Tonja,
Little things like this all contribute to confidence and understanding on the part of an instructor as they get ready for an upcoming class. Keep looking for ways to expand your expertise as an instructor and you will have a rewarding teaching career. I wish you much success.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
As a Clinical Dentist in a dental hygiene program, the information that I learned from this course will enhance the tell show do technique that I use often to help the students apply what they have learned in the didactic setting.
Through observations and discussing techniques with other instructors, as well as, continued education classes. These types of engagement are ways for me to help expand my instructional abilities.
I am still new to teaching. However, I have found that by doing a walk through prior to class helps me with my instructional abilities.
Read and follow literature relevent to my field of expertise and work on new forms of lecture delivery.
Being current on the new changes in your field and what opportunities the company offer for its instructors is one way to expanding these abilities.
Courses such as these help expose me to different methods and ideas that I have not incorporated into my classes. I listen to my students and find out if there is anything that they think might help. I also seek out opportunities to deal with the fears and weaknesses I feel that I have so that I can turn these weaknesses into strengths.
David,
I like your last statement. There is a big difference between just lecturing and teaching. Teaching can involve lecturing but it needs to involve learning. The key is getting the blend between sharing content and achieving integration and application of that content.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Keeping up to date on my topic is first and foremost. If I don't know more than my textbook than the students don't need me!
I usually attend one in depth, and occasionally hands-on, CDE class a year. The depth and scope of the class must result in signifIcant additions and editing of my teaching material.
Second is expanding multimedia in the classroom. PPTs come with the textbook, but they only contain what's in the text. I explore sites of research universities looking for images and information that force my students to use the PPT as a source of information and not a replication of the textbook.
I don't want to just lecture: I want to teach!
As a new instructor, I'm still learning how to expand my instructional abilities. So far I have utilized several methods, such as lecture, small group activities, student presentations, and educational videos. Additionally, the students have hands-on learning opportunites in the clinical setting. I'm still figuring out how my students prefer to learn and how I can best instruct them.
I agree that it is very important to stay current on the ever changing technology which, through us as instructors, will enable our students to learn to become more productive and efficient not only in their training through school, but it's also something that will put them that much further ahead of the ball game when they actually join the working force in the field in which they've worked so hard to attain. I'd say almost every class a student inquires of me as to either issues with or how to's with their software program. It's a good feeling to be able to answer or show a student a shortcut which will make their life just a little easier. A smile from a student means a lot.
Shadow instructors with experience and excellence in their fields.
Subscribe to peer-reviewed journals that focus on your subject area.
Attend continuing education classes from credible, notable, and published peers.
There are several ways to expand your instructional abilities. One way is to shadow other instructors or share experiences with other instructors to learn how to handle difficult behavior situations in the classroom, how to answer complex questions being asked by students and meeting the demands of every student.
Another way is to learn about your student body. In other words, learn where your students come from, what surrounds their lives outside the classroom (if they are working adults, parents, etc) to understand how their lives impact their studies, motivation and learning outcomes.
Thank you,
Svetlana
Utilize materials from teaching groups to add to the ways in which I present materials, including use of websites and current events to tie in course content to real world issues. By making the material more interesting to me and the students, we all get more out of the class.
Alain,
Good to hear about the use of technology as you are experiencing it. Keep up the effort and I wish you much success.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Prepare Prepare Prepare , know my subject througly and presentation.
Don,
Good plan and as you say one that never ends. We need to be life long learners for the benefit of our students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Our institution is promoting a new learning program online where there are instructional videos, games, skills testing. I was open in promoting it and incorporating it in my teaching. Its interesting to the students and for me too. If we can't beat technology, join it. So far so good.
By taking more CEU's and becomeing even more active in my field of expertise in which I teach in.
I teach technical classes, so the best thing I can do is to stay well ahead of the current trends, know what is coming down the pike, and provide projects that utilize those current and upcoming trends. This often includes their incorporating research that must be included in their end product.
