Hi Jill:
Very true. There ideally should be a balance between passion about a subject with the other extreme - not enough.
Either extreme can serve to distract the student.
Regards, Barry
Hi Pamela:
In general, there should ideally be a balance between personality, passion, and less of these. Both extremes can serve to distract the student.
Regards, Barry
Hi Meredith:
Agreed, this is a great use of personality in the classroom. One thing to consider is there should be a balance between too much personality/passion and a lack of it, as either extreme can serve to distract a student.
Regards, Barry
Hi Kim:
Good point! There should ideally be a balance between kind but firm, using humor, and using the instructor's natural personality to deliver the material.
Regards, Barry
I think that an instructors personality is what makes every instructor unique. They bring themselves to the classroom. Students will find instructors that they can relate to and those instructors become individuals that students can go to for help.
It depends on the course being taught. Sometimes too much "personality" interferes with content.
"Pan metron ariston"
gp
Being receptive to students intrestes and going around the room on the first day to find out what their intrests are helps you as an instructor find ways to apply course content to student intrests.
I think the instructors personality will come through quite a bit in their teaching method. Being able to let you students know a little about your personality, may help you connect with them and create a better learning environment.
The instructors personality sets the tone for the students learning capabilities.
Hi Gregory:
If we could generalize for a moment, we might comment that personality is important, as long as there is a balance. Too much emotion or passion, for example may distract from the content at hand.
Regards, Barry
Hi Dennis:
We might also add that there should be a balance with humor and with keeping too much emotion out of the learning environment, as this can serve to distract the student from the content.
Regards, Barry
I like to let my passion for problem-solving become a part of demonstrations as soon as students are trained in a few basic skill sets. Students can then combine their new skills with a little logic to anticipate outcomes. They make some good choices and often see successful results.--Gary O. Ackerman
My personality plays a critical role in my delivery method(s). I have an "out-going personality" and I know what topics I'm more passionate about. I try to teach to my strenghts of my personality when approperiate. I often remember the teachers I liked best and it was usually their personality that I thought made the learnering experience better.
I teach draping and pattern drafting for fashion design. These are lab-style classes with instructor demonstration followed by students attempting the same steps. The method of delivery is already selected for me, but I interject my own personality into the demonstrations as much as possible. I wear clothes that have the same design details as the class project for the day, I bring in samples of my own work, and I try to engage the students to become more involved.
Hi Richard:
You're very aptly describing to use the skills we are good at. Another consideration is to develop a sense of both strengths and weakness so that we can make improvements on both.
Regards, Barry
This is something that I have not thought about in preparing for my classes. I knew I liked some methods better than others but didn't think about it as being a personality issue.
Hi Kurt:
A positive attitude would most likely foster an approachability between student and instructor, which can make for more effective communication, and avoid the pitfalls that a closed personality might bring.
Regards, Barry
Hi Nancy:
Outstanding. Something instructors should also understand about their personality is BALANCE. How would too much humor, or not enough come across to the students (for example)?
Regards, Barry
Hi Frank:
This is great - you're describing the benefit of having an open, approachable personality which results in the fostering of a nurturing learning environment. Undoubtedly, this kind of environment is the best atmosphere to learn in.
Regards, Barry
I'm a very visual person, both in my animated delivery and in my representation of concepts using familiar visualizations. It could be as simple as showing a photo of a coin as a prelude to a related discussion.
Q: "What is this?"
A: "It's a quarter."
Q: "Why is it called that?"
Blank stares.
Q: "Well, what is it a quarter of?"
A: "A dollar."
At which point, I show a Spanish real, split into eight piece or "bits". (Pieces of eight.)
Et cetera.
This can get to be both amusing and intriguing in that the students can't wait to see where the discussion is taking them. And they have visual references that tie together.
