Roland,
Yes, these attributes make for better understanding and retention of information by the student.
Barry Westling
Kendalle,
Yeah, the day just goes better when preparation, thought, and effort goes into the lesson. And the results usually show up in student performance, along with everyone's enjoyment.
Barry Westling
Syed,
I think student expect their instructors to be professional, prepared and cater to their every wish. Although that's not reasonable, certainly the professionalism and preparedness portion is true. Loss of respect, trust, and lowered ambition can be among the results of a less than prepared instructor.
Barry Westling
Being a student on numerous occasions I would judge the way the course(s) would be like by the way the instructor conducts him/herself; and how well the material was presented and the ease of flow of knowledge to be given out by the instructor.
One of my biggest pet peves while in college was when the professor was not prepared. I often wondered why he/she didn't think it was necessary to do so ahead of time.
It is an important part of your job to have your materials prepared. It shows the students that you take the time to plan out your day, and gives them insight as to how you will be as an instructor.
Unorganized and under prepared instructor will have a hard time controlling the class. My concept to take control of the class the first day onward is be very organized and prepared for the class. This projects a very positive image of the instructor and affirms that he/she is very focused, professional, and serious about teaching the class.
Miriam,
True, and there is an expectation that their instructor has it all together (even if the students don't). First and ongoing good impressions require time and effort in the preparation and readiness department.
Barry Westling
A good instructor will always be prepared in advance,if you are not prepared how can you expect your students to learn or have confidence in your abilities. Instructors that are not prepared also stand a chance of their students wanting to not continue the course.
Syed,
Yes, students sense a well prepared instructor from one who is not, and to that degree of preparation often leads to determination of respect, trust, and commitment by students.
Barry Westling
This sends a very clear message to the student that their instructor is a focused professional and is prepared to deliver the courseware.
Stacey ,
Thanks for the correction. In these posts, participants often create a new or similar or repetitious thread, and occasionally, misspellings occur.
As to this post, taking whatever needed time to collect and test resources, copy handouts, gather teaching aids, etc. suggests to students their time is valuable, we care about their learning, and we've planned an organized sequence of instructional exercises and activities that contribute to meeting the learning objectives for the day.
Barry Westling
It is important for an instructor to be organized and prepared for each class for many reasons. Organization and preparedness helps maximize class time and keeps students on task. I believe in being over prepared for a class as you can not determine how the class will flow every session. It is important not to have "dead time" where students are waiting for you to get your materials together or figure out what to do next if they have completed an in-class assignment faster than you anticipated. If students are waiting around for you, you will lose their focus and this will reflect in the remainder of the class. Having an organized syllabus can help structure your material. This also provides students with an idea of what to expect. Students always want to know what is coming next. Organization is key but it is important to be flexible as you may need to adjust your syllabus and time you spend on certain topics depending on the students.
Please note: the word "be" is left out of the question "Why is it important for an instructor to organized and prepared for each class?"
Don,
Yep, especially with technology, there's so many chances something will not operate as expected. A good backup plan that is low tech, topical, and interesting will help convey to the students their time is not being wasted by nonproductive busy-work.
Barry Westling
I think it is not only important to be prepared to teach the material with a specific plan, but you also need a backup plan in case your technology is not working or something else happens and you need to change gears.
Farzana,
Yes, essential for both instructor and students, as the results and learning outcome are dependent on our ability to deliver our lessons fully and with confidence.
Barry Westling
Being organized and prepared is essential to effective teaching. By being organize you gain trust and respect from your students,
David,
Suppose you wanted cover "X,W,and Z". Could you conjure up 5 or 10 bits of information they ought to know? If so, you could begin the class by giving a non graded exam, and as a review, discuss each answer with the class as an exercise. This might take 10-15 minutes, but you'd be fairly well informed where that particular cohort of students level of understanding is.
Barry Westling
Curran,
Yeah, and sometimes an instructor has to learn that the hard way. Another aspect is our employer. Don't we owe them our full efforts since they are paying us to be ready?
Barry Westling
I am an adjunct instructor and I don't have much time to prepare for a class. I am usually given just a power point to go over with the class that I am covering at the time. I am only at the college sporadically and it is very hard for me to know how advanced each class is and how advanced I should be when presenting the material. I usually ask the class in advanced as to what they have already learned about the material and ask them if they have any questions as I present the material. I wish I had more time to prepare and offer different delivery methods with the short amount of time I do have to prepare. Any suggestions? Thanks
one of the most elemental aspects of being a great instructor is the ability to earn a students trust. one of the easiest ways to lose a students trust is by seeming unprepared. the students believe that you either don't know what you are talking about or they feel that you don't care. often neither are true but once a student begins to believe one or both of those things it becomes very difficult for you to earn back that trust.
