By over preparing your material. Going over powerpoint prior to entering the class room and getting a list of questions so that the students will get involved. That will help everyone's nerves and anxiety.
Jump in!! I teach much better with less preperation. If I put too much time and thought into preperation, I am more nervous. I already know the order of things (agenda) for the day. Every class, everyday, is different. Too much planning has only caused me to stumble through situations that arise.
Deep breath and jump. We should be professional enough for our experiences to carry us through.
Hi Toni,
Students love it when we make learning apply to the real world.
Patricia Scales
Hi Rose,
Preparation is key! I like to prepare a week in advanced. I do my planning on the weekend when I have the most time.
Patricia Scales
Being well prepared on your objectives. When prepping your class you should be able to pull from your experiences in the field to relate the material to the workforce. This will reduce anxiety.
i have found that preparing the days lesson the night before and then going over it before students arrive that day works very well. the more I am prepared the less anxiety I have about if I am going to include everything I need to. I also make sure that if ( and when) I do make a mistake I laugh about it and correct myself. we are only human!
Hi Dodi,
Awesome! Preparation is key! It sounds like you do exactly what you should.
Patricia Scales
I feel if I plan and am prepared for my classes that helps to reduce my anxiety. Also staying organized helps because I never have to wonder if I graded a test or posted a grade.
Hi Tim,
Absolutely! I like your confidence level. You must believe in yourself for others to believe in you.
Patricia Scales
Hi Daniel,
New instructors can learn a whole lot from observing seansoned instructors.
Patricia Scales
To reduce pre-class anxiety, have the confidence to know that you know your material - you have done it professionally for years, you have excelled in your profession, you know your profession well enough to know that you don't know all the answers and that you have formed effective methods to find those answers. So, trust your knowledge and that confidence will likewise project out to the students' perception of your credibility.
For a new instructor, which I certainly am not, I have had them observe and interact with an established class. In that way the new instructor can relax a bit and yet there is an opportunity to correct behaviors that may not be the best for class management.
Hi Jeff,
It is human nature to have the butterflies. You are right preparation is key!
Patricia Scales
I agree with this. I make notes on the chapters we are going over. I then hand them out to the students. I keep one for myself and write down different points for them. This way they will have to write and still interact with me
Very interesting. Can anyone attend these classes?
I agree. If I feel like things did not go as smooth as I like, I will write it down and try to implement a different approach.
I have taught the same three to four classes for the past nine years, so I like to think I have eliminated any anxiety from the repetition, but I still find that 5 minutes before very new class I still get that "butterfly" feeling in my stomach. Preparation of the class material is key to reducing anxiety. I have found that I used to feel I had to know every little thing for the entire class, so I started to break the material down into smaller "chunks" that were easier to remember.
Being prepared is most important in reducing pre-class anxiety. Practice saying your lecture beforehand. Have ideas of your own personal info that you want to add to the lecture.
As noted in another reply to this discussion preparation for the class is key to me reducing nervousness and anxiety prior to a class.
Make sure your know your material.
Make sure you know the answers to the questions of often asked.
Speak to senior instructors who have taught the class for some advice and tips.
Be yourself if you know your stuff.
Leon Guendoo
