Sharyn,
Good advice for instructors to follow. We need to be organized and confident in our ability to engage our students in the learning process each time the class meets.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Seeking out additional information from my program supervisor on how to use tools provided by the school. ie: Software programs and instructional aids that were never fully explained to me at the time I first started teaching or I was never trained to use.
Continuing education classes keep you fresh in the the latest techniques and modalities. Expand your knowledge and the instructional abilities will follow.
Also, if you are timid, take a class in public speaking to help overcome your fear. Confidence is pertinent in delivering your point effectively.
Melissa,
All good ways to generate interaction with and among students. This way they are not only learning but also contributing.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Ivan,
Good balance to how an instructor should plan and then approach the classroom. This is what student centered instruction should be about.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Some ways to expand ones instructional abilities are as follows:
try to really listen to the students, get to the root of what they are asking, don't just take the questions personally
give many real life examples
if the students ask for more material, give it to them!
I believe instructing is an art and a science. The science of teaching helps to explain what needs to be done. It is the why and how of instruction. The art of instruction really cannot be taught. You develop it through experience and learning what works. The science of instruction can be taught, so the more you know and understand about the science of teaching, the better you will be at developing the art. Most of us can see efficient instructors. They do things right. They plan their lesson, prepare the learning environment, conduct proper lesson introductions, ask questions, and use instructional media material. That, however, does not ensure they are effective. Effectiveness in instruction is much more than just doing things right; it is a measure of the outcome of learning. It is what students can do, as a result of instruction, to demonstrate they have met the objectives of the instruction. Hopefully, instruction will be both efficient and effective. Through study and experience, I can learn to do the right things right.
Use more show and tell items. I am a automotive instructor and I find that the students respond well to seeing how things work. Making sure that each student has a chance to do the hands on activity.
Rick,
Good strategies to use in more your instructional delivery more engaging and relevant. Thanks for sharing these ideas with us.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I can think of three quickly.
The first would be to make better use of the video equipment in our classroom. I use it for some lessons and notice that the students appear to grasp the content well and truly retain it.
The second I can think of is bringing the students up to the whiteboard during lectures to show other students, and myself as well, their thought processes in solving the problem.
The third would be to make more activities small group oriented. I split the class up into small groups for some blueprint terminology work, but I could also do it for some other areas.
Rick K.
Vincent,
This is a very good way to give you insight into how you present and interact with students. You can use this as integral part of your professional development.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Bridgette,
I like your creative and engaging way of teaching the GI tract. You are helping your students to see segments and then whole picture of the content they are learning.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
In my area, being up-to-date in the latest technology is so critical! I listen to students discussing the latest technology and will attempt to find special lectures that both the students and I can attend together and then bring it back to the classroom for additional discussion. They see my professionalism in a career related environment (publicly) and are given an opportunity to emulate the behavior. They are encouraged to really listen since we will discuss it later, and it gives them a venue for further professional learning after they leave the classroom. This is one method I've developed to expand my instructional abilities.
Being in the medical technologic field it is crucial to be current on current procedures and techniques as well as new technologies that will effect my students when the reach work field. By attending seminars and staying current with medical journals I can pass the new technology and techniques to my students.
I feel it is necessary to have trade magazines available for the students who wish to expand their knowledge beyond the classroom. Encourageing them to seek outside resources to generate classroom discussion.
I feel that video taping one of my lectures and reviewing it could give me a different point of view. It could be beneficial in showing me how I protray myself to the class.
By bringing in different instructional aids (powerpoints, posterboards, movies, videos, newspaper artciles) you can show the students how the knowledge they learn in your classroom transfers to application. I know I like to alter weekly how I administer my quizzes.Sometimes it is a project or a crossword puzzle or a fill in the blank quiz. For instance, we were studying the GI tract. Instead of having them take the typical quiz of identifying the different structures in the GI tract, I assigned each student a "member" of the GI tract. One student was a digestive enzyme, another was food, another was the stomach, another was pepsin, another was the small intestine & so forth. They each had to explain their "member" and the function of it in the GI tract. They demonstrated this to me in the form a story, poster board, comic strip, scrapbook, however they chose. It really is a fantastic assignment and allows the students to show me they comprehend in their own way.
Establishing the purpose, arousing interest and motivation and previewing the content
Get involved with students and try to better understand their weak areas.
Patricia,
This is a good overview of how to have a progressive professional development plan. Constant improvement equates with growth of expertise and skill.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
