As an instructor, if the way you deliver information to your students does not compliment your personality, it can create a disconnect that may leave your students disengaged and/or confused on the subject matter. If your students are engaged in the way you are delivering material, they are much more likely to retain the information and apply it to other relevant situations.
Mary,
Really, instructor personality is the glue that makes (or limits) lively, enthusiastic presentations that capture attention, and make class interesting and more enjoyable. Every instructor may have their own version but if they seek effective class sessions, striving for an upbeat and informative setting will contribute much to achievement of that goal.
Barry Westling
Your personality plays an important role in the selection of delivery methods for your courses because it demonstrates your knowledge and expertise in the field as well as spotlights your approach to the subject matter that you are teaching.
Ricardo,
Passion is a trait that's hard to beat. It can create an upward flow that just draws students into the environment. With your organizational flow you're now using, your students should really feel like they're getting their money's worth.
Barry Westling
I have always been a natural leader and a take charge personality, so I feel very comfortable in my teaching role.I am very passionate about my career and am a hands on person which is great for me as a pastry chef instructor. The one thing I had to really concentrate on was my weakness of not always being organized with all the neccesary paperwork for the students, posting grades etc. I was good at organizing my classes, ordering supplies, doing demonstrations etc but had my gaps on other items.
I found that I was not allocating sufficient time to complete tasks within the deadlines. So I drew up a schedule to allow time for each specific task and stuck with it. I now find that having this schedule helps tremendously ,basically I focused on my weakness and made changes. Now my classes run smoothly and I feel less stressed, which ultimately reflects on the students and their success in the class.
Melinda,
Enthusiasm is a hard attribute not to be drawn into. Students love instructors who are passionate - it makes classes so much more interesting and enjoyable. Perhaps some of that is rubbed off on students who "pass it along".
Barry Westling
Like the others, I believe it's important to be passionate about what you're teaching. If you are not, your lecture will come across as flat. I think that's one thing my students enjoy- my passion about my experiences that I bring to the classroom. Since my classes are usually very small, we're able to have great group discussions about the content. Rather than simply learning from a book, we can bounce information, experiences, and questions off one another. My opinion and teaching style is, they learn better when they can learn from each other and feel open to ask questions freely rather than feeling intimidated.
Sarah,
One of the things I've observed that students really like is stories from situations at the workplace. I can imagine when these are shared in an upbeat, lively learning environment by an enthusiastic instructor, that would really be interesting and engaging for the students. Impassioned individuals are a hard act to follow.
Barry Westling
I am very passionate about my career field and love sharing my experiences with others. I find that with this love of my profession I will be able to convey an excitement during my lessons.
Eleanor,
Truely, when someone is interesting (for whatever reasons), people listen and pay attention. I think there can hundreds of personality variations, but in the end, if the instructor does not come across as interesting, some students will zone out. Passion about teaching usually comes across as interesting.
Barry Westling
The instructor's personality in delivery section seems to be a deciding factor if a student should take that particular course. Overall, students want their instructor to have a passion for teaching, to show they care about the students, as well as respect them as people.
Ramona,
Great! The trick is to find that energy and passion to consistently exert that effort into the classroom every day all the time. Much of what we do involves a certain amount of theatrics anyway. But what I know is when I exhibit lively, upbeat classes, that draws students into that positive energy.
Barry Westling
My personality plays a huge roll in all my delivery methods. I am an energetic person and I love to engage my class. It just makes sense to incorporate energy into any delivery method chosen. I always try to think of Ferris Bueller anytime I instruct.
Bueller...Bueller...Bueller
Eunice,
Sometimes letting the students have more involvement in the class is hard at first. But I've learned that with preparation and structure, this can be more significant and useful to my students.
Barry Westling
Like Jeff, I am a very organized and well prepared person which is an asset in the classroom. However, I have had to learn to be less structured in my classes in which discussion is the key and allow the students to set the pace of the class during these discussions.
Shelia,
I remember about 30 years ago, I asked my program Medical Director a medical question, and he responded "I don't know". This surprised me back then because I thought every doctor, especially specialist's in their field could tackle every question. From that I learned that was OK not to profess to know all, but it is important to do my best to find an answer, or at least direct students to where they can find answers.
Barry Westling
i like too hear this, so many times I find instructors feel they need "to know" everything, at least they want their students to appear they do. I strongly encourage my students to challenge me constantly, that gives an opportunity to learn together and also shows them they will be learning the rest of their lives as long as they are open to it.
Bronzel,
This sounds awesome. When students enjoy their classes, they're more apt to pay attention, remain engaged, and participate in the lesson - ultimatley getting the most out of each lesson. Perhaps some students may begin to emulate good instructional styles they see demonstrated by you.
Barry Westling
I use my personality as a tool. I show the students that your personality can make or break you. I get great feed back from the students that they love the way the class flows from lesson to lesson.
Steven,
Being approachable, patient and courteous are general traits that are especially important for instructors. We want our students to feel like we're working with them to be successful.
Barry Westling
