Knowledge of the Courses Taught
It is important to explain your skills and experience to students so that they will be confident in you teaching them. It also, gives them a future outlook on what is available to them.
Hi Oriole,
Textbooks sure do have mistakes in them. I use the book as a guide and make my teaching apply to real life/on the job.
Patricia
I don't always teach to the book. So many books are outdated or just plain wrong. I do the assignments myself to I can double check, and come up with other ways teach the material.
I am teaching a computer class, where the program has been updated 4 times since the book came out.
I find that my students like personal experience stories. They sometimes ask when we are lecturing if I have ever dealt with a situtation we are discussing.
Hi Matthew,
In order to leave your comfort zone in teaching and be effective at it, preparation is key! Talk to seasoned instructors and find out the approach they take to teach a topic that you may be uncomfortable with. Experienced instructors are very valuable resources.
Patricia
This thread contains some great advice. I teach at a career college. When taking on new subjects/classes, I will only teach the material that I have experience with in the field. I have seen what happens when an instructor leaves that comfort zone, and it usually does not have good results. Also, we get a lot of students who are already in the field, but are trying to improve their knowledge and career. These students have been awesome for providing real world examples, and reinforcing the points that I make in class.
I like to actually do the assignments as part of my class prep so that I can try to anticipate some of the questions. I sometimes find opportunity for additional research either by the students or myself based on tying the textbook to current events.
Hi Brian,
Let students get involved in the lecture. There are some students with a ton of experience, and they have great stories to share that are applicable to the lesson.
Patricia
Not only share your experience, but find out if any of the students have experiences that could be helpful to the class. Not only do you show your knowledge but that you value your students.
Hi Jeanne,
Once you show your knowledge base to students, and you share applicable stories, students will definitely believe in you.
Patricia
Hi Yolanda,
Sharing practical experiences is great, but we must give the students the theoretical aspect as well.
Patricia
I agree, bring experience helps keep the student interested in the coarse work, but the experiences shoud follow the class work. I have found this to be a problem with clinical adjuncts, but as an instructor help them use the book information into their clinical teachings.
