Who is your audience?
It is very important to know your audience. This helps in a variety of ways when you teach a course, but it also makes the students feel more comfortable when you ask them questions they know the ansewrs to: what is their prior experience, what are their hobbies, etc.
I have been teaching about 1 1/2 years and I am now a great believer in getting to know my students. It makes them feel more confident and comfortable and it help me be a more effective instructor.
Thomas,
I agree. I have taught a communications course and one of the "icebreakers" that was popular to my students was the "perceptions" exercise. I would write 5 personal-based questions on the board (e.g. are you married?) and give each student an opportunity to use their perception (guess) to answer for a selected partner. The exercise gave students an opportunity to realize how their perceptions can be incorrect, which sets the groundwork for the elimination of stereotypes.
Tremayne Simpson
Building a relationship with your students has to be a primary goal of an effective instructor. The ability to relate to students in a way that is clear and understandable will only enhance the quality of their learning experience. Having a basic understanding of the demographics of a particular group of students would allow the instructor an opportunity to tailor the lecture to meet the student's needs. I have read several tips in the forum that I would use to help "break the ice" with the students. Does anyone have any other tips?
Zaina,
This example shows why it is important for instructors to take the time to build a relationship with their students, which generally begins on the first day of class. Although the subject may be the same, the audience is ever-changing. Discovering unique class characteristics can assist in providing alternative assignments and different examples for the students.
Tremayne Simpson
I lucked out one quarter and had a class full of X-Men fans. Most of our programming examples and exercises became centered on X-Men and their characters, behaviors, types and so on. It was a tremendous boon as the entire class (a group of 6) did so much better than they otherwise would have (as evidenced in other classes).
It has taught me to look for some commonality among my students that I can capitalize on for their benefit.
we get a diverse audience. from house wives to young high school grads, to people making a carrier chang.e we need to adjust our teaching methods for all types of students.
Constance,
I agree. Once you get to know your audience, you may find that it is necessary to revise course materials. For instance, if your "audience" seems to have an affinity for pop culture, it may be a good idea to try to provide related activities, to sparks student interest.
Tremayne Simpson
Constance,
I agree. Once you get to know your audience, you may find that it is necessary to revise course materials. For instance, if your "audience" seems to have an affinity for pop culture, it may be a good idea to try to provide related activities, to sparks student interest.
Tremayne Simpson
