Tiffany,
Very true. We should never step into the classroom/lab without adequate preparation.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
a student knows when the instructor has studied the lesson and is knowledgeable about ways of presenting it.
Karen,
I wish you much success as you expand your instructional strategies and expertise as an educator.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I'm always looking for new teaching strategies.I hope to try a few new teaching methods that have been suggested by this blog. I look forward to continuing my growth as an instructor.
Karen Besst
Karen,
By bringing balance to the classroom in your delivery you will be able to reach the different learning preferences of your students as well as keep them engaged.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Kelly,
Good way to continue your professional growth by giving and receiving feedback. This way the students know what they need to work on and you know what you need to do the next time you teach the class.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Mark,
I agree. This is a good way of seeing a wide variety of approaches that you can use in the your efforts.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Michael,
Nice reverse approach to getting your content into the minds of your students. They get to do something and the learn the reasons why.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I have found that there are two different types of learners. Some students are audible learners so they must hear the material. Other students are visual learners they must see what your taking about. I try when ever possible to include methods of teaching for both groups.
Ideally, the instructor creates a welcoming environment; outlines expectations; comes to the classroom organized and prepared to teach; discusses "real life" situations to spark future interest and desire to complete their training; and responds to the needs of the students, both individually and as a whole class.
Create positive conducive environements for learning, lead in group discussions, motivate your students, and learn how to overcome the obstacle of teaching deal with difficult students.
Professor,
I am careful to always consider the feedback given in our student surveys at the end of the course. Some of the feedback is not useful, but 99% is. The students may be indicating a need for more interaction, or lecture content, and I will always address those needs in the next course I teach.
Kelly Jo Miller
I would come up with more innovative ways to deliver the same content/lecture eg: I tried a lot of "match the following" type reviews on the board. I asked the students to take turns to match up with the right choice. This was highly effective, and students wanted that activity for future review classes.
Mark,
This is a great way to adjust your learning style. Grab on to another instructor or two (or more) and observe them. You will learn some things you might like to incorporate; but of course, some things you might want to stay away from!
It is important as instructors to contnually look for ways to actively engage students so that all alearning styles are addressed by your instructional style. There are a myraiad of ways to engage the visual, auditory,and kenisthetic learnings, all of which will be in our classrooms at any given time. It's the professionaly developed-minded instructor who will continually look for ways to address their learners.
One of the best ways of developing an instructional style is to observe other successful instructors.
Maybe observe other teachers and their styles to see what works for them. You will often hear from students that they like this teacher or that teacher. Sometimes doesn't hurt to find out what that teacher is doing that is agreeable to the students.
I agree that preparatin is crucial to success. I include "anticipated challenges" in my lesson plan. WHen you tach something enough, you know where the problemas are and what questions may arise from students. If you know, you can prepare the answers ahead of time.
I often demonstrate a skill or technique, have the students replicate it and then take them to lecture. Lecture is a bad word to some students. If I have the opportunity to lecture after the activity, it then becomes a review and students participate in the conversation.
Above all, I think preparation is the most important thing you can do to succeed as an instructor! I've taught courses in which I know the subject matter inside and out, but without a plan my presentation is all over the place and the students become confused and discouraged. Preparing for the lesson makes such a difference; I am more confident, organized, and the students retain the information much better.
