Everyday when I go home I take time to write down the highlights and lowlights of the days lecture and production, so the next semester I can read about the previous terms day and make changes if needed.
I believe to enhance my instructional style. Professional development is very important participation in trainings, reading journals etc.
First teach the principles behind electric theory then demonstrate the action you taught.
I like what you said about "knowing yourself" and by doing so this will reveal the "the learning style differences" between you and others. Also, you are exactly right, the dynamics of the class room change each quarter and it is important for the instructor to flow with these changes.
Perhaps we should remember "To thy own self be true" while at the same time learning to be true to the learning styles of others!
I think feedback from the class, whether in the form of casual conversation or a more formal evaluation, will help me tweak my instructional style to better suit that specific audience.
Continued research and education will develope your skills and provide best practises. Observing other instructors and researching the needs of students will grow your talents. Myers Briggs testing will show the instructor and students how to work well together.
I try to look at the end result that I want to accomplish based on the class content and the practical application and then work back toward the beginning.
Knowing that student's attention spans are very short given technological innovations I like to present the material with a number of different media presentations ie.computer, lecture, hands on etc.
I really enjoy teaching and I trust this enthusiasm is contagious.
To establish feedback loops with my peers through observations of classes that I am currently teaching. I would like to observe other instructors in their classes as well. I would like to have, most importantly, the students I currently have in class, and those that I have had in prior classes give me that valuable feedback as well.
I like the idea of “Knowing yourself†as a primary learning style. Provided you can be intuitive to yourself and realize what worked for you as a student then you will have the ability to understand that there are differences between you and others in how they profit from what is happening in the classroom. If I did not memorize well and only learned when we were focused on concepts and applying what we were doing in class others might have reached the same learning objectives by memorizing information before trying to apply them to a concept. Since we will have both kinds of learners in our classes we as the instructor are responsible for reaching both types of students. To develop this as an instructor you will need to continually find a way to measure the current crop of students understanding of the material.
While at daily meetings, activities and functions I find myself studying how people interact and project themselves; mannerisms, body language, and level of confidence while discussing specific topics. With this analysis I apply it to my students. Each classroom has its own mechanical dynamic of how it functions. Books, periodicals, and education semminars are also very helpful in staying current with evolvement from one generation to the next.
Hi Larry,
Thank you for the background information about yourself and your technical field. This gives me an understanding of where your question is coming from. Not sure I can answer it though due to the subject matter you are offering but I will give you some suggestions about formatting.
Take your lesson plans and see how they unfold in your mind for the class and then determine how much time you will spend on each topic. If your students have a lot of questions about a topic then determine that you will spend a set amount of time on that topic and then move on. If they have more questions you can put them into learning groups and have them research the answers and then share what they find with the rest of the class. This will get them engaged as well as help the class to keep moving forward.
Gary
I teach Cinematography at a 2 year film school. I have some undergrad degrees and all my coursework completed for grad school (dropped out to work full time before getting my Masters), but I do not have any educational/teaching background. I work in an extremely technical and creative field, and being an instructor was never anything that I thought I would do. I was approached to teach this class because I'm a working professional.
I lecture for an hour or so, and then I make the students work hands on (5 hour class). I feel like my teaching style is all over the map. I think my approach changes based on the material I'm covering that day. If it is a lot of theory, then I become much more academic. If it is extremely technical subject matter, I become more of a role model... I demonstrate and they practice what I show them.
I find it sometimes hard to switch gears from theory to practice in my instructional style. Because of the length of class and the volume of info and training I want to give them I find myself getting a bit overwhelmed. By the end of the class period I almost always run out of time.
I have a lesson plan for each class session, but ultimately I find myself deviating quite a bit. A lot of times it is due to the student's questions... opening up a whole new strain of information or skillsets. How can one stay on track, get through the meat of the subject, and demonstrate highly technical skills balanced with extremely creative origins? I just can't seem to fit it all in.
I like to give examples of day to day experiances to students
Constantly reading and researching new ways and ideas to improve ones method of teaching, I feel it's important. Along with knowing which teaching method to use, depending on the group of students you have.
Stephanie, you bring up a great point. My class sessions are only five weeks long (and online) which makes it a challenge to determine learning styles and personality of the class. I find that an "introduce yourself" exercise at the beginning of the session and arriving early to the Live Chat sessions helps me bond more with students.
Instructional style is interdependent upon the "personality" of the class. One must know the learning styles and personality of the class and then adapt instructional style to "fit" the class. Therefore, an instructor's instructional style should be constantly changing with the class.
I THINK ALL INSTRUCTORS SHOULD KEEP THEM SELF UP TO DATE WITH NEW TECHNIQUES STUDIES HAVE PROVEN TO WORK IN THE CLASS ROOM
Felicia, I agree that making sure students understand is very important especially when new material builds from an understanding of a basic foundation. When I'm lecturing, I often stop and ask if anyone has questions just keep the communication open.
Everyday I always ask after a lecture, "Do you understand". I need to know that the students are having a clear understanding of the material.
Giving student surveys at the end of each quarter to let me know how I was doing and ways that I can improve for the next class.
