Advice and/or recommendations for a "newbe" teacher?
I would like to welcome any input from either teachers or students in order to make this transcition a little more smooth.
Hi Helen,
Just think how much experience you will have in managing students as a result of the testing that your students have given you as they perceived your youth being a weakness rather than your expertise as an instructor being an asset.
Gary
Hi! I have had the same experience. Although I have the experience, I am younger than many of my students. I have begun a kind-of "student teaching" process, and I have received numerous comments already about being too young. They also try to test and manipulate regarding this. It has been interesting!
Hi Edward- It depends on your teaching style and course content, but organizing the classroom is important in 'orchestrating' class dynamics. I teach a lecture/lab course and arrange the desks/drafting tables into three teams of eight students each. This impacts several teaching elements: it facilitates the distribution of handouts and sampling, creates smaller scale 'learning modules' and encourages students within each team to get acquainted, interract, and help one another with activities etc. This may or may not work for you, but I have found that this approach enhances the overall learning environment.
I agree Jennifer. I also just started my first class about 3 weeks ago and it has been challenging. I thought that if I told them that I was new to the school but told them about my extensive education and other teaching experience that everything would run smoothly because they would know that although I am new at that school I am not a new teacher. It has not seemed to work the way that I thought that it would. I also have a young looking face so I think that they try to test me sometimes because some of them are older than I am. It has definitely been a learning experience. They also complain that I do things differently than the other instructors. I am a little tougher with my expectations of them and they do not like that I am not lenient like some of the other instructors that they have had.
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for sharing this great example of "owning the classroom". Instructors no matter how long they have been teaching need to own the classroom and provide leadership to their students. With your field experience and confidence you have done that with great results. Keep up the good work.
Gary
I am a "newbe" instructor too. I have been working in my field for over 10 years and feel extremely confident in my knowledge and abilities on the job. When I entered the classroom, it was a whole new experiance! I look fairly young and acctually have students that are older than me! They have accepted me because I have displayed my confidence and have shared with them some of my experiances in the occupation they are learning about. I feel this helps because they now know that I know what I'm talking about. As I gain more confidence as an instructor, I know that I will gain more respect from the students.
Hi Michael,
Thank you for sharing this example of how you set the stage for your class. New instructors need to look for ways of separating themselves from the students in terms of professional conduct and appearance. You wearing to a suit did the job for you and it had to be hard because you had peers in the class. This is always a challenge. I can tell you have grown much from that time as evidenced by your comments on how a new instructor will evolve over time. Keep up the good work.
Gary
When I first started teaching, I was actually hired by the college I had attended... I had students in my class that were my peers in the spring!
The number one thing that helped me, as silly as it may seem, was attire. Just by wearing a suit, it differentiated me from them. It helped.
Your confidence will build over time, and some cohorts can be very difficult, that is for sure. Over time, your classroom management skills will sharpen. It is sort of a natural evolution.
Edward,
This is my first semester of teaching in ten years. I agree with the other teacher who responded to you on this site that stated "displaying confidence" is one of the most important ways to start the process, even though it may be difficult. You have to remember that you are the one that has the knowledge of the course material. Most of my students are learning to become a vet tech as a career. Volunteering at a local animal shelter happens to be my one of my hobbies. So the first day of class I shared photographs of animals that I either worked with or adopted. I could feel the bond I developed with the students on that first day
My first recommendation is to find your inner confidence. Know that your knowledge must be a a high level to have acquired you teaching position. Know that the administration felt you had what it takes to be a teacher. And know that the reason you gravitated to teaching is that you felt you could succeed and had something very important to offer; to inspire students to learn.
My second recommendation is to be very well prepared for your first week. Not just the first day as you being unsure of the next classes will show on the first day. Preparation is hard work but so worth while in the long run.
Third make the first day fun and interesting. Sure you can go over the syllabus but it would be much more interesting to brake up into groups to review the syllabus and prepare for a group game on which group know the most about the course.
I agree with you Nicole. I just finished my first semester in teaching and it was a little bit of a shock. I thought that it would be very easy since I know the subject so well. It was quite a challenge to teach though. The students had formed their cohort groups, and upon learning that I was a new instructor instantly rejected me. I am now in my second semester and it is going a little smoother. The students seem to have accepted my teaching style and classroom policies this time around. The first semester is always the hardest.
Hello Edward,
I was wondering if you now have had the experience of teaching your first class? I am a "newbe" teacher as well and I taught my first class last week. I really don't have any advice for you, but I can be sympathetic. I have been in my profession for quite some time. After meeting my class for the first time, I can say that being an expert in a given subject is very different than teaching what you are an expert in. This, is not what I expected. Like the forums recommended, I really think that it takes a while to figure out your instructional style. Unfortunately, I know that in my situation, I definately got a few blows to my ego. So now, I am going to take what positive feedback I did get from the students and bring that back to the classroom. All the uncomfortable moments, I have learned from them and will reinvent myself from the experience. It just will take some pracice.
