I feel the tip on self-reflection is important. Whenever a student provides feedback, whether positive or negative, I review the situation and see if there is a way for me to improve.
I also like networking with my colleagues for tips and ideas. I've gotten some very good ideas from our faculty meetings.
The final tip I feel is important is to stay current in my field. Since I am primarily an instructor, it's important for me to attend conferences in my field to stay current on the methods and topics.
The most important issue in education is to have students use both logic and reason (rational thought)while being aware that an underlying degree of existential-irrational mien and thought processes exist in all of us. Improved critical thinking for the teacher and student will follow.
This is the argument in favor liberal arts education, countering that which focuses on education mainly as a utilitarian goal.
To enhance this concept of developing rational thought, one must make use of devices such as reading: educational psychology, philosophy, sociology...
Professor Bloom's "Closing of the American Mind" is a good start. This work covers in detail the difference between utilitarian education - altogether too common in our society - and the need for a humanistic liberal arts education as one which develops the ability of the student to critically analyze situations he or she will face in the future, no matter the utilitarian concept of career of choice.
I have recently started teaching professional development classes using group discussions and interactive activities. My major area is in Computer Networking where I use lecture, show and tell, and hands-on. I could use some ideas for my professional development classes.
Since most of my classes are lecture based, one of my challenges is to engage the students for an extended period of time. This means employing a variety of techniques designed to involve as many of the senses as possible. Simply using verbal (hearing) and powerpoints (seeing) is not sufficient. One of the techniques I am currently using (and refining with each subsequent class) is the concept of Team-Based Learning. By
a.)involving the students individually and in teams with quizzes
b.) allowing written "challenges" to some of the quiz answers with proper text documentation, the students have begun to actually research the text to support what they believe are valid answers.
An evaluation of learning and retention at the end of the course has also allowed me to adjust this method to help the students with learning "critical thinking" techniques as well.
Although I think that most of us believe we are aware of the way we come across to our students, this is not always the case! I think that paying particular attention to the "student surveys" which are done at the conclusion of most classes is an invaluable tool in assessing how you are actually being perceived by the students and determining whether the objectives were actually achieved. Test results may tell you about short term retention of material, but do not necessarily make a lasting impression on the student. What they say during the open response portion of the survey is sometimes very enlightening.
I intend to take stock of what I liked and disliked about the instructors I had in undergraduate and graduate and incorporate those things that I liked into my style. For example, my undergraduate degree is in communication of which public speaking was a major component. My first instructor said that learning to be a good public speaker was like learning to ride a bike or run a marathon - you don't just get up and do it, you practice. So in working with students, I intend to incorpoate many varied opportunities for students to practice public speaking before they actually have to make their major presentations in my class.
Hi Richard,
Great to hear of your success. Keep up the good work. The "How Am I Doing?" question is the way you are going to continue to develop as an instructor. Keep looking and listening for ways you can incorporate additional strategies and methods into your delivery and you will be the instructional delivery expert (IDE) that you want to be.
Gary
Hi Anna,
Good way to let your students apply their newly acquired knowledge. This creates a real base of relevancy for your students.
Gary
Hi Marty,
Great way to be a good instructor. There is the old saying that a camel is a horse put together by a committee, and you are an instructor put together by a host of previous teachers, with a mix of you. This combination should help you to really relate to your students and keep them engaged in learning.
Gary
Hi Desiree,
You list several very good examples of how an instructor can develop professionally. The idea of shadowing an instructor is a very good one. Seldom is that included in the professional development place for teachers and it should be.
Gary
Hi Meredith,
Thanks for sharing your perspective on online teaching and the integration of activities as well. Even with the students being online you are offering them some tactile experiences that they can include as a part of their learning.
Gary
Hi Prof. Elliott,
Spoken like a true live long learner. The idea of continual growth within one's professional development should be a goal for all us in education. Two things happen as a result of these efforts, our students are better served and we get to learn just that much more.
Having been a professor for over thirty years I can truly say I am still very excited about learning new techniques and strategies to make my classes better.
You are to be commended for your attitude and excitement about all that you are doing. I wish you the best in your efforts.
Gary
Hi Prof. Elliott,
Thank you for this excellent outline of procedures for starting up a new online course. Each step helps get the students settled in the flow of the course as well as showing them how they fit within the course.
Having taught online courses for a number of years I remember stumbling through all of the procedures and techniques that I slowly discovered as being successful. With any newly emerging format without much history there has to be development. With the extensive experience you have the learning curve won't have to be so sharp for other instructors as they move to online instruction. Again thank you for this guide.
Gary
Hi, A. Andaz Ahmad,
Thank you for sharing these excellent resources with the participants. Their use is focusing on the different learning styles of students as well as serving as motivators. They also give the instructors the opportunity to facilitate student interaction and rapport.
Gary
Since this is my second quarter teaching, I have had great tips from other instructors. I spend a good amt of time in the faculty common room and am constantly learning. The first module ED-101 was also helpful. I also get constant feedback from my students. The "How Am I Doing" answers are something I use and share with my class.
I am very visual and hands on. But, I also enjoy reading technical manuals. I am who I am right now, and I teach as I am. I like to bring my past field experience into the class room, and let the students learn from that.
To enhance my instructional style I use self reflection. I am always aware of the class, body language that I am receiving and ways that I can do things better.
I try to include a couple different learning styles in each class to help improve the students ability to grasp the information. So I am always observing students reaction to my instruction and modify it every quarter from my observations. That is one thing that I am doing to further develop and enhance my instruction.
I prefer a mix of lecture and hands on learning. Being in the accounting field, I feel it is important to understand the concepts and then be able to apply those concepts to problems and/or discussions.
As an instructor, my instructional style is to create a learning environment whereby students feel as if the classroom is a community in which everyone's participation is necessary and beneficial. I encourage this by starting the first session with an "ice breaker" where students first interview, then introduce, each other. This allows them to get to know their classmates, to become comfortable as a group, and to learn how to work as a team.
