Your Instructional Style
What techniques can you employ to further develop, refine and enhance your instructional style?
I believe that by doing faculty observations you can observe other instructors and their teaching styles to see what they do differently and then try to incorporate those things into yours.
It is very important to keep the students in the classroom engaged and motivated to learn since I teach culinary and sanitation classes. Share my experiences and help them understand that not all the answers are in books and/or the internet.
Becoming skillful at incorporating the four basic learning styles when presenting a new topic without losing anyone in the process but more or less the utilization of the various learning modalities will also serve as reinforcement.
Miriam,
I use them for the same reasons as well. Great input! Enables me to make adjustments as needed to keep the course on the right path.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Miriam,
This is a great strategy to follow. You are impressing your students with your dedication and their importance from the first day onward. This sets the stage for great classes to come.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Dan,
Really appreciate the good words. I wish you continued teaching success. We are leaving a legacy to our students based upon our experience and expertise and that is what makes it all worth while.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I agree that midterm and final surveys are valuable, in that they help to reveal any negative and positive aspects about a course which an instructor may choose to keep, omit or improve upon.
To further develop, refine and enhance my instructional style, I have started to memorize the names and faces of my new students, before the first day of class. After introducing myself on the first day of class, I reveal to the students that I have been studying their names and faces. One by one, I engage each student; identifying them by name and asking them to answer a question about themself. This is proving to be valuable, in that it demonstrates to the students my desire to know them as individuals and the students enjoy the personalized attention.
Gary:
Great advice. Especially the thought that the student(s) having difficulties can take a "time-out" from school until they can straighten things out. Fairness is what this is really all about....establishing expectations for ALL members of the class, and keeping enough flexability to work through unexpected individual challenges and a case-by-case basis. Good stuff !!!
Dan
Dan,
Good but tough question to answer because there are so many factors to consider. I work on a case by case basis and with each request or interference I look to see if the learning process has been impaired. I have a set of competencies the students have to achieve and if their personal lives and challenges stop them from acquiring them then I draw the line. At times I have suggested they step out of school until they have control of their lives and are ready to be students. I cannot and will not reduce my requirements for the students because to do anything less would be unfair to the students and the field for which they are preparing to enter. At times this does not put me in a good place because of the challenges students are facing but I have to hold the line for their future good. Hope this helps as you consider where you will draw the line with your students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Gary:
Another challenge I have found in teaching adult evening classes is the distractions in the students' lives that detracts from their ability to concentrate on the subject matter. I've had everything from car trouble, working late because of a 12-hour shift, illness in the family, to child care problems. I expect some unforeseen and unavoidable problemns to occur, and I am willing to work with the students, but where do i draw the line? These issues do impact my style when I have to cater to so many individual situations.
Dan
Daniel,
I teach from 4 until 10 pm so I know where you are coming from. It takes a lot of planning to make sure you keep the students engaged and focused for the duration of the class time.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Scott,
I really like this method as well. The feedback from a respected colleague is extremely valuable as you strive to improve your instructional expertise.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I see my challenge as avoiding the temptation to fall back on lecture as a sole manner of delivery of course material, especially when the class seems reluctant to engage in discussion, or answer questions meant to promote discussion. Most of my students work a full-time job, and attend class my 4-hour class at night. I feel their pain. I have to inject a variety of instructional methods to get their attention and keep their interest in the material. I do not feel the class has to be entertaining....but it DOES have to be stimulating, and to some degree unpredictable. I want to challenge my students to engage, and participate with confidence their responses will be respected.
A method I have found to be useful is to have another instructor that you respect as an experienced and compentant instruction observe you. Their feed back on what you are doing right and suggestions for possable improvement can be very helpful as they will see instructional characteristics that you may not.
Kenneth,
I do to. Getting there early and chatting with the students as they settle in helps to set the tone for the upcoming class.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Kenneth,
You have a good style from which you are working. Being the center then you can provide learning opportunities in a number of different ways as you expand out from the center to the learners.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I agree and think coming to class and engaging students is a great way to know your students better and engage them.
I work hard to know the students in my lessons and leverage their knowlege coupled with my knowledge and experiences to enhance my instructional style. I take from Myles Horton when he stated "I think of being in a circle of learners and I am in the middle" is how I also see my instructional style.
