Jamie,
Yes, and I've found that even if students don't say anything they are usually very observant. The degree of preparedness they see (or perceive) their instructor appearing for class can be a factor in how serious or engaged the students are too. We're paid to be ready every day and our students deserve at least that degree of effort.
Barry Westling
Its important to prepare so that you can utilize the time effectively. If you go to class unprepared, the students may catch you off guard and you will look to them like you don't know what you are doing. You will send them the wrong message.
Biftu,
Yes, and students will usually be more apt to ask questions or seek help or clarification when they realize their instructor is available to them.
Barry Westling
Joseph,
Not good. This behavior by the instructor inhibits students from asking last minute questions, getting clarification, or seeking information important to the student. Getting to class early, setting up, having everything ready allows the instructor "be there" for the students in any way they may need.
Barry Westling
Speaking of organization and being prepared to teach, I must say that entering the classroom atleast ten minutes before the calss time, and greeting the students as they enter the classroom gives the instructor a good start and smooth class peroid for the day.
The students feel that their time is just as valuable as the instructor's time and want to use it wisely. I had a college professor that would spend the first 10 minutes of the class trying to figure out where we left off and finding notes and overhead slides and would try to cram things in at the end so we wouldn't be behind. It was very frustrating as a student.
Ed,
Yes, and your comments underscore the value and need for solid preparation. Students know when their instructor is prepared and when not. They rely on us to assist in their training. We should not allow ourselves to let them down.
Barry Westling
I think that this is important for both students and faculty. I can fit my lecture together better when I am prepared and feel more confident which I think shows in my teaching. Students also learn better when information is presented in an organized systmatic way. Key information is not forgotten and the facts will fit together better.
Gracie,
These are great examples that demonstrate to the students that their instructor is competent and serious about expectations. Also, students like routines, as I think it creates a sense of order. And order may help students feel a bit more comfortable and at ease.
Barry Westling
When I taught high school, I always put my students in a seating chart. This helped me to learn their names faster, and it also let them know that I was organized and had a system. The students always got a syllabus at the beginning of each session that let the know what was expected. I also always passed out a calendar at the beginning of each month to let students know what was due on each individual date. The students found comfort in knowing what was going on and when things were due. It helps teachers to be organized in their classrooms.
Brian,
Credibility, trust, respect -- attributes such as these are virtues earned through the demonstration to students of their instructors willigness and ability to help them in their educational pursuits. Without preparation, it will be extemely difficult to convey with assurance and poise that an instructor has the wherewithall to assist them. It's amazing that many fail to realize our role is soley based on student needs and achievement, and less to do with deficits the instructor may possess.
Barry Westling
Going into a class prepared gives the instructor the tools necessary to have confidence and command of the material and the class itself. The ability to lay out every day's material and plan out pacing, handouts, and other materials is indispensable. This also sends a message to the student about what type of professional they should aspire to be, I have some adjunct faculty who work for me and they often struggle to be on time or have materials ready, and it hurts the students' confidence in them early on. Eventually they overcome this, but it starts them out at a deficit, and unnecessarily so. If you start strong and build trust, you can develop a great rapport with your class and grow together.
Richard,
Right! At a minimum the instructor has to have materials and course resources readied and class planned before students begin to arrive. This allows time before class for answering last minute questions, discussing assignments, or just chatting. Students will be hesitant to interrupt the frazzled, hurried instructor before class too.
Barry Westling
Being organized and prepared is necessary for good time management in the classroom. It's difficult to know how the class will flow without being prepared in advance.
Tracy,
Students appreciate when their instructor is ready for class. They want (and deserve) to have direction provided along with a competent instructor committed to their education. I think students become more compliant and the environment for learning is improved when the instructor organizes materials and instruction according to a plan, and then exercises it with confidence.
Barry Westling
Being organized and prepared to teach is modeling those good habits to students that instructors expect from their students, i.e. bringing homework to class completed and on time. As mentioned also in this forum, it sets the stage for the class, making it an optimal learning environment.
Cassandra,
Yep, and students are perceptive to whether their instructor is prepared (even if they are not); you're right, it sends the wrong message. We want our students to have trust and respect in their instructor's competence and credibility. Good preparation is the key to that.
Barry Westling
There is nothing more fustrating than being the so-called professional but yet are not demonstrating this when you are not organized and prepared to teach. It sends a bad message to the students and, creates an atmosphere of uncertainty for the the students in your ability to teach the course.
Alicia,
We are role models for professionalism, and being prepared is one example that's visible to students. We owe our students the duty of being ready for class (even if they are not).
Barry Westling
Alan,
Right. Students really want and need order. Without adequate preparation, a well organized class is not likely.
Barry Westling
