Sarah,
Good luck in your efforts. I teach from 4 until 10 pm so I have the challenge of keeping my students engaged and alert throughout the evening. We do get to have snacks and coffee in our room so that is a big help. I find that with lots of activities and mini-lectures I am able to keep them focused throughout the evening.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Sarah,
I have a thing about profane language being used by professors. I know some think it is cute or that they relate to students as a result of using such language but I have always felt we need to set the standard for conduct, dress and behavior high. We are preparing our students for a successful career so they we need to model what the expectations are for the field. I have never had an employer tell me they would have hired one of my graduates if she would have used more profanity. I have had them tell me they did not hire one of my graduates because they used in appropriate language for the workplace.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Most students will remember the first few statements the Instructor will make and these first words will set the tone and the success the Instructor will have with his or her students, so don't tell a joke, but instead use a positive story about a past student success in one of your past classes. Keep it fun and professional, you will not regret it.
The most important day in your class, is the first day because you pass or not your first test from your student.
There's a saying "never judge a book by it's cover" and well we would love to live by this it's simply hard not to. As human being's we are very judgemental, tho we shouldn't be. When we meet someone for the first time that opinion that we form of them will stick with us. If we want someone to take us seriously we need to dress the part and act the part.
I agree that teaching a night course, or even an early morning course, might create a need for additional student motivation to combat fatigue. Personally, coffee has been a WONDERFUL resource for me in so many ways. :) However, the career college I'm about to start teaching at does not allow food/beverages in the classroom. EEEEK!!
Well, at least when I'm lecturing I won't fall asleep standing. LOL! However, I feel badly for the students. Coffee was absolutely mandatory for certain classes/instructors. I just have to make sure that I'm not going to be one of THOSE instructors that trigger the Zzz's.
I have had some instructors that have used profanities or have come across as being the "this is who I am and this is what you get" persona. Although I appreciated the humor and maintained a twisted sort of admiration and respect for personal authenticity's sake...I always wondered what the other students were thinking. Any similar experiences or thoughts on this topic??
Making a positive first impression is important because the first impression can make or break a class you can turn off a student from a class just with a first impression and one the first person leaves it can just snowball from there it also can create unnecessary tensions within the classroom
LaWandra,
I agree with your statement about how valuable the first impression is with students. They need to see a confident and competent instructor that cares about their success. They need to see how they are going to function in the class and finally they need to see how the course is going to help them move forward in their career development. As a result they will have a good first impression of the class and are ready to become engaged in the learning process.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Making a positive first impression is a MUST!!! It is the one and only opportunity that an instructor will have. I just believe that when the instructor is prepared and has an objective, date, Instructor's name and contact information and exactly what the students can expect to complete during that class time, what is expected of and from them daily, that they will look forward to class time.
I think also that it just helps the student to become as efficient/effective with their daily dealings as well as creating discipline within other areas of their life.
James,
A positive first impression establishes the foundation for respect to grow and rapport be developed. A negative one creates a hole that will take a long time if ever to dig out out. This wastes time that could be spent on teaching.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
A first impression is extremly important to the success of your overall program. A negative first impression takes away from your ability in abtaining students confidence in you and consequently the course. And their ability to obtain their best results fromm their efforts. This can be very detrimental to their motivation!
Sonya,
Yes, it does. In addition, a positive first impression sets the tone for the class to come. A good first impression indicates the level of professionalism that is going to be displayed in the class and how students can become engaged in being successful.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
A positive first impression is important for the students because it shows you care about them and your jobs.
Samuel,
I teach from 4 until 10 pm so I can appreciate your challenge. My students are tired from working all day and our class is 6 hours long. So I like you have to have a lot of different learning strategies planned out to make sure I keep them engaged and focused for the duration of the class. This takes a lot of planning I have found.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I teach from 7:30 to 12:30, and a second class from 6 to 10 PM. The days are long, both for myself and for the night students. I have to remind myself that even though I may be tired, it is the first time the students have received the information, so I have to make it exciting and desirable. I constantly try to visualize my posture, my comments, my presentation from the students point of view.
Tony,
Right you are because if they do not have confidence in you and your abilities then respect will not be earned from them and the course will not capture their attention.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
First impression on your students gives them confidence in your ability to teach them what they have come to learn in there choosen career field.
This sets the tone of the entire class. You need to show your students you are serious as they should be.
I think if the students get a good first impression of you as an instructor, it sets the tone for the class. This can help the students become excited about transitioning into a new endeavor.
