Hi Richard:
Observing others teaching style, mannerisms, approach, delivery, and presentation can be extremely beneficial. It works both ways, too, that is, having others come into your classroom to observe your classroom and instructional practicies.
Regards, Barry
Hi Stephen:
Great! This "low-tech" kind of lesson material is an excellent example of an effective back-up plan. If the topic can be closely related to the students career choice, that's all the better.
Regards, Barry
One of the best methods I use is to observe other instructors as they teach. Each has a unique approach to the subject. Another is to reasearch different sources such as books, internet etc. for ideas.
Some methods I use to develop backup plans for instructional delivery to students include having a lecture ready to go that is independant of a classroom or support materials- can be delivered anywhere, anytime, and is engaging enough that the other materials aren't missed. A lecture on cigars works well in this scenario.
Hi Chan:
The key to having a back up plan is to try to provide a seamless uninterrupted lesson and learning experince to your students when the resources you planned to use are not available. It may contribute to respect, but helps the instructor just as much as the students.
Regards, Barry
I always have several more demos planned. If I need to make a change then it no problem for me. If I not prepared make me look bad. Students not respect me.
Hi James:
Back up plans build up instructor confidence because it reuires pre planning and preparation that will provide a seamless lesson session should things not go as planned.
Regards, Barry
Hi James:
Good point.The closer your back up plans address the planned topic the better. They don't have to be real fancy, just current and applicable.
Regards, Barry
Hi Wendy:
You've learned from the lessons and applied it to your teaching regimen. That's perfect!
Regards, Barry
Hi Mary:
Great idea. Collaboartion with colleagues is very helpful with developing new ideas and discussing solutions to common problems.
Regards, Barry
Backup plans are important to the success of your class. There are always curve balls in life and the students will watch these times the closest to see how you fare in the process. This gives them confidence in you.
I always follow the 7 p's and am prepared 2 days in advance. If there are curve balls that come my way then I am prepared. I can change plans on a dime.
I always have a meeting with other instructors who teach my similiar subjects. We have a round table and discuss each others "best practices".
Hi Jason:
Great! One version of a good back up plan (that you alluded to) is discussion about a current topic related to the course. You could break the class into teams and have each share something about a portion of the lesson. Or you organize it into a "compare and contrast" type of discussion with teams attempting to tell why their idea(s) would work better.
Regards, Barry
I think in culinary arts I may have a upper hand compared to other feilds. When I see somthing going wrong with a recipe I can quickly analyze the situation and use my experiance to fix the problem. If I see disintrest in a lecture I can quickly involve the students in a discussion of food experiances they have had related to the topic.
Hi Charlie:
Yeah, bulbs do burn out. Preloading your local classroom computer with your lesson fropm the network may help if the network goes down. But what about if the building power is down for even 10-15 minutes. This situation is terribly disruptive because of the uncertainty of the blackout. That's where Plan-B or Plan-C will be invaluable.
Regards, Barry
I have make a practice of loading my presentations for the day on the computer in the classroom. If the network goes down I don't have to worry about interrupting my presentation. That and an extra light bulb for the projector is also a good idea
Hi Chuck:
Small classes may make back up plans a bit easier. The helpfulness of plan-b or plan-c becomes evident when things just don't go the way they're planned.
Regards, Barry
My classes are small, fewer than six students. My backup plan includes adapting my delivery methods and lesson plans to better fit the learning style of my students.
Hi Hank:
Boy - 40 years. There is no substitution like experience, an attribute you obviously bring to the classroom. I agree, adding your experiences with the current lesson provides a great blend of the theory and practical aspects of a lesson.
Regards, Barry
