Hi Cheryl,
Good strategies. Your activities sound like fun. I am sure they really get the students involved and engaged in the learning process.
Gary
Facilitating or instructing a course is a very responsibility and should be handeled with great care. To refocus is to personaly recognize and hold accountable the the teaching method. By refocusing, a renewal of the subject matter is created.
you have to "wifm" (whats in it for me) by telling them that they can make alot of money or whatever it is that will help them in the future by paying attention to the materieal being discussed or by telling them what or how they are going to benifit from what is being discussed. if you can keep them excited about the topic they will stay engauged longer and pay closer attention.
As the instructor becomes jaded or bored he/she needs to take a look at him/herself . It's a time to reflect on the accomplishments of the class and to get pumped for the remainder of the session
It often occurs that when an instructor finds a new way to deliver the course, the instructor then realizes that more improvement can be made to further benefit the students.
I too find that the hands on approach brings excitement to the class. One of the security chats I deliver is on cryptography where students use four different cryptography methods to scramble a message or unscrambe a message. In other classes I demonstrate technique or product vs presenting a lecture.
I think it's important to REFOCUS myself so I do not get stuck in a rut, particularly when teaching the same course over and over. It's easy just to go through the motions, but it is more fun for both me as an instructor and for my students when I try to make the class as interesting as possible and come up with novel ideas of presenting content matter.
In order to keep the students interested and energized it becomes important for the instructor to refocus. The instructor must help the students understand what they have learnt so far and that they have learnt a lot from the class and how they have been able to apply it to their career. This helps students have a sense of empowerment.
Because it is possible that the instructions may get mundane and boring. This may result in students losing interest. In order to re-energize students as well as instructors refocus becomes important to get everyone on the same page.
I need to take time to recharge my energy and focus. It can take a few minutes or longer depending on how many students and what class I am teaching.
Hi Gary,
Good point and well made. We need to keep ourselves fresh and excited about what we are doing and how we can continue to improve in our skills as educators.
Gary
In a word - COMPLACENCY!!!!
We, the teachers tend to get too comfortable. We need to get our intellectual batteries recharged by seazrching out the newest technologies/products/techniques in the field. This should go without saying - BUT - we don't always do.
Hi Michelle,
What a graphic way to reinforce your course content. I wish I taught a content area like yours where I could give the concrete examples of our course content. I try to do this through case studies, group projects, and my own career experiences, but seeing an actual object is so out there for the students. Great job! I know this is a "big seller" for the students.
Gary
It can be discouraging when the students don't seem as interested in the course material as I was when I was a student.
I teach fashion design, so to renew, I go home and design and make something and wear it to class. I feel good about my accomplishment, and I can show off my skills to the students - not only do they see that I can do everything I'm trying to teach them and more, they also often get inspired to work harder on the class projects. Some of the more ambitious students ask for help in making things outside of class themselves.
When the teaching environment becomes mundane it's always important to recognize your slump, evaluate your strengths while focusing on your commitment to excellence.
I often ask students for feedback from a lecture for example.
Instructors need to occasionally take time to REFOCUS themselves in order to be more effective with their students because we need to make sure that we are up-to-date and ready to make ourselves better instructors.
Brad
I love your take on this, I have found that when I teach the same class repetitively I too find that I need to step back and refocus on why it is that I teach and remember how much I love passing the torch to the next generation of professionals in my industry.
Hi Todd,
I like the word recharge. We all love what we do and love what we teach. As time goes on and on in the same class you become equally more effective in the class yet equally drained by the material. Taking the time to REFOCUS can give you the mental break you need to recharge your batteries and take away the draining of the class.
Great Todd
Hi Micheal,
We need to pause at times and reflect on the opportunities we get to refresh ourselves and get ramped up again for the next course phase. By taking advantage of the breaks we can get our creative juices flowing again as be ready to fact the challenges that come with what we do.
Gary
