Know your stuff!
Your students will know if you are prepared for class. You are the expert, so make sure that you are prepared for every class and ready to answer any questions that students may have. This will allow you to establish credibility and recieve respect from your students.
I do agree, when you know and is prepared for class, you get much more respect from your student. They are aware when you are prepared and you are knowledgeable of what you are teaching
Hi Kenneth,
Good way to handle questions and discussion like this. You are right in that we don't know the answers to every question asked but we can either find it or help them find it. This shows the students that they will get the information being sought due to the dedication of their instructor.
Gary
I agree that an instructr should always try to be prepared, but there are times when a question may be asked and the answer for one reason or the other just does not come to us. When this happens, I tell the students I don't have an answer, but I will either give them an idea of where to find it or tell them I'll get back to them. I recently spent several hours researching on the internet for an answer to a question I could not answer in class.
Hi Michael,
Right you are about it being our duty. We are not being professional if we do not stay current in our field and work hard at preparing our instructional content and delivery. To do less is to cheat our students.
Gary
I agree that you, as an educator, should know your subject matter. Students cannot understand an instructor who is inconcise. Students want to feel appreciated and valued; they want to have every detail of the course outlined to them, so they can relate to what is actually going on in the courseroom. We, as educators, must provide these things, for it is our duty.
Hi Jay,
So right! This is a deadly environment for learning.
Gary
I think that the students can pick up on a instructor who is not technically connected with their field. It will kill rapport dead in its tracks and makes for a very long class.
The importance of every instructor being knowledgable in his field can not be overemphasized. adequate preparation is the key. I cannot asume that i know the material, and as such i read it over and over again,I even test myself on the materials, take tests and quizes before i give them to my students. Going to a class without adequate knowledge of the material may be disastrous for my reputation as an instructor. Knowledge builds confidence, and confidence is needed to gain the trust of your students. It is true that you may not have the answer to every question, however the confidence that esumes from your knowledge of the material will lend credence to your advice and determine if the students will take you seriously or not. Believe it or not, your students know when you know your stuff!
Hi Christopher,
Congratulations on surviving and growing with your first teaching experience. You are going to develop into an excellent instructor based upon your excitement and dedication to improvement. I wish you much success in your teaching future.
Gary
For the post above me -
Absolutely.
I am absolutely green in my tech school. First time, I think the students could tell I was unfamiliar with teaching. BUT, I knew what I was saying, and they said they learned alot.
Now that I've done it once, the teaching aspect is coming together much easier. Without the base knowledge though, it would have been an utter disaster.
Nothing will keep you honest or know something well like having to teach it! If you're not prepared, confidant, and organized, the students know it, and their engagement suffers.
I totally agree. If you can not see the subject from both sides and learn, then there is no point in teaching the subject.
In a film class most things are are not cut and dried, I listen to the students thoughts and question where that thought came from. Lots of times I agree.
Hi Joslynn,
This to me is the only way to approach an answer to an unknown question. Faking it only causes more problems than need to exist as you mentioned in your comments. Bring the answer the next class period or have the students research the question and everyone will benefit.
Gary
I never pretend to know everything in my field. Granted I know a great deal about all things sauce and soup. But when a student asks a question that I don't have the right answer to, I don't fake my way through it. Because if I am wrong they will feal cheated in a big way. It's always better to say I'm not quite sure but I will find out that answer for you at the end of class.
I agree. I believe the instructor should always be prepared and have alot of knowledge of what they are teaching.
Hi Felicia,
Right you are about needing to be prepared. Do you have a technique or strategy you could share with us that you have found helpful in your instructional planning.
Gary
Hi Sandra,
Well said. Teaching is requires life long learning. If an instructor is not into that then they shouldn't be an instructor.
Gary
I agree, being prepared can determine the way students behave in the class and/or retain the information. Being unprepared is destracting.
