"Course content" I currently think my style is:
1. Study
2. Make outline
3. Read and Study outline througly
4. Throw outline away
5. Instruct with Powerpoint outline, not my out line
I personally add more content then is required, it is good to know more than required but trying to totally exhaust a subject is exhausting and can be extemely frustating to students
Hi Cathy,
Good strategy for instructional improvement. "Reading" students is very important. There is a saying "if you are talking you are not learning". Your point about listening to students is a good one. You gain a lot of insight from listening to them and then adapting your instruction in relation to what you have learned.
Gary
ask my students to give me feedback on my instructional forum
Familirize myself more with lesson, using as many techniques as I can to help me and continue to focus on my students regarding their needs
I like to watch and listen to my students. By looking a them directly, you can learn a lot. Sometimes, its an eyeroll(hopefully not often) or questioning look. I try to address each question as it comes up. After class during the drive home, I replay the session in my head and look for areas the went well and those the did not. I try to find solutions to those that didn't work so well.
Hi Michael,
The key is to remember clarity in our teaching. The example you gave is a good one. We know how to get there but do the students. Will they spend too much time driving around the learning pathway when with clear information they could have gone directly to the destination (lesson plan goal).
Gary
i like to read new material on subjects being taught i also like to review the surveys
Follow methods that interest students such as using power point, videos, graphics. Give importance to guest lectures, field trips. Consider the student needs. Discuss and observe the instructionals methods followed by other instructors. Attend in-services, take online instructional development courses.
I can look at ways the students will receive the information I am sending. If I tell a student, that is not from around here, to go somewhere with directions I would give to someone that is from here, I really don't know my student. I can pretty much guarantee they will lose faith in me too. If I explain it in terms they can relate to (you will travel east on Kennedy boulevard for roughly four miles. When you see Howard Avenue, the stop light after Howard is Willow Avenue. You will turn right on Willow Avenue), I know my message will be understood. If I tell them "take Kennedy to Willow Ave, they may head west on Kennedy and then they will be lost.
Decrease the number of slides or stay more focused on each slide and allow more time for questions.
Hello Ken,
Students do not always see the importance of their feedback. At times they will tell you what they think you want to hear. That is when I state to them that my feeling do not get hurt by the truth. I also tell them that their negative reply will not having any affect on my grading scale. At times this does not help either but I give it a try.
I wish I could get them to understand that the plan is for me to improve my teaching styles and if there is something that is not working I want to make a change there right away.
Great discussion!
Joan
I could not agree with you more. I am constantly looking for feedback from the students. Almost to the point it is hard to make them understand how much I value what they have to say. I think there is the perception out there that if the student says something negative about my class that it will affect their grade and nothing could be further from the truth. That is a hard concept to convey.
I believe that showing passion and energy to your students can help them see that what you have learned over the years and what you are teaching them now still motivates you and hopefully pass it on to the students so they will continue to be motivated in there career and in learning
Hi Robert,
Good reminder for us all. We need to make sure we have a feel for how the entire class is processing the course content and then plan our instructional delivery from there.
Gary
I tend to expect students to understand the material immediately after I present it in class. I need to slow down and provide more examples.
Since there is always at least one exceptional student in the class who will answer questions and understand the material, it is easy to forget that many other students will not understand as quickly.
Ensuring that all the students are with me is difficult but important.
Hi Diana,
Way to go in covering the different areas of professional development and instructional delivery. By using this approach you are able to remain student centered in all that you do and this is what teaching is all about.
Gary
I like to talk with other instructors who are in my field to see what ideas they have. Also it can be interesting to sit in on classes that are not even in my field to see how those teachers are presenting. Finally even going to another school to watch how things are presented can be very useful.
That is some great advice, I also use some of these methods. I like to give the pretest in the beginning of class. This lets me know what my students know and where to begin teaching. I also ask for feedback during our final live chat on ways to improve the class, what they liked, what they thought the class could do with out. You are using some great methods for your students.
Joan Adkins
As I prepare for my class, I constantly reflect on my university and career experiences. I look for examples of professors, managers, and mentors that have taught me valuable skills. I look for ideas to make the subject matter interesting and relevant to the students. During class I seek to learn more about the students' perspective and adjust my discussion questions to maximize their understanding. On the first day of class, I pre-tested the students to get an idea what their previous experience was and what expectations they had of the class. Some students give feedback after class but I also look forward to an end of the quarter survey that will give me feedback on how to improve as well.
My instructional style is very casual. We review homework assignments, then we go onto new material. I like to do a lot of reviewing as we are learning a lot of new words. I have the student ask and answer questions as we go through material.
