Tracy,
We do have self perceptions that may differ from students. Feedback from as many sources as possible is better than being in a vacuum, or refusing to adapt or respond to positive, constructive feedback.
Barry Westling
I think by understanding one self as an instructor it very important for, how well are you are presenting the information to the students and how well it is received. Also, at the end of the course we get feed back from the students on how well the course went, good, bad, etc., then I use that information to help myself understand how I was performing during that class.
LaToya,
Confidence complements competence. We need to present ourselves as the subject matter experts, and convey that sentiment whenever we are with students. One way to doi this is to try to develop a professional but personal relationship with the student, in order to be able to discuss matters pertaining to the course with each student. This helps reinforce our role, and contributes to building trust and respect.
Barry Westling
I believe is important to understand who you are as an teacher in order teach effectively. If students feel like you do not know what you are doing and seems confuse about youself, then that can effect not only you delivery method of teacheing but the learning of the students.
Paula,
Good point. Students often forget that, even though they are students in a school setting, they are still being trained for a work setting that will have expectations. Self evaluation is paramount for students to successfuly make the transition from student to worker.
Barry Westling
This makes perfect sense if you are coming from the world out side of teaching. When you work in a medical field you have to constantly put your self in the patients place to make sure the offuce is clean and neat. You need to do the same when teiing to communicate with patients, to make sure they understand what it is you are talking about.
Juliana,
Great self reflection! It's true, good instruction never reaches it's full potential and is a lifelong pursuit. For me (also a perfectionist), my sanity was restored when I began to "seek excellence, not perfection". This has allowed me to do my job well while not going nuts trying to serve all my high self expectations.
Barry Westling
As this particular portion of the course stated; it allows you to play to your strengths and work on your weaknesses as an Instructor.
I am a perfectionist when it comes to my personality. I love to master whatever I choose to perform, and do not feel confidant unless I am "perfectly prepared". As a new Instructor, it has been a challenge for me to know that I am not perfect, and I have yet to "master" my curriculum. I am slowly starting to realise that no Instructor is perfect, and that true "mastery" of teaching never happens, because as a great Instructor, you must constantly be learning new techniques yourself!
I accept this challange we call teaching. And choose to begin a course of professional improvement that will never end. I strive to become the best Instructor I can be.
Courtney,
Yeah, we have to stretch sometimes to meet all the needs of students. But that stretching can sometimes turn a former weaker area into a new stronger area, and as a resuilt make us better instructors. Ah..., the benefits of stretching!
Barry Westling
If you have an understanding of yourself and how you work I feel that you will have an easier time figuring out how to teach the students the best way possible.
Novella,
You're right, we tend to gravitate to what we're comfortable with and to some extend, shy away from what we know we need work on. Yet experienced instructors know that once we identify a weaker area, that gives us the opportunity to begin to chip away at the barrier and work towards making the weak area one of our strongest. My observation is that this is an ongoing, ever-constant need for effective instruction.
Barry Westling
Having an understanding of self. helps one to become stronger by focusing on strengths and building, or learning how to handle ones weaknesses. Once we become comfortable as to who we are, and what makes us tick, we are more apt to be a better instructor, leader, and parent.
Eddy,
Our confidence and competence as an instructor is founded in our strengths we bring to the classroom. We are all unique, with strengths and weaker areas that could be improved on. We can rely on our stronger areas for instructing as that is where we are comfortable. We ought to be willing to work on or weaker areas for improvement. Over time the weaker areas can become a part of our stronger skill set.
Barry Westling
By Eddy Mojena
It’s important to know your strengths and weaknesses and within the students this helps you overcome and become a better teacher. At the end of class I always ask my student if I could do better what you would suggest.
Daniel,
I think every instructor is unique, with their personality, style, background, and abilities. But all have the capacity to show patience, tolerance, embrace diversity, be approachable, have a good sense of humor, and care about their students success. With these traits demonstrated, our uniquness will shine!
Barry Westling
If you do not have a strong sense of self awareness as an instructor, it might be very difficult to change, grow, and understand where student critiques are coming from. You need to realize your personaity types and use them effectively while instructing a classroom full of students in order to best benefit their learning experience.
Kyle,
Yes, I agree. A weaker area is merely a stronger area waiting to be developed.
Barry Westling
I thought it was interesting that personality leads to better student retention and progression. This being said it would be important to identify weaknesses to make them stronger. We can take our strength and use it against our weakness to make us stronger. Very valuable point.
Kerry,
Students will always appreciate the skilled knowledge that an experienced clinician brings to the classroom. All persons have certain traits they can exemplify regardless of their teaching experience. Chief among them are patience, good sense of humor, willingness to listen, flexibilty, confidence, and true care for students learning. It may be manefested among instructors differently, but these traits enhance the persona of the instructor.
Barry Westling
I am in dental education with years of experience, and I want to share and educate in my expertise. But I have been on clinic track and not been on the lecture/academic track. So in the NEW surroundings, I need to know myself for best preparation and presentation. With some anxiety, I am looking at myself in a different light.
