Joe,
Two good ideas for expanding your knowledge of how to be a more effective and efficient instructor.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I can talk to other instructors or sit in their classes to see different ways of addressing students and transmitting the material to them.
Kevin,
Like your attitude and you are right about having to fall back on to humor. When things go blank in the media area and the IT person can't do anything about it then it is time for a smile and story about survival mixed with a lot of humor. A shared laugh goes a long way in helping a class stay focused as you well know. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Teaching VS Training
When what you are training folks for is "mandated" by law, the "field" changes so fast with regard to technology and equipment, access to the technology has security implications and the class is diverse in nationalities and experience, I find humor about all that’s left....
My first class had a 92 average so it must be working.
The biggest culture shock I've endured so far is the blatant incompetence of IT staff/equipment and applications.
Long Live death by powerpoint!
Kristin,
Great educational experiences because it sounds like you had good professors and you were engaged in the learning process. I believe we should model what will fit our personality and the needs of our students. Sounds like you have found such a match with your own instructional style. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It's funny - even though every instructor has a different personality, and personality plays a role in how we deliver material, thinking back on my own college days as a student at DePaul University in Chicago, it seems like the delivery style of most of my instructors was much the same: short lecture with PowerPoint, followed by modeling, followed by activity in small groups, and then finally full-class discussion. I think I have just kind of subconsciously developed this style of delivery/lesson plan in my own teaching, because that is what I experienced as a student, and since I always did well in college, I assume the style works. Regarding professional development, I think the most helpful thing is actually just sitting in a classroom and observing the instructor in action. If I go to a seminar and learn a new tool of delivery on paper/in theory, it's not going to make as lasting an impression as sitting in a class and seeing it live. I think in addition to requiring new instructors to take online professional development courses such as this one, it would be a great idea to require a certain number of observation hours of fellow instructors at the school.
I would like to make my lecture classes more interactive by getting student feedback
I use an occurrence I have actually professionaly encountered to illustrate a general concept brought out in the text
Tom,
You are most welcome and I look forward to hearing about good results from you.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Thanks for the feedback Gary. Those are some excellent ideas. I will give them a try and see where it leads me.
Tom
Tom,
I would start with identifying what areas you want to improve in and how you want to do that. Then select some strategies that will help you to improve in that area. For example, maybe you want to expand your expertise as a good questioner. You could write down some questions that you want to ask in advance of the class. This can be put on note cards and you can lay them where you can easily see them. Then start a Q&A session using the questions on the cards as cues for you. It won't be long before you are comfortable with your questioning technique and feel you have incorporated questioning into your teaching style. Then you can move to another area like animated lectures, etc.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Do you have any suggestions (based on experience of comments from other instructors) on ways to improve instructional style?
Tom
Jeffrey,
Good point about how to help a new instructor get settled into the teaching routine. It is important that he/she get off to a good start because that really helps in building confidence and competence and that results in effective teaching.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
For an instructor who has never taught, a few things should be done to help improve instructional style. One of those is a professional development class, which helps an instructor start to define their own. Secondly, talking to other instructors and observing their class will also help. With just those two things a beginning instructor will have a better opportunity to develop and refine a personal instructional style.
Richard,
Glad the discussions were helpful to you. I wish you much success as a new instructor. You have a the opportunity to impact lives and shape futures. This is makes being an instructor a critical part of the career development of each student enrolled in your class. Keep that in mind and strive to expand and improve your instructional skills each time you teach and you will enjoy a rewarding teaching career.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As a new instructor(so new that I haven't set foot in the classroom yet!)my hope is to develop the ability to teach my field of profession passionately. In so doing, I want to have the skill to keep my students actively engaged in the subject matter. I've read so many excellent suggestions in this discussion about ways to accomplish this. I particularly like the technique of videoing yourself for critique and self improvement. I also like the practice of sitting in to observe other experienced instructors in the classroom setting. I intend to use these as tools for my own development as an instructor. Good discussion!
Jeff,
I like to do this as well. I always come away with something new or different I can use in my own classes. Fun way to expand my instructional delivery abilities.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Madelyn,
Rapport is a strong motivator as well as helping with student engagement. The more we can encourage and earn the respect of our students the greater the rapport is going to be. This sets up a positive class environment for everyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Amy,
It is a great feeling to go into a course and know you are current with your content and prepared to deliver it. This makes for an informative class session for everyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I like to constantly keep up to date with professionals in the field. I like input from them to help me in what I teach my students.
