learning. It's like not being able to measure the soul, but certainly being able to recognize its existence in spite of being unquantifyable. Some students (especially foreign students) do better when they can express their thoughts rather than be graded on "measurable" standards. It has been my observation that many students can spew out data and information but have great difficulty when they have to apply it to everyday situations or their own lives. As to reports, I follow a rubric which spells out what the report is to contain in terms of content and mechanics. I do not grade them for how well they agree or disagree with me as an instructor or their peers. What I do grade them on is how well they can argue their case. In spite of some believing that knowledge is always objective and quantifyable, I beg to disagree. Knowledge and its practice is both an objective science but also an art. Knowledge may be measurable, wisdom is an art. That is why there will always be a need for human instruction and also for subjectivity as a human element.
Mariela:
How do you grade those reports or exams? I ask that becaus they necessarily would be quite subjective.
In terms of my instructional style, as a sociology instructor, I also make use of the insights or contributions of students who have taken my course previously. For example, when a student sends me an e-mail having to do with what they are learning in class, ask clarification or discuss a personal experience that relates to the course material, I save that e-mail and my response. I then use it in future classes to illustrate a concept from the perspective of students. Students in my classes can then relate to their peers' experience or thoughts on a subject matter much more. This seems to get more involved in learning and class discussions because learning relates to others like them and to their everyday lives rather than just having a teacher lecture or reading about abstract theories. I just make sure that I ask students' permission to use their e-mail. Most are thrilled to have their ideas used and they don't even mind having their real names used; although, I also give them the option of changing their names. Then again, most of them don't seem to mind the notoriety. Students in my classes seem to like hearing how the course they are now taking has impacted other students who went on to graduate and are now in careers for which they are studying and how they can expect it will benefit them in the future.
Learn by doing - that will be the prevailing method of developing my instructional style. On the days that I'm not substituting, auditing the regular instructors as they teach will let me know how they approach the lessons with their classes so that I can incorporate bits of their style into my own.
Also, continuing education courses or trade journals for new (or proven) tips or tricks for motivation and retention.
What techniques can you employ to further develop, refine and enhance your instructional style?
Hi Michelle,
I think you will be very pleased with the results of using a "warm up" to get the class started. It will really help them to zero in on the content to come.
Gary
