Hi Doris,
I like your idea of being prepared! I can tell you are well prepared and very thorough. I can certainly relate to your response. My beliefs are identical to yours. Your students should really appreciate your professionalism.
Patricia
Hi Kara,
It is human nature to be nervous because you really and truly want to do a good job. It is okay to be nervous as long as you do not let the nervousness over take you. You will quickly realize how your nervousness begins to go away.
Patricia
I reduce my anxiety by preparing a time schedule for my class the night before. I have a 4 hr class to teach . So I break down the time into 1 hr blocks of what we will be working on for each hour. I them put it up on the board so that the students can look and see what we will be doing for the day. it helps us all stay on track and cover all that we need to.
Overprepare, overprepare, overprepare. Be well rested, make copies the previous day, have plenty of material rather than not enough material, check the students' grasp of material at some point during the class and chanage tactics accordingly. And of course, be prepared at home before going in . . . have clothing planned, have keys, purse, make up ready, gas in the car, coffee ready to brew etc. When all this is done, be in the classroom at least ten minutes before class starts in order to organize materials and greet students.
I don't know that you ever conquer those nerves, but they are a great source of motivation -if you can harness that energy! I use my nerves to get pumped and excited for a new crop of students. The other mental strategies that have been mentioned, such as over-preparing, are a must so that the dynamism of our presentations is maintained.
I do a lot of self talk and deep breathing, but the thing that keeps me less anxious is being prepared.. Having more than you need for class puts me at ease.. I am always afriad I will run out of things to do and students will ge t bored.
Hi Billie,
Fun is what makes any course! Students love it when they can learn and have fun at the same time.
Patricia
some ways to reduce the anxiety, is by making the expierence fun for you and the students. this lowers everyones anxiety.
Hi Susan,
Long time! You must walk into your classes with a plan in hand! Over preparing will serve you well in this case.
Patricia
Hi Tauisha,
Preparation is key! Students will each you up once they determine you are unprepared.
Patricia
Anxiety come from a lack of preparation for a class, bringing personal issues in the class, or either the instructor is getting board with presenting the same information. To reduce anxiety, most people should prepare for class ahead of time. Allow the students time to ellaborate more, and possibly change the classroom environment.
I love the module about over preparing. Our classes are 5 hours long and they can seem like 10 if I don't have an abundance of material to cover.
Hi Katherine,
I concur! We should do the very best that we can on Day 1 to make the students feel at ease as much as possible. Day 1 really sets the precedence.
Patricia
Hi Andrea,
Students really do need as much help from us as possible. I am sure some of your students get to class early on purpose because they know you will be in there to answer any questions.
Patricia
I find that if I get to class early there is usually at least one or two students in there. I like to talk to them about either what we've been learning or what they are wanting to do with their degree. Sometimes it generates better examples for my lecture, but it also is a boost of confidence as it reminds me that they do need my help an expertise.
I am always nervous before I teach a new bunch of students. However, I have found that if I walk into the class prepared to allay the student's fears, that my fears seems to disappear.
I remember how scared I was as an adult in the classroom again. Would I remember how to do things, would I get a decent grade or embarrass myself? would the teacher like me or think I was a jerk? what would the other students think? In short there is so much that students are worried about in that first class, that if you concentrate on making them comfortable, you will make yourself comfortable as well.
