The "textbook" assigned to the students is not a textbook. No resources, hard to break-down for students. The syllabi is weighted heavily in certain areas and the students are aware of what the assignment is worth.
Shining,
When I think of mistakes, there are "positive and negative" versions of this definition. In the positive sense, trying new things or finding too little (or too much) time allocated for a segment of instruction could be cited as a mistake that a teacher learns from. On the negative side, making an intentional poor judgement or demonstrating unprofessional behavior would be examples of preventable mistakes, and should be avoided. I think a good rule of thumb is sticking close to the course objectives and planning the daily lessons (along with needed resources) carefully in order to assure the students gets all they need and the teacher achieve the desired learning outcomes.
Barry Westling
1, An instructor might strive to cover all the sections in every chapter in his lecture while not every student is ready for those advanced sections.
2, An instructor compromises to delete important sections or important chapters in the textbook, in order to make his course easier for his students to pass.
Hi Zeina,
Yeah, this is awful when what we need to present cannot fit into the allotted time. Hurried to get through material at the end of class must give a poor message to students too. Trial and error, planning, and keeping control of unnecessary chatter are ways to maximise the available class time.
Barry Westling
One mistake is not make sure you have enough time to cover all course content.
Hi Natelle:
This can especilly be a challenge when an institution has a standard that is indicated a "need to be maintained for all students".
Regards, Barry
Hi Katherine:
Good. To contrast, we want to make the class interesting, but we also have a set of objectives that have to be met. I think a key, in part, is to integrate a variety of activities that vary the material delivered, and is most likely to reach all students and different learning styles.
Regards, Barry
Hi Gregory:
I think this a good point. Especially for teachers who have taught the same or related topics for years, there is a tendancy to keep adding until "only an expert" could realyy grasp all that being dished out. Sensitivity to student needs is definitely a lesson learned well.
Regards, Barry
Hi Angela:
Information overload is not good in most all situations, simply because at some point, we begin to lose students attention and focus. Using variety and alternative assignments related to a given topic can help. Also, where possible, getting the students to teach or participate in providing select segments of the lesson can help when time is an issue.
Regards, Barry
Hi Thomas:
As teachers we all can probably relate to this issue. As we consider our students best interests and desire for them to learn, as you've stated, we have to resist spewing too much information in favor of sequencing chunks oif lesson material in portions student can comprehend.
Regards, Barry
Here's my biggest mistake , and I still let it happen. :)
I want to teach them everything I know , in every class.
I know their skill set and experience will not allow this , but I feel I am not giving them enough if I don't include everything. I now strive to have them learn 75% of the amount I think they can comprehend , rather than 50% of the amount I would like them to comprehend. Sometimes less is better , and they feel better knowing they learned something , instead of losing them with too much information.
Hi Lori:
Segmenting key points is a great idea. Also, getting students to relate to facts and dates to information they already know is helpful.As you say, games can aslo be a way to increase retention.
Regards, Barry
I think in the subject area of history there is the tendency to go over too much material in one class session and overwhelm the students. I recommend focusing in on a particular era (Ex. World War II and the Cold War) in each session to ensure that the students have mastered the major concepts before going on. I also like to play Jeopardy as a review.
Hi Angela:
Many have experienced what you describe. Although it may take more time, if we check for understanding continuously as we move through a lesson, there will rarely be students who don't get all of the needed information. This also give the teacher an opportunity to employ creative learning strategies to check for understanding and keeping all students engaged.
Regards, Barry
A common mistake that is made is attempting to cover too much information in a single class period. Students will get overwhelmed easily and will loose focus. Some textbooks have more in depth information that what the student actually needs so it is up to the instructor to sift thru the infomation and relay the revelant points to the class while aligning them with course objectives. If an instructor is feeling that the course objectives are too robust for the course and there isn't enough time to cover the needed information, then course revision may be needed.
I think many times instructors are too rigid. We tend to forget sometimes that the material is more important than the class, and we make our "lectures" and such mean more than whether the students are able to use the material to function outside the classroom.
It is very easy to present too much information in a short span of time. Information overload, unfortunately does not assist students in the learning process, rather it discourages them from understanding the content. This is something that I find some what difficult to balance. I am required to have a specified number of live chats that are one hour in length. There are certain situations when I do not want to provide to much information, but do not have sufficient content to cover the hour long chat. This is especially a problem when I have limited participation.
To deal with this, I have been working on including additional PowerPoint slides with examples that will help students understand the concepts. Covering this content, may or may not be included in the live chat, but is provided in my instructor materials. The materials are available to students and will serve as resources to assist them in understanding course content, as well as successful completion of the assignment.
Hi Ariana:
Good lesson learned. Students may be physically present during classes but recognizing there is a limit of how much information a individual can process and retain is important when selecting course content. Breaking classes up with lots of variety and differnt activities can help retain and make class more interesting.
Regards, Barry
Trying to cover more material than student can learn in one course is a big mistake. We have to be aware of our student's capabilities and understand that if we overload them they may end up giving up or not doing well. Breaking down the material into the most important key points and assuring the goal is realistic will ensure student success.
Hi David:
I too have run into the issue of having more information in the text than what appears to be necessary. When possible, I think its a good idea to present the key information to the student, and have them use their texts as supplemental resource.
Regards, Barry
