George,
I am in agreement. As the old saying goes, "whenever you mess up, fess up." Own up to your mistake and move forward. After all, no one is perfect.
Patricia
Be prepared when things do not go as planned or you make a mistake do not be afraid to admit the error. once a mistake has been made the students will know it so admit the oversight and proceed
Hello Evelyn,
WOW, what a response! Your organization comes through in your writing. I was able to read your response painlessly, and I thoroughly enjoyed your response. You remind me of one of my most organized instructors. Actually, she is the most organized person I've ever met, it seems as though you will give her a run for her money! :-)
Patricia
Armando,
As a rule of thumb, I double check/triple check material before presenting, and I present in a way as if no one knows anything.
Patricia
Hello David,
Getting back with a student with the correct answer is very important. Always make sure to do get back with the student-- no one knows it all.
Patricia
I agree with you all. I believe class preparation and practicing is essential to avoid mistakes. It does not matter how much experience and knowledge we have as instructors, we need to be fully prepared with the topics we are going to cover, group activities and assignments as well as plan B if something goes wrong with plan A for our class for the day. We should also strive to be updated in our fields as much as possible. Students cannot respect an instructor who is not well prepared for the whole class period. I was an administrative secretary for 10 years before becoming a biology instructor and it helped me a lot to be an organized person in everything I do. I've always been neat and organized; students often tell me that they like it and that they admire my organization skills. Sometimes I think that I am too hard on myself, but if I am not organized and prepared I will not be satisfied, so I try to be organized but in a healthy way.
I like to review all my presentations and activities the week before and also the night before class. I love PowerPoint and I think it is a very useful, creative and versatile tool for teaching. It saves a lot of time in class that can be used to answer questions and do class activities, instead of having to write on the board. Students like it and they have told me that my PowerPoint presentations are a great study guide for them. Of course, I also use other resources in the classroom depending on the specific topic for the day. In biology, it is important to use some audio-visual aids to make things clear for the students; they usually enjoy class much more and get a better understanding of a topic when they can see nice pictures, photos, diagrams, tables, etc.
I also prepare checklists for each of my classes. The list contains everything that I want to do during the class, even the announcements I have to make to the students. In addition, I take note of everything that I made different from what I planned for whatever reasons, as well as concerns and pending matters that arise in class.
I've read a few of the posts by other instructors here and I agree that we should own to our mistakes, take responsibility and move on; after all, we are humans.
Hi Gary,
It's amazing as an educator how you MUST adjust your teaching tactics based on the students that are in a particular class.
Patricia
always re-check material before presenting and watch wording to the student
Prepare, prepare, prepare! I like to review my material several times before presenting it. I am especially checking to make sure it is current and that I have incorporated any needed changes or corrections I noticed the last time I delivered it. Once in a while I will answer a students question when I am not entirely sure of my response, and I am often wrong. I strongly believe in admitting that I don't know the answer to a students question; I will give them a day and date by which I will have an accurate answer.
Simply by paying attention to the class. I usually read the response of the class and adjust to what they tell my by expressions, body language and attention span. All classes are different in ways so I adjust my teaching tactics to them. Once I have most of them on track I can focus on the stragglers .
Hi George,
Absolutely, we all know the answer, PREPARATION! It is a choice to prepare or not, but we as educators should never walk into the classroom unprepared, unfortunately it does happen though.
Patricia
Hello Donald,
Veteran instructors have great advice! Always take advantage of their many years in the profession. Trust me, they had to learn too!
Patricia
We all know the answer to this it is class prep the difference here is when and if we choose to be prepared and it is nice to see when intructors do.
Talk to more experienced instructors, and get their feedback. Remember...they have been where you are now, and survived.
Hello Eric,
You were put into a situation where you had to sink or swim, and it sounds like you swam. It appears that you have really grown as an educator. Great job!
Patricia
Hi Richard,
Absolutely, preparation is it! Preparation brings on great confidence!
Patricia
I like everyone else agree, course/classroom preparation and organization. You absolutely must be prepared prior to the beginning of class and be absolutely organized. The class must flow without interruption. I am always prepared with handouts, etc in case of PowerPoint/computer/projector bulb failure and can transition seamlessly without a bump in the presentation. I constantly review, tune up, enhance and change classroom “lab” tasks to keep them fresh and interesting to both the class and myself. You must be in control, prepared, organized and professional under all circumstance. Never let then see you sweat, so don’t – BE PREPARED.
Hello Mark,
There is nothing like an instructor that has a lot of nothing. Students will pick up on the short comings quickly and begin to complain.
Patricia
When I first started teaching, I was thrown into the fire. I had to develop the entire curriculum and training methods and materials. I did have a mentor that I could turn to on a daily basis, but what helped me the most was talking with other instructors every chance I got. I observed how they operated and handled their classes and discussed situations that I could adapt to my course. It amazed me at how willing and how far overboard they went to help. When mistakes were made, I would apologize for them and document what happend and how to resolve the concern for the next class.
Preparation is the key. Confidence comes from knowing what is coming oin the class and being ready for it.
