Hi Joanne,
Welcome to the profession. You are going to do fine and I base this on your attitude of being willing to listen and observe how to improve your instructional skills. Your persona will come to the front as you spend more time teaching. You will be surprised at how quickly you will start to see your instructional style gel into place. Take a deep breath, relax a minute and then try to see the big picture of what you are doing as an instructor. This will help you to not become overwhelmed and to start to find your own pace and place as an instructor.
Gary
Hi Laura,
Well said and dead on in terms of being all three Ms for and with your students.
Gary
Hi Howard,
You have a very balanced approach to how you have and are continuing to develop your instructional style. With your understanding of how students learn along with your willingness to be supportive of their efforts you are right on course with the development of your professional skills. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Very good points Louis. I like the idea of the surveys. That's a very good tool to use in getting direct feedback from the students. Thank you.
Well, definitely taking additional online courses, attending teaching seminars, talking to other instructors who have more teaching experience and even inviting them to sit in on some of my classes to give me feedback on ways I can improve.
Alan - It is very true. Thank you for your suggestions.
Including instructional styles I preferred as a student.
I try to apply different tecniques and see what works best for the group of students at the time.
I am hoping to fine tune my teaching style this quarter. I am am always open to new suggestions a co-worker of mine may have.
all of these are good ideas..thanks you just helped me
In order to further develop, refine and enhance my instructional style I know that I must always remain a lifelong learner. One way to keep my finger on the pulse of my teaching style and its effectiveness is to read the surveys from students you have attended my courses. Their responses always give insight on where and how I need to make adjustments for improvement. I also believe that enrolling in developmental courses like those offered by CCE is going to benefit me and help me become a better educational instructor. I also like the mentor plan that my college has; it gives me the opportunity to learn from other professionals in my field. This training gives me the experience necessary to be an even better mentor to my students.
Everything we do ministers,
Jennifer Gaddy
To submit all material to students in a matter they understand
Be prepared and be specific
I enjoy using various illustrations, including my own, to relay an individual lesson. This in addition to powerpoint seems to reach a larger audience.
I agree with you that we don't have all the answers. I have alot of single parents, return to work, work comp, etc... students. Some of them are fresh out of high school (if they graduated) and some of them are older than me.
Questions and/or worries about the work force I can help them with. I do play a mentor role in that respect. We talk alot about attendance and how I still worked even when I was in chemo and radiation for cancer. Hopefully, they learn that a sore throat or a headache doesn't mean that they cannot work.
I moved here from California, so I am still learning what resources are available and how they work.
Luckily, this campus has a Student Services representative. It amazes me how much info she has at her fingertips! Things I cannot help them with, I send to her.
You must also show the students the relevance of the course to their lives as a whole.
Instructional style relies as well as subjects mentioned, a creative approach to the material
Howard - Having done some instruction of instructors I would add to your point on feeling comfortable with how you teach. I've often discussed the issue, that if you're comfortable lecturing you don't immediately jump to a total collaborative learning style. Step out of your comfort zone a little at a time, bring new styles into your existing style. In this way they can become part of you, rather than speaking some "foreign language".
I have found that observing what different instructors, and institutions are doing has a signficant and positive influence on my instructional style. I draw from best practices I observe. I believe that I do a good job as an instructor, as confirmed by student feedback. Most notably, in an online environment, they still can pick out that I am interested in them individually. However, I still get interesting wake up calls on how to improve. Most recently, I realized that I could do a better job of communicating grading rubrics to my students. I try to remember, never stop learning. Alan
I certainly agree. Behind every successful individual, there is a coach or a mentor from the best athletes in the world - Michael Jordan to one of the most successful man in the world - Donald Trump. A mentor points out your strengths as well as your weaknesses. As an instructor, this is where you learn to recognize you’re in structural abilities, your style and ultimately yourself. A mentor is your educator as well as your motivator. I wouldn't be here where I am without my past or my greatest mentor.
