Get Your Students Hired
Without having a thourough understanding of myself, my strengths and weaknesses, I would miss opportunities to learn and grow in my field and as an instructor. Never a day goes by that I haven't acquired a new bit of knowledge that would have been overlooked otherwise.
The students are relying on us to give them correct information do to how it will relate to the new carreer they want to accomplish. It is up to me as an instructor to find interesting ways of showing them how the new carreer choice can be rewarding and fun.
Hi Trish:
One one level, even our mannerisms can send messages to the students. To echo your sentiments, we should even be aware of our body language to increase the chance of creating a positive learning environment at all times.
Regards, Barry
I am a very firm believer in walking is someone else's shoes. In this case it is walking in my own shoes. The person I am now, is not the person I was in school. In school, I was most likely the problem for the teacher in the classroom. I wanted to be the center of attention and make comments on on every other thing that the teacher said, to get a rise out of my fellow students. I also would push my limits as far as I could without getting in trouble. Now, when I get a student who follows my same path, I can do two things.
1, I walk in my former shoes or the shoes of the disruptive student, try to remember what was going through my head at the time or what student's motivation is for being disruptive (trying to be the center of attention, try to derail from the subject being taught, etc..) and I try to adapt acordingly to keep the class in line and on subject or get the student back in line.
2, I think back to when I was being diruptive and how my teachers reacted to what I have done. Some of their tactics put me right back in line and some just fueled the fire. Then I apply the tactics that worked to my student and monitor his reaction.
Hi Jennifer:
Being aware of mannerisms and the like is very important. These kinds of body language can possibly send messages we don't mean to send to the students, even up to the point of influencing how they learn.
Regards, Barry
I need to understand myself to be able to let the students feel comfortable with me. To see how I can have the students retain more of the information I am presenting to them.
Understand the pros and cons of yourself can enhance the learning setting by lesson plan adjustments that better serve the student. Additionally, the instructor will grow and develop as necessary skills are passed on to the students.
Understanding of strong and weak area can improve the learning setting by;
Playing up your strong points to better benefit the class.
Recognizing weaknes allows for person growth and development which leads to improvements in the learning setting.
I believe this is improtant because it allows you to determine how you will interact with the students and it allows the students to anticipate your expectations. If you are clear about what type of instructor you are or will be, then the students may feel more comfortable because they will have a better idea of what to expect in the classroom.
I have just recently past my first year as an instructor.I have not only found it to be one of the most challenging positions, but also one of the most rewarding.having years of experience in the field(i've found)does not prepair you for the classroom.being able to share lifes experiences with my students helps them relate to me.But having thier feedback as to my performance helps me recognize where my strengths and weaknesses are
Hi Cheryl:
It is important for instructors to work on improving both their strengths and weaknesses to become more effective.
Regards, Barry
No one is perfect. I consider myself a lifelong learner. Understanding myself, helps me in improving areas of growth that I may need.
I think there is a tendency for the instructor to assume that all students learn in the same way as the instructor. The instructor should be aware of this bias and address the various learning styles in the classroom.
Knowing your own strengths and weaknesses allows you to better tailor your offerings to your class and work on your personal areas that may need improvement. Without this knowledge you could end up in a situation where you are attempting to teach something that you are completely unprepared for personally.
Hi Kelly:
You have developed a good way of relating to your students, and I'm glad you shared it in this forum.
One thing all teachers posses is the ability to be honest, caring and interested in the students success, enthusiastic, and opptomistic about the future of their students.
Every teacher will have their own version of these attributes, but it;s something they can do to help create trust and respect. That, combined top notch preparation and delivery will make for dynamic classes.
Regards, Barry
Hi Kevin:
I think we teach better when we feel secure in who we are, what we know, and our capability in effectivety teaching thte course material to our students.
Even new instructors have some things in common: Enthusiasm, humor, SME, anticipation, care and interest in seeing the students achieve to their fullet potential.
Regards, Barry
Hi Woody:
Our self perception is one thig, our presentation to students is another. The goal is to facilitate instruction. Therfore, if we understand how we want to be as well as what we believe to be the perception, we can better effectively reach the majority of students consistently.
Regards, Barry
Hi Kevin:
Certainly we all tend to rely on our strengths, just as a drummer tries not to be a cellist, we all have special teaching attributes that make our lessons dynamic, while others would fall flat if we deviated from where our strengths lie.
Every teacher can offer enthusiasm, energy and excitement, honesty, care and interest in seeing the student acheive their best. It may in a thousand dfferent forms, but we should strive to be genuine, natural versions of ourselves (vs. artificial versions of another).
Regards, Barry
Hi Richard:
I think we should stive to be genuine, original versions of ourselves, using our education, background, experience, and teaching prowess to facilitate the students learning. Attributes every teacher has is honesty, care and concern, enthusiasm, interest, and ability in a specific area - an expertise. Expressing that in our unique way helps create interesting and enjoyable learning sessions because we are just being natural with a focus to transfer our knowledge baout topics we know to our students.
Regards, Barry