Billy,
this is a great point & the more familiar I am with the various generational characteristics the greater the likelihood that I will be able to reach all of my students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I believe that instructors have to b able to communicate to all students. This means, that they have to be versed with the language of old and new generations. Being contemporary on all levels, including speech, increases the likelihood of having a successful classroom.
Anthony,
I agree with you & think that this is becoming increasingly important as we have more & more interaction via technology, it is important to help our students learn how to develop their human interaction skills.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I believe that human relation skills are most important, and here is why...
You will need to request information, discuss problems, give instructions, work in teams, interact with colleagues and students. If you are to achieve co-operation and effective teamwork, good human relations skills are essential. Also, as the educational envirnment is also becoming more global, there are many factors to consider if you are to communicate well in such a diverse environment.
I try to keep my classroom environment fun, but still with focus on the subject. Keeping your the tone of your voice firm, yet upbeat, keeps my student paying attention more.
christopher,
this is a great idea & point to be made. We cannot disregard either form as they work together for the whole message.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Verbal and non-verbal communication has always been my style. Using just one form not only may not get the point across, become boring to students and make for a tedious class, but may be misinterpreted or even offensive by different cultures, i.e. certain innocuous hand gestures. I make sure I use all available forms of communications consistently and often while in front of my class.
Sean,
this is so true & I think it's key to remember that communication goes beyond just talking but also deals with listening.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
A gooed set of coomunication skills will go a long way in today's classroom. The instructor must combine good tone, good annuciation, and good vocabulary in order to present the material to the students and represent themselves as a subject matter expert.
Tracy,
this is so true, it really doesn't matter how much you know the content, if you don't convey it in an interesting manner you will lose your students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Instructors must be a model for good communication. They must be clear and concise while at the same time being memorable and effective. When I remember back to my most memorable instructors, it was usually the ones that made it interesting and fun to learn the material, that had the biggest impact on me. I try to be that instructor for my students when I am teaching. Alive with energy, filled with passion about my subject matter, and interactively invested in each and every individual student.
Amy,
this is a good point. It's not that we're there to entertain them, but we should seek to be entertaining while delivering the content.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Maureen, I tend to approach each leacture with the same "entertainment" idea. This allows students to feel comfortable interacting with not only myself but with other students. I find the more excited and energetic I am about the topic the more involed the students are.
eileen,
this is good advice & you're right that we don't want to jump in too soon, if we do this too often we will kill the discussion in our classes.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I feel that there is no one good way because every student learns differently. With my classes I do lecture that involves the students to read from the book on curtain key points and then we talk about the key points with life examples alone with images and graphs on the board. With these I have been able to get the whole class involved. They love it!
You need to listen to your students when they have a question and not jump them before they are done asking the question. It also helps to repeat the question that way the students knows you understood what was being asked. Then you can procede in answering the question for them. The answer should be as simple as possible. Thanks Eileen Szydlowski
Doree ,
this is a great technique. I like to preplan my questions so they are more connected to the material & thought-provoking.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I completely agree that the monotone lectures combined with reading powerpoint presentations behind a lecturn are the worse
I try to engage the students while I am discussing a topic. I try the float method and use eye contact.
Mike,
the confidence really does go along way to helping our students know & appreciate that we really do know what we're talking about.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
