Constant reeducation, employing new ideas, and making changes when needed.
The classroom is a dynamic that shifts and teaching methods need to reflect what is going on at the time, not be cast in stone.
Student feed back, Cross training, 360 degree evaluations w/ other instructors
I try to bring out the best in my students by constantly challenging their comfort boundaries. I will try to turn followers into leaders and nurture the want to be leaders by teaching them how to be a good role model and mentor.
Hi Jan,
You have an excellent professional development plan in place for yourself. You are hitting on a number of different parts of development that will help you to "grow" your skills as an educator.
Gary
Through my employer I try to attend at least an annual professional conference. Through conversations with professional peers and conference presenters I hope to bring back successful classroom techniques that I can make my own, and a sense of renewed enthusiasm for my subject.
I also read the student surveys: change what I can, continue that the students say worked and if there are negative comments about the class I have learned not to take them personal but use them as feedback for improvement when teaching the next class.
I also have been a presenter at professional conferences which really makes you know your subject, refine props, consolidate best practices.
Hi Kevin,
Sounds both exciting and motivational. Talk about current, the content you are using is as current as it can get. This really helps with the students realizing that they can make application of the information you are sharing to their lives. Keep up the good work.
Gary
The techniques I use are drawn from the Internet and current events found in the news. Each weekend, before I teach a specific class (e.g. Business Professionalism) I scan the Internet for new information, role play scenarios, that I can embed into the class discussion. The benefit of drawing a specific item from the Internet is that you can build a discussion around it, show the class participants the site (via classroom technology) and then link it to the subject matter in the text.
The Sunday paper (whether local to an area e.g. Tampa or wider and deeper like the New York Times) is full of great items which I use for a specific class such as Ethics. More often than not an article will link up to information online that contains a brief poll CNN is conducting (or you can construct on your own). Outlining the issue, then providing a hand-out where the class participants can vote, summing the totals and having the class discuss the results is fascinating. This technique really gets the students involved.
Hi Louis,
Good points all. A key point that I would like to draw out is your mention of being a mentor. Students like to have a mentor to whom they can look for career growth and advice.
Gary
