My strength is in facilitating discussions and listening. I am not a talker and don't like to stand in front of the room and lecture. Therefore, I break the class into discussion groups frequently and use videos to portray information that needs to be relayed and try to do it in an interesting and entertaining way.
An instructor should understand himself in order to be able to create his unique method of instruction and be effective in a classroom.
"Know Thyself" is a very good aphorism that describes the importance of self awareness. Doing this helps one see the weak points and come up with ways to strengthen them.
Being an HVAC/R technition for several years, we tend to talk on a level of confidence to other technitions in our field. Now adressing your question; I find sometimes in class that I'm guilty of talking to students on that same level. So kicking back & reevaluating myself as an instructor I have to maintain the confidence of the students and in doing so remember these students are new to this field and do not understand some of the technical slang if you will. So evaluating myself sometimes on a daily basis, I feel is necessary. To me talking above the students can be just as detrimental as not knowing the material! Thanks.
Tom: That is an excellent suggestion. I will use that in class next time!
Dr. Westling: I also find, depending on the subject matter, I might have a different strength or weakness.
Some courses apply to my daily work life which would make the subject easy to lecture upon. While I am qualified to teach other courses and do, they may not be involved in my every day work which makes me research and prepare more so that I am strong on the topic.
Dr. Westling: I agree with you wholeheartedly. Although I have had students tell me in a evaluation that I "talked too much about myself"!
I am a practicing lawyer, so like you, I have everyday trials and errors that I can use as examples in my class which I find helps keep the students interested in the subject matter.
A good instructor needs to show confidence. Understanding a communication strength or weakness contributes to confidence by being able to integrate the strengths with student learning and serves as an ego check when a lesser or weak trait takes away from the strength. I think it's real important for instructors to "check their ego at the door" when approaching teaching.
Hi David:
Being aware of our strengths and weaknesses as instructors allows us to continually make improvements on both.
Making those improvements on BOTH is the main message here.
Regards, Barry
This has helped myself and my students. I have a very bubbly personality and the students and I have fun in class but they also learn better with fun in the classroom
You need to be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses in order to build up the areas you are week in, and rely on the areas you are strong in. This starts by being honest with yourself and trully looking at yourself from the inside and the outside.
You need to understand how you are perceived by your students. If the perception is positive (e.g. comfortable, prepared, engaging, willing to use multiple teaching methods) you will likely be successful in conveying the subject to the students. If the perception is negative (e.g. nervous, disorganized, monotone, boring) students will dread your class.
Yes, showing the students how you once stood in their shoes puts a human element to all future classroom discussions. During orientations I always share my experience and journey through higher education. Students often comment on my enthusiasm and love for the material I teach. They feed off that enthusiasm.
Hi Gregory:
Also, by knowing your strengths and weaknesses, we can make improvements to both, constantly striving to become more effective instructors.
Regards, Barry
I believe it is important to know your self as an instructor in order to better connect with the students. You must be confident, set boundaries, and deliver material in a way that you are comfortable to be successful.
That is why one on one tutoring time is so important. Great post, Michelle.
It's important to have an understanding of yourself as an instructional leader so that you can best meet the needs of the student. If you don't understand yourself as an instructor, your students will have a hard time buying the idea that you are one!
Hi Richard:
Very true. Here you're outlining the importance of being a student centered instructor, always keeping in mind the needs and outcomes of your students to be more efficient in delivery of the material to them.
Regards, Barry
Hi Nancy:
You have met the requirements. I hope you feel you benefited from the course. Best wishes, and take care!
Regards, Barry
Hi Misty:
To build upon something you wrote, another good thing about identifying strengths and weaknesses is that we can continually try to improve upon both, becoming stronger from it.
Regards, Barry
I used to teach Ballroom dance a long time ago. The cool thing about teaching dance to a partner is INSTANT FEEDBACK! You can see if your words are connecting right away. I had to learn how to say the same thing lots of differnt ways, and I would just try them all until one would connect. It's not so easy teaching in a classroom, but I think that experience helped me to develop different methods to teach the same thing, and I try to figure out to what the student will connect. It's always rewarding when I can see the lightbulb finally turn on.
