Jacqueline,
Right. The effort and time to prepare is rewarded by improved respect and trust by students to their instructor.
Barry Westling
In our setting a four hour class is a once a week event. Organization and prep are key to making the class work, cover required material, and keep the energy up for the entire four hours.
Being organized is very important to the student you are teaching, student are depending on the instructor to deliver the content to them so they can get the most out of their class. Students will usually perform at a higher level if the expectations are set higher. when an instructor is prepared it show that they care about the student education.
Harry,
It really takes just a commitment to be prepared, and I think the organization part will just come automatically.
Barry Westling
The last thing in the world a student wants to see is someone presenting material that looks thrown together and chaotic. There needs to be a flow to the material and that cannot happen without structuring the material presented.
Mabel,
Yep, and students both appreciate and expect their instructor to be this way, even if they are not. The environment you describe makes it easier for students to align with how their instructor portrays being in class.
Barry Westling
In role-modeling Industry Standard, coming into a classroom prepared, motivated, and upbeat, compares to arriving at WORK dressed professionally, on time, motivated, and upbeat. It is one of the better ways to help establish a good rapport with your students.
Lori,
Well, maybe there are some things worse, but none so preventable as organizing and preparing a good solid class session. Students do notice instructor readiness, and I agree that trust and respect can be affected, especially for students who are very serious and when the instructor seems to be wasting time as the result of their non-preparedness.
Barry Westling
Cheryl,
Well prepared leads to well positioned (for the work setting, and personal life).
Barry Westling
John-Howard,
Very eloquently said. Yes, preparation and organization are intimately joined, each mutually beneficial of the other. Students recognize when time and effort has been put into class for planning, and that in itself helps promote respect and trust in the instructor and their intent.
Barry Westling
There is nothing worse than a disorganized instructor. The students have an expectation that their instructor is prepared and they can certainly tell when they are not. It interrupts their learning process and that is not fair. How does a disorganized instructor set the expectation for the student when they are not setting a true expectation for themselves? They instantly lose credibility with the students and they tune out.
I think that instructors are role models so if you expect your students to be organized and prepared for class, you need to be organized and prepared. I feel more confident when I have all of the necessary resources avaliable.
Martin van Creveld in one of his books makes the observation that you rarely hear of a general who loses a battle because he didn't bring his maps with him. The point being that in many cases the structure of the organization will allow someone to operate practically on 'automatic pilot' because the 'system will not allow breakdowns to happen.
This, I think, underscores the importance of organization and preparation, which I consider somewhat Siamesed -- it is not possible to have good preparation without good organization, and vice versa.
The instructor needs to be organized because in almost all higher educational situations today, he can say as one with Napoleon: "Ask of me anything but time!" -- and organization allows for the most efficient and effective use of time. To that degree, organization is rather like a container [say, Forrest Gump's box of chocolates] -- if it is empty of content than it is devoid of value.
Which is why preparation is equally important -- it provides the content that organization structures. As Pasteur said: "Chance favours the prepared mind." and an instructor who has prepared for his class not only will be able to fill each minute with 60 second's worth of distance run, but also will be much better prepared to respond to chance events in the classroom [for example, eliciting and seizing upon a student observation about their employment to make a wider point].
If you are organized for class, you already have a foundational prosthesis which allows you to extend your talents and quell your fears. If you are prepared for class, then every once in a while, your students will hear angels' wings whispering. The combination of the two is the hammer driving the nail of knowledge into our students' heads.
Darcey,
Prepared always helps make for more interesting classes while instilling confidence in the instructor and projecting competence to their students. Plus, when we are ready with all the information we want to share, that provides more opportunity to answer questions or conduct activities that reinforce the lesson material.
Barry Westling
Being well organized and prepared sets the whole tone of the class. As a new instructor, although I know the content I am teaching very well, I find it too easy to stumble while I am giving a detailed lecture and demonstration, providing it in a way that involves student participation and comments while at the same time as trying to make the subject matter relevant to the student. When well prepared it is easier to stay on task in a confident and relaxed tone. Thank energy translates to the students.
carlos,
Role models we are, and being prepared sets the example.
Barry Westling
If we expect students to be organized and to follow instructions we should start by setting the proper example for them to follow
Gordon,
I believe students thrive when there is order. We require so much of our students, the necessity to provide order, direction, and clear instructions is paramount.
Barry Westling
Barry,
Instructor sets the standard or tone for students to follow; if the class is disorganized then the students is probably going the disorganized as well, how well a student prepares for a given class period is proportional to how well the class is organized.
Students know if instructor has not prepared for a class this allows students to set the pace and direction of the class and destroys the instructors credibility as a leader which is hard to recover from.
Gordon Semple
Bernard,
Great plan. Students like to know and see their instructor is ready when they arrive. This builds confidence, trust and respect between the instructor and their students.
Barry Westling
