The hallmark of highly effective instructors is the ability respond to both subtle and overt feedback from students by varying the speed and detail of lessons. In this way instructor 'dial in' to the needs of the students and deliver instruction that is not too fast or slow and not too detailed or simple. The best instructors can do this 'on the fly' by reading body language, tone, and other classroom behavior then responding almost immediately with small modification to instruction.
What specific classroom behaviors do you use as indcators of engagement or lack of engagement?
In what ways can you modify you lesson to respond to these cues?
jason,
Being understanding of ones issues that lead them to their school, and trying to understand each student is difficult. By having a good attitude it will help.
Philip Campbell
Rae Lynne,
Yes, they are role models. As much as one would not want to acknowledge it, they want to be the instructors who they have in class.
Philip Campbell
Ruth,
Passion is a trait that many have and that many do not take full advantage of. Keep your passion.
Philip Campbell
This is so very true. An instructor is a role model in everything we do and say. Empathy and respect for each and every student is very important to their success. It is crucial that I relay to each student that their success in the class is important and that I am here to assist them in achieving their career goal. A little praise goes a long way in stimulating and motivating students of any age.
I believe the most important quality for an instructor to possess is postivity, enthusiasm and dependability.
Positivity and being able to turn negative situations into optimistic ones is a very important quality to possess and exhibit towards a student. It is important to show a positive attitude toward policies, changes in procedures, rules and regulations while in the workplace. Being adaptable is key because change is ever present in today's workplace.
Enthusiasm for subject matter and being able to show the student relevance to real world situations is key as well. Many students have the opinion of why do I need this class and it is the instructor's responsibility to show and make that relevance clear.
Dependability is key because we are teaching students about the importance of deadlines...so be accountable and produce when you say you will.
In my opinion the important qualities that effective instructors should utilize are a positive attitude and respect for students. A good attitude will go help in the delivery of material. Understanding students who are there to learn motivates an instructor to strive to make a change in their lives.
GREAT question! It is definitely soft skills. The students expect you have the technical skills/abilities to teach the course. They seem to relate best with those teachers who possess solid soft skills and high EQ to relate, communicate, and show empathy (NOT sympathy). These characteristics result in motivating the students and increasing their accountability. Instructors HAVE to remember they are role models.
When I think back on my favorite instructors, it was the passionate teachers who connected individually with each student that really intrigued me. I respected them, even if the class was unrelated to my career and was just fulfilling a requirement. In fact, every good teacher I had was great with their use of soft skills. It really is important to making an effective learning environment.
I feel that the most effective instructor is one who truely cares about the students understanding of the material presented to them. An effective instructor also should have a pasion for the subject that they are teaching.
Theresa,
"Reading" is a hard thing to do. Not in the literal sense of the word obviously. Once you have mastered that you will have classes in the palm of your hand. Keep it up!
Philip Campbell
I agree with most of the comments. A positive attitude can be contagious and encourage learning. Students get cues from our behavior so if we are engaged, energetic, positive, and respectful in the classroom.....the students can learn from this. Instructors need to maintain and improve their skills consistently to be effective but a positive attitude is a very important attribute to start with.
The ability to "read" a group of students. This translates into adapting classroom activities to make them more effective. Students feel that they are being listened to, even in their non-verbal communication, which leads to a happier, healthier classroom environment.
I think a student can tell the difference between an instructor that has a passion for teaching and one that has a teaching job. A teacher that inspires another teaches with passion and truly loves what they do. It comes through in their teaching and gets students excited about what they are learning. If the excitement and passion are absent, the material is just the material. When there is genuine excitement and passion present the material teaches itself!
As this is my 20th year as an educator, I feel that integrity, positive attitude and understanding others are imperative when it comes to being a highly effective instructor. If you as the classroom leader and "director" are displaying a positive attitude about the coursework, school, students, etc it's hard for the students to feel negative. Your attitude will "rub off" on them. Conversely, if the instructor has a negative attitude, the students will as well. Integrity is important because you are basically the one "in charge" of a student's success or demise since instructors do "hold some power" over students and if you play favorites or let your personal feelings, biases, etc get in the way, you are unfairly judging and affecting a students success in school and ultimately their future. Understading others is also crucial in a college classroom. Students come from many different backgrounds, cultures, etc. You have to again be able to put any personal feelings aside and respect everyone the same no matter what. You cannot show favortism to any student based on the fact that maybe you feel more "connected" to them because they have the same personal traits in common with you. Everyone must be equal in an instructors eyes!
Rachel,
I believe that complaining and gossip are two of the most corrosive workplace behaviors and show poor people skills. I define complaining as making a critical remark about something without the intention to do something about it. Gossip is speaking to somebody about a third person in a way you would not directly to the third person without an immediate goal. "That student has a knife today" is not gossip if told to the security guard. "My students are so lazy" is gossip if told to the security guard.
In my classroom enthusiasm is key. I find that my students respond well when I am enthusiastic about the curriculum being taught. Like you said enthusiasm is contagious.
I believe it is integrity. Instreuctors/ educators are role models. Students trust us not only to transfer our knowledge but also our wisdom and character. Instructors should "walk the talk". Academic integrity is a huge issues among schools and students. Instructors need to foster the values and skills that will help students be prodcutive member of the society.
While I agree with many of the previous comments about effective instructors having a positive attitude, empathy and the ability to motivate students, I also feel that being adaptable, demonstrating common sense and exhibiting a sense of fairness in the classroom is very important. As role models for our students, we need to demonstrate how we adapt to ever-changing situations, and also how to handle them in a professional manner. As a nurse, I feel this is an important skill to master, and the more I can model this behavior as instructor the more likely it is that students will pick up on this 'soft skill'.
As for common sense and fairness, show your students that you respect authority and follow the rules, but also that you can adapt by using your common sense as the situation allows. After all, rules exist for a reason, and when students understand the reason behind the rules they will be more likely to follow them! This applies not only in classroom but in clincal areas as well.
Positive attitude and motivation to encourage students to succeed
