Being prepaid for classs
Read beforehand
Hi Jennifer:
Yoy are truely corret - sometimes getting the lesson accros to students is a balancing act. Experience and planning for typically more difficult subjects can help, but sometimes, when the whole class seems fazed, more time is needed, or a different approach has to be taken. Patient, caring, sensitive teachers will earn the respect of their students when they take this extra time.
Regards, Barry
I agree with you. Preparing before class allows me to focus on delivery and student needs. I set up a tentative plan for the course, but change it if I need to. One area that seems to upset my well thought out plan is when the students are not getting it. Instead of proceeding as if all is fine, I usually allow more time on the objective - of course keeping in mind the need to continue through all the courses objectives. It's all a great balancing act. Ha!
Hi Mark:
Good point. We were hired to do our job, and all that goes with it. I often tell new instructors "you'll never be paid for all the hours you put in". That's the price (and reward) for wanting to do our best and assist our students achieve their best.
Regards, Barry
I agree - if I haven't done my "homework" for class then why should I expect my students to do theirs? It takes awhile to do what is needed to prepare for class, but that's a part of what we signed on for when we started teaching.
Hi Dixie:
Interesting observation and comment. Very good! Good teachers will give their students all they can given the time and resources available to them. That's my investment. And I will know that I may or may not get a full ROI, I have still participated to my fullest in hopes of the best outcomes.
Regards, Barry
I was drawn to this thread by the title. Although I see from the discussion that it was a typo, I'm still intrigued by the implied metaphor. Our preparation is somewhat like a prepayment on our investment in the class, which will draw interest from the students, amply repaying us for our efforts.
Hi Edna:
Sounds like a good example of a well prepared teacher. Your students should appreciate the effort you go to be make their learning experience meaningful.
Regards, Barry
Role-modeling good behavior is an effective strategy for me. I have a structured plan once I know what course I will be teaching. First, I will make sure that my course syllabus matches my learning objectives and outcomes, and from here, I will put together my instructional materials for each day of the class. Having my lecture done, learning activities planned, and test materials ready have allowed me to focus on my students performance and progress or lack of. I always make sure that I am at least five minutes early so I can prepare my classroom with handouts ready when the students enter the door if any, as well as ensurethat the overhead projector and the computer are working properly.
Hi Russell:
Sounds like a you gained some good expereince that day. I always allow plenty of time for discussion activities. If it's working correctly there's lots of involvement by all members of the group. The key to keeping this organized is to assure the discussion stays on track and as instructor, trying to steer the discussion to meet the goals of the assignment without dominating or controlling the discussion. That's where having a few notes of direction to refer to can be helpful.
Regards, Barry
I agree. During my class room observation, one instructor divided the group into 5 groups and asked them to write down more than 14 questions each. I found in one group that every student missed one question. If the instructor had prepared the questions for each group and limited the questions to 4-5, a better discussion could have been observed and the wasted time (20 minutes) to write down the questions could have been used more effectivly for discussion. I also recommended that each group be topic specific.
Hi Gretchen:
Good example of one aspect of being prepared. If teachers do this regularly, the students soon learn the teacher is always on topp of the class, i.e., ready prepared, and organized.
Regards, Barry
Hi Janice:
I think students can learn from their teachhers that being prepared and organized helps them be successful in their classes. Once the students get a taste of success, they usually want more of the same.
Regards, Barry
Absolutely!! I read my subject and reference my handouts/powerpoints and everything else so I can refer my students to the subject matter in their text. It helps them read if they know you read also.
Students are more prepared when the teachers are prepared
