Hi Alice,
What do you do to avoid common instructor mistakes? I like to prepare!
Patricia
Hi Amanda,
I concur! What I have noticed is that if I use a very calm and positive demeanor when explaining the changes, the students tend to not get upset. It really is all in the presentation.
Patricia
I agree although adult learners usually don't like changes so when there is a change to the schedule or plans they have anxiety attacks!!
Hi Paul,
Shadowing with a seasoned instuctor is extremely helpful to a new instructor. If you are unable to shadow a seasoned instructor get with the instructor at some point for helpful pointers and mini teaching sessions.
Patricia
Shadowing with experienced instructors for a semester sets the working style of a particular class for the new instructor.
Hi John,
We all make mistakes, it is just a natural part of life. We live and learn. Students need to understand that mistakes will happen, just learn from them.
Patricia
I acknowledge my mistakes with humor. I will also recognize a student that finds a mistake in the readings, syllabi or exams. This shows I respect the students for their critical thinking and that I also make mistakes and it happens.
Hi Scott,
Notes serve as a great reference tool...you will have them forever to look at.
Patricia
Hi Mark,
Mistakes should be looked upon as a lesson learned. Mistakes are no doubt inevitable.
Patricia
Hi Sheila,
No one is perfect! We are human, and we make mistakes too. Own up to your mistakes, and we must move forward.
Patricia
I really like the idea of taking notes. My class repeats itself every three weeks, so if I make a mistake with something, on Day 4, for example, I'll make a note of that so when the next Day 4 comes up, I'll see what I did in the past, and not repeat it.
Learn to apologize from the get go and recognize that I am not perfect and letting the class know when I have made a mistake and correct it. Also plan, organize and be on time for class is a must.
I think that while avoiding mistakes is a good thing to try and do that its more important to learn how to handle mistakes once they are made. No one is perfect and we are all going to make mistakes, by handling those mistakes properly we can demonstrate to our students good professionalism.
Hi Lisa,
Absolutely! We must act as professionals at all times. Students did not come to college to seek our friendship, they really want to be taught.
Patricia
I believe some of the ways we can avoid common mistakes made by an instructor is to maintain a level of professionalism and have a complete understanding of what our roles are as professionals. We are educators and not in the profession to gain the friendships of students. I do understand that sometimes we may have different levels of conversations with our students but we need to make sure we maintain a professional distant.
Hi Jean,
Always have a Plan B, backups are life savers. Students really do undertstand that sometimes things just will not go as planned.
Patricia
Have a main plan and a back up plan just in case. That will keep a new instructor from melt down when the first plan goes off track. They can say to the students, "We are altering the plan for today and this is the next plan." This avoids flying by the "seat of your pants". Not a good thing for experenced instructor and even worse for new instructors.
Hi Cynthia,
I like your perspective on this topic. I share personal life experiences only when they are applicable to the topic/lesson. Students really don't care to hear about our personal lives. They want to be taught.
Patricia
Make sure that you are over prepared for your classes. Keep personal life experiences to a minimum, keep them joyful. Try to start and end classes on time. Keep student's problem discussions to office time, not class time. If you have accomplished something, or made a mistake in your class make note of it. And plan, plan, plan.
