Hi Jennifer:
I am in your corner, my friend. I think PPT can be overused (and frequently is). I am personally an active user of the white board, but use PPT, charts, discussions, and worksheets to facilitate the instructional points.
The best use of PPT is to limit it, and keep the points to summarized ideas, rather than whole concepts.
Regards, Barry
I prefer to use the white board for notes and handouts to present diagrams and illustrations, because often times a PP Presentation prepared ahead of time can become too bland. I find the whiteboard keeps the students more involved.
Hi Susan:
I believe all teachers have a personality that is unique to them. One key is if a teacher is honest and sincere in their delivery, and relates to students naturally, it would seem unusual for students to take those sentiments as boring. Maybe not dynamic. But a natural version of oneself is probably going to be receved better than an artficial version of someone else.
If instructors come prepared with true passion, enthusiasm, and excitement about the topic, students should receive that and more interesting and enjoyable. Also, interacting with students provides variety, and that always helps keep attention and focus.
Regards, Barry
Delivery selection should match your personality to some extent. Not to say that one shouldn't try a delivery method they aren't comfortable with, but rather make each delivery style your own. Most importantly, I think it's more important to just be yourself and to keep in mind that your main goal is to ensure that your audience understands the content. Students can sense when you're not comfortable or familiar with the equipment, which just makes for an awkward presentation.
Your personality can assist a student in maintaining the information. I have found out from feedback from students that when taken exams and they come across a question and they are able to recall a part of the lecture that my personality was very direct toward the information and it was helpful to them during the exam
Hi Marianne:
I believe we all have a natural personality that be honed to deliver course content in an effective manner. Everyone's version will a bit different.
But we all can be honest and sincere, striving to be accurate and comprehensive, interesting, and making the class an enjoable learning experience. Students sense when someone is being sincere, and when they're being artificial.
So, trying to be a commedian, or austere, or "in control", these tring-to-be's only gets in the way of the message the teacher wants to convey.
So, being natural, calm and relaxed, letting the class flow and experiencing the pleasure of student learning will always be a successful teaching approach.
Regards, Barry
Hi Ali:
You've hit on one tremendous learning principle and that is the involving students in their own learning. It sounds like you're facilitating instruction more providing the instruction. This is a higher and more meaningful way to approach teaching in today's society, as many students are wanting more independence and appreciation for the work they do.
"Being all things to all persons" would be one way to categorize the variety needed to interact with the diverse populations of students, generational differences, and higher employer expectations for the graduate. Quite a challenge, but better teachers embrace the territory with competence and confidence - and students will always appreciate these basic tenets of personality delievry styles regardless of the environment.
Regards, Barry
Hi Patricia:
Students remember passionate teachers. Using a negative example, suppose a teacher holloered at a group of students in class, angry over their failure to do an assignment. One thing is for sure, all would remember that day for a long time.
Now, in the positive, teachers who regularly convey their lessons with passion, enthusiasm, excitement, optimisim, creativity, sincerity and hope, these same sentiments are going to be remembered and that teacher will be remembered long after the students have graduated and are working in their chosen profession.
Enthusiasm is a welcomed emotion. And passionate teachers are able to "touch" students because student are open to them.
Regards, Barry
Hi Erika:
This is a great idea. Most teachers are willling to share what they do, even have other teachers audit their classes to witness firsthand how they handle similar class assignments.
Regards, Barry
Hi Amber:
Great. Students like and appreciate the more natural, genuine, and sincere teachers because they feel they can ask questions and relate easily. Students can detect an "artificial performance".
Regards, Barry
I find my personality to be easy going and friendly with the students. I have positive feedback on my reviews from students saying I am approachable and easy to relate to.
It affects the choice on whether I use technology, class discussions, or lectures. As teachers, we are comfortable with a certain way of presenting our material. I have found that the best way for me to include more variety and open myself to different approaches is to discuss different methods with the other instructors at our school. Many times, I have received great ideas and different instructional methods from these discussions that I have utilized within my courses.
Personality can break or make the style of your teaching. If an instructor seems boring, it's because the instructor has also a boring personality, it that simple
Hi Earle:
Right. There's so much out there. And students love variety, we should be mixing up the way we deliver our lessons as much as possible.
And our personality is a part of that. Variety works here too. But too much of the same, humor or levity, seriousness, monontous delivery can be a big turn off. How about passion! Excitement! Enthusisam! Creativity! Encouragement and Support! Hope! All these will contribute to meaningful and memorable course lessons.
Regards, Barry
Along with real life experiences injected into the topic, students can relate to the subject matter.
Marianne
Hi Scott:
No one can argue with the tenents of honesty, sincerity, being a natural version of ourselsevles (vs an artificial version of someone else). Anything less then this poses a risk of loss of trust by our students. Hard to gain back once lost.
Regards, Barry
Hi Erica:
I've found that the more interesting teachers are natural, honest and genuine, jnow their subject, and are enthusiastic in presenting information about it. Students respond to ture versions of ourselves.
Regards, Barry
Hi Terry:
Media and style go hand in hand. Neither should be too overwhelming oir extreme, and the students needs should take precedent over the instructors individual style and choices.
Regards, Barry
I like to give my students the opportunity to share their ideas with each other, collaborate and work together. Not only does this reinforce their learning, allow them to respectfully question each other, and think critically about the content, but it also provides them with the communication and team skills needed to excel in today’s professional environment. In the context of Mathematics, given its quantitative nature, this may be more of a challenge, but threaded discussions that allow for exploration of topic applications and connections between new and previous concepts would more than suffice.
As their instructor, I like to be supportive by providing them with clarification on content, encouragement, and feedback they need to succeed.
Personality reflects your knowledge and enthusiasm Enthusiasm can be inspiring and motivating.
