Student Frustration when Instructors get s off topic
This is something that new Instructors can easily get caught up in. However some instructor are looking for some of the same needs as the students, belonging and "student" approval.
How can I get my instructors to stay on course and limit the discussion of personal thing with the class?
Hi Eric,
Real world experiences provide the opportunities to develop real world goals. Students start to develop a vision for the future when they have past experiences to build on. They can see progress toward the career goal they have set for themselves.
Gary
Yes I think our students of any age who are entering a new field of study need some real life experiences to validate the lessons. We have all been taught things in a classroom but it is the real life experiences that matter also. Putting our experiences out there lets the students see a connection between the material being taught and how it can and will apply in the world both positive and negative.
Hi Kathleen,
This is a common problem with many instructors because it is easier to get "off topic" than teach in many cases. You might need to have them submit lesson plans or outlines to give some accountability to what they are teaching. We also recommend that there be in class observations. A check sheet for how the instructor is covering the topic can be used. These visits really help to focus the instructors. At the end of the observations then a debrief needs to be conducted to give feedback to the instructors so they can continue to grow in their professional development.
Gary
I find that our teachers like to talk and enjoy getting off the topic. It frustrates me as an educational director, because many times the students are robbed. Where they could be doing hands-on and really learning, they are sitting listening, and listening, and maybe not listening.
I agree, adding your own personal experiences in the field shows that you make mistakes too. Some students are afraid that they will make a lot of mistakes when they get out "there". It helps to show that we all make mistakes, but it is not the end of the world.
One need not go "off topic" to bring the class back to life. To keep from frustrating some of the students with off topic stories, I use several life experiences in my class to show that both good things and not so good can happen in the real world. I take the main focus off the lecture just for a few moments to relate a personal experience that is directly related to the subject matter, and with a diverse age class, I see the nodding of heads in agreement with what I have tied in to the lecture. It helps to keep their minds working, and at times adds a bit of humor to an otherwise dry lecture. I give them the facts...just the facts. I never delve into my personal life beyond how the workplace experience, and the material being presented coincides.
Don
Thanks, Michael, for your valid comments. Though we certainly encourage professional relationships with students, since the teacher is the educator, conduit, link, subject matter expert and industry representative, we must emphasize to our instructors the importance of keeping a balance. It really mirrors the workplace as to the working relationship an employee would have with his/her supervisor.
Jay Hollowell
MaxKnowledge/CEE
This is a key topic when conducting our Instructor Training programs. Classroom management rest squarely on the shoulders of the instructor and they must learn where to draw the line when sharing personal issues.
I always observe new insructors during lectures to see just how well they handle this issue and how smoothly they bring the class back on topic.
While we are striving to establish repport with our students boundries must be adhered to. I want my students to know that I am a life long learner and we are on the same path only at different levels. However they have a along way to go before they can call them selves my peer.
I have found that students enjoy the very brief occassion of going off-topic when a particular lesson, by the nature of the topic, gets monotonous. The key in not losing the students on these occassions, is keeping the meandering brief and humorous if possible, with a seamless return to the subject matter.
Hi Michael,
Career coaching is what will help your instructors in this area. As you work with them on their professional development plans you can include examples of how they need to set boundaries for their discussions of personal issues within the class. Also, if you do observations with your instructors you can when you do the debrief sessions where you can site specific situations where the instructors could have taken the discussion away from personal discussion to back to professional discussion. Many instructors in their pursuit of student approval don't realize how much they are delving into personal issues and need an external observer to help they get back on course in relation to the course.
Gary
