What are other methods that will help me in the teaching career
I would like to have some feedback from my fellow instructors
Hi Amy,
The knowledge that you are supportive and focused on their success is important for students. By helping them individually you are sharing your experience and expertise which is very important to the learning process.
Gary
I also believe that having that one on one during lab days helps motivate the students, gives them the confidnece to try new harder subjects.
Hi Barton,
Good example of using a "teachable moment" with your students. They are ready to listen and learn while they are working through their assignments. As instructors we need to recognize and use those teachable moments when they come our way.
Gary
One thing that I have found to be meaningful and bring the theory in to practice is relating real life stories. This helps bring the message home and helps the learner realize how the new knowledge can really help in the day to day setting of work.
The greatest challenge is adapting my teaching to the widely varying language skills and work experience of my students. I haven't found an easy way to do that.
My best days tend to be lab days, when the students are creating documents. I spend a lot of time working with students individually during class, reviewing their written work for grammar, punctuation, format, and style in addition to content. It takes a lot of preparation and focus to keep everyone doing productive work. When I spot a common issue or get a good question from a student, I will interrupt everyone's work to discuss it. We often get our best discussions rolling in this way, when all students have a current project in front of them.
Hi Barton,
You are making it real for your students with your methods. They can see immediate application of their newly acquired knowledge. This will help to keep them engaged and focused on the course.
What is the greatest challenge you encounter in your teaching of these intensive classes?
Gary
I try to make class materials relevant by bringing current, local issues into class discussion whenever possible, supplemented with photographic or video resources. I teach language intensive classes (legal writing, contracts, etc.), and the current issues and visual images tend to help students stay interested and remember better.
Hi Richard,
Good suggestion. "Stage presence" is important for instructors. They need to be able to communicate effectively while engaging the students in the process. Plus, community theater is a lot of fun.
Gary
I consider myself fortunate to have stage acting experience in my background. I beleive that it helps my delivery,my confidence, holding my audience' attention, helping maintain focus... I recommend community theater experience for the new instructor. At least speech delivery, professional presentation experience however derived would be helpful.
Never be afraid of asking questions or for help. Never be afraid of saying "I don't know, but I will by next week."
Consult regularly with your other instructors in any and all disciplines to become a truly well-versed educational professional.
