Your Instructional Style
I like to read the surveys provided by students regarding my teaching style or about the class itself. Once I have read the surveys, I make immediate change on the syllabus, my instruction style or the tempo of the class i.e. more breaks or less breaks, etc.
I also like to read on more materials about the subject matter and therefore giving me more tools to succeed.
I believe I am a mentor, manager and model when it comes to my style of teaching. I emphasise being a mentor a lot. Guidance is the key to a student's success.
~Louis
To increase student comprehension, have student formulate a question after they give answer to their question... continue to next student with that question
Hi Mary,
What a great professional development plan you have been following for yourself. I commend you for your effort and ability to make adjustments in your teaching style as needed. Keep up the great attitude and effort. Your students are receiving high quality instruction as a result of your dedication.
Gary
I have no much time as an instructor. When I started, I did not have a style of teaching. I began to search through the internet and get to know students, to give a good class. After a little research the conclusion was that I could use many styles and that is what I do now. I teach with Power Points, do readings, I offer photos, cases to solve, and so on. However, when I say a personal anecdote or dramatize something, this produces laughter, and students reach a higher level of understanding and enjoying more of the class.So now I use this technique to give more class.
Mary
I think the feedback from your students that you can acquire more benefits for your instructional planning. This way you will be able to more accurately target the needs learning of your students.
Maria
What techniques can you employ to further develop, refine and enhance your instructional style?
Being a new instructor, I am trying to go to seminars, read pertinent articles, and observe other instructors, to develop my instructional style. So far, I have found that taking an active interest in my students, and making sure that the students know I care, plus making myself available for "extra help" when needed has helped to keep the students engaged. Also, I try to bring activities to class to do after lecture to reinforce the material presented.
Hi Mildred,
By sharing your career experiences I know you are going to be able to create even stronger connections with your students. I wish you much success in all your teaching efforts.
Gary
Hi Donte,
Good strategy. What are some of the ways you go about getting the students involved in discussions?
Thanks for your input on this.
Gary
Hi Diana,
Good point and one that instructors really need to follow. They need to understand that respect is a two way street and it must be earned by all those involved. Once respect is established then rapport follows and learning greatly increases.
Gary
According to the forum, an instructor should know their past and discuss their career experiences. Examples that are "touchable" encourage me to go further the same could greatly benefit students.
I make it a point to know my students, colleagues, college, research the career field, etc. However, I neglected to share more about my professional experiences.
Thank you, that is a good idea. I had not thought about asking for their ideas on the matter.
When I teach, I definitely like to have my students as involved in the process as possible. I like to pose questions to my students while in lecture to not only see who well they are understanding the material but also to keep the engaged as much as possible and excited. I also like to provide visual aids of the content just in case some students are visual learners and so they can also relate.
Hi Diana,
You might want to put your students into small groups of 3-4 students and have them brainstorm on some hands on activities they think would work in the course. Students as you know are very creative and they might be able to give you a host of ideas you can develop into hands on activities.
I do this a lot with my students and they are always coming up with something that I hadn't thought of as a teaching strategy.
Gary
Hi James,
Thanks for the clear way you outlined how a professional educator should conduct him/herself with students. These are great points for every instructor to follow and if they do they will be a great time teaching.
Gary
Well said. I agree wholeheartedly. When you start to become their friend you begin to set up a dynamic that is hard to reverse. As far as respect,I tell my students "I treat you with respect and I expect you to treat me with respect as well." So basically what I am doing is modeling that behavior.
At the current moment I do quite a bit of lecture and inject my own personal experiences in to make the material more relevant. Which my students tell me they enhjoy but they have also asked if I could do some more hands on things. They have really enjoyed it when I used this type of approach. My problem is I don't seem to be very creative in this area. So I am constantly searching for ways to bring more hands on into the classroom.
I find that one of the most important aspects of developing and maintaining an effective style is to treat students as adults, no matter how young they are. Also, treat them with respect. Ask them to do things, not tell them. Show them that you are willing to do the same things they need to do to succeed in your class. Finally, demand respect from them. Just like being a parent, you can't be their friend. But that doesn't mean that you can't be friendly.
Hi Cheyney,
This is a great way to stay current in the field plus bring real stories of the field to your students. Also, through your work in different restaurants you are creating a network for the students with potential job opportunities.
Gary
Staying in contact with practicing professionals in my field. I will spend time with Chefs in their restaurants, cooking with them and just being in a culinary setting. I can be better prepared to create a "real life" setting in my classroom.
