Instructing for the first time.
I am in my second quarter of being an instructor. Main portion of what I do is to cooridinate clinicals for senior students and also prepare them for their upcoming certification exam. I am also a young instructor. A lot of the time I get strange looks from others as to say "Aren't you too young?" As well as my students are generally older than me. I am a huge promoter of initiative and taking grasp of every opportunity to advance and learn as much as you can. But, I run into the problem of not being able to judge if my students are seizing every opportunity. I want my students to be successful, but I am realizing with different learning styles, its not going to be easy to know if they are understanding all they need to. Any suggestions for getting them to open up or encourage them to adapt to other learning styles?
Debbie,
I wish you much success. I like to start me classes with this statement. "Courtesy is owed, respect earned and rapport developed." Then I explain that in this class I will extend you courtesy as a human being as we start the class. I will work to earn your respect just as you will be earning mine and together we will develop rapport as we get to know each other and grow in our understanding about the course content. This sets the groundwork for how the course is going to operate. From there I go into the syllabus, course requirements, policies and expectations. Thought this strategy might be of help to you next week.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Thank you for this insight. It is my very first time "teaching" and next week will be my first week! I have been practicing ourside of academia for 10 years but feel anxious to be responsible instructing students!
Christina,
I wish you much success in the classroom. Teaching is a great profession and I know you are going to enjoy many years of helping to prepare the next generation of successful professionals in your field.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I really admire your compassion for teaching, it makes me think of some past teachers that I really enjoyed because it was so evident that they did what they loved to do. This is my first time teaching and I know I have so much to learn along the way but your post sums up many components of teaching that I most follow along the way. I will remember the 5 C's and utilize them as I adapt and develop myself as a teacher.
Linda,
I wish we had more educators like you in our industry. Your passion for both your students and field come through clearly. Thanks you for the advice you shared with us (the 5 C's). I know it will be of benefit to other instructors.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
After 18 years in the field, I am now able to give back to students. I find this course very enlightening and I have been using many of these teaching styles I have read and learned about. I am a born motivator and encourager. I have a GREAT passion for my field and I have seen it become contagious to my students. This is exciting to me. I agree that smaller amounts of lecture followed by a small group activity really helps students retain the knowledge and not get bored just sitting back listening. I always think back when I was the student and what engaged me the most.
I can tell, I am born to teach and I never want to lose this passion and excitement. I LOVE the 5 C's. Credible,candid,compassionate,committed and clear. I will always use this in my foundation of teaching style.
I am in the same situation as you. It's also my second quarter and most of my students are older than me, and also question my abilites at times.
Marcie,
Good way to set the stage for the upcoming course. By getting them comfortable with you they will start to respect you and your experience in light of what you can teach them.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I have had the same situations and I have learned over time the best way to allow students to open up is to hold a "getting to know you session day one." This way they get to know about you, your history and they can see what you have accomplished in a short period of time. This shows them what is acheiveable with dedication. Also, in the beginning when I am going over my expectations, groundrules, etc. I like to let them know about my teaching style and let them know that I am flexable. If it's not working for them or if they feel they are not comfortable with the way the material was delivered we can try something else within reason of course.
Orvileta,
Good strategy to implement. You are an experienced professional that is worthy of your students' respect. So keep up the professional approach and you will continue to enjoy teaching success.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Orvileta,
Good advice. Thanks for sharing it with our instructors. This type of evaluation enables instructors to make adaptations along the way in relation to the feedback they are getting from the students. This is the center of customized instructional planning.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I am currently, dealing with the same situation with being too young or rather looking too young. I just have to remind myself that I am a qualified, equal colleague whether I am young or not. I let them know as well. I demand my respect in a professional way by how I carry myself and address disrespect in a professional manner.
I am currently teaching both high school and college which is a big jump when it comes to instruction. But, one thing my professional development had taught me is to have formative assessments during class. This could include using small white boards or thumbs up or down. It might be different for college level but it is something you might want to look in to.
Misty,
Use mini-lectures of about 15-20 minutes of content sharing and then have an activity. The activity can be a Q&A session, small group, or some learning game. The key is to change the pace and flow of the class frequently so the students can "reset" their brains while still continuing to learn. Also, this strategy enables them to make immediate implementation of the content they just received and this helps with cognitive retention.
While lecturing use graphics, illustrations, examples and career stories to reinforce what you are teaching. This helps to keep the students engaged throughout each class session. Humor is a big component of teaching as well so use it frequently.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I am in a similar situation. I have just finished my first lecture class. I keep asking myself "What can I do to make the class more interesting and to keep the students attention?" Any suggestions?
I absolutely agree with the mutual respect comment. That also goes to Tracy's comment about her being 'too young.' I've facilitated seminars that had extremes in education level as well as job positions, and without the mutual respect ground rule many of the students would feel that they don't have anything to contribute.
Tracy,
First, I want to commend you for your approach to teaching and setting the stage for success in your classes. As for helping students have success in different learning styles I would suggest you find or develop some case studies that incorporate different learning style methods in the methods used to respond to the cases. I have found that this way the students see how to use different learning styles and see the value in using them.
To get the students to open up more work to establish a comfortable supportive environment and rapport with the students. With mutual respect created then the students will open up and start to share more easily.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
