Hi Emily,
This is why a well prepared syllabus is so important. You can refer to it when questions come up about assignments, etc. This will reduce the time needed to deal with general issues and you can respond to specific student issues. You are right these things can consume all of your time if you let them and then you don't get to enjoy teaching as much. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Hi Robert,
Good point about the need keep the students engaged and focused on the course. By offering variety of instructional delivery and activities the instructor can keep their attention as well as assist them in their learning progress.
Gary
I am a new instructor, and as a new instructor I find that it is easy to get caught up in the "day-to-day" issues, such as students missing classes and needing catch-up help, late assignments, make up tests not being written on time, etc. This can bring the morale of both the instructor and the students down if it is allowed to. I try to bring a new light to the course, show an interesting video, an interesting news article, etc., that can bring some enthusiasmm back to the class and to myself.
refocusing brings life back to a classroom. both instructor and student can get bored or stale
We can all need time to focus on our teaching skills
I like the idea of constant re-assessment because it allows me to avoid the assumptions I tend to make as a result of teaching the same course so many times. It lets me know who is where and how they're interpreting my instructional methods.
Because students as well as instructors can become bored and robotic
In light of limited learning opportunities at some facilities or intitutions (partcularly in nursing)it is easy for the instructor to loose focus & as such diminish the potential learning that can be acheived. I have found that by re-energizing & developing alternative activities that met course objectives it is possible to provide a more gratifying & rewarding learning experience for both students & instructor.
it is important to make materials intresting and put a variety of way in teaching it whether is by explaination, by manipulation and of course by class participation.
students tend to get tired of the same thing day after day.
Instructors need to use refocus because, I have found that this not only works in the classroom setting but, it also works in the work setting. Empowered individuals tend to be happier. Thus reduces company turnover and increase student retention in the classroom setting.
I loved the idea of the Crisis game. I do something similar to try and simulate a real-word tight-deadline situation. It gets everyone excited and refocused.
We get tired just like the students do. However, it is our job to keep them and us focused. We have to infuse ourselves with the same excitement we had at the beginning of the course. One way is to "switch it up". Not only recognize what everyone has learned but look at what is still to come. Playing games mid point or toward the end of the course helps in revitalizing the class.
It is easy for a class to get out of hand after they have been together for a while and comfortable with the instructor. We still need to have a sense of control over the classroom, so we sometimes need to shift our approach to our teaching in order to maintain order.
REFOCUS will refresh the instructor's style and at the same time will create a more focused class.
as instructors we sometime get into ruts and routines and loose our focus and drive , we need to get a boost and have fun at work so the students want to come to class
After focusing for so long on student needs instructors tend to forget about themselves and become almost robotic-like. It is important for instructors to remain fresh and taking time off helps accomplish this.
Thought this was a wonderful idea. Helping the students realize what they have gained, will cause an increase in retention. IF the student is having fun, he/she will stay anc continue.
As an instructor, there is always a time throughout the course that I feeling mentally burned out. Without taking time to reflect and recall pass achievements, make new objectives and be committed to students success, it is very easy to fall into a pattern of negative thinking. If instructors don't change the way they think, and even be more spontaneous, there is a strong tendency to be dragged down by frustration, both on the part of the students and the instructor. The students won't feel motivated if their instructor isn't motivated.
Hi Rosita,
This is a good point. We need to work at being fresh in our approach to instructional delivery as well as strive to introduce the most current content in our field. This way everyone benefits and the classes are much more enjoyable for the students.
Gary
This is important because educators are human and get frustrated, overworked or blank with new ideas to deliver material.
