Being a Good Instructor
Staying current with new technologies and new advancements makes for a good instructor. I teach in the healthcare field and and work in the healthcare field. Health care in the US is changing rapidly and staying current with changes is important to me. The difficult part is staying neutral and not let my opinions be known. What are some strategies for staying neutral on hot topic like Healthcare?
I also agree. I like for my students to feel comfortable and to feel like no matter what they say it will be taken seriously. My students are very important to me as well as their education.
i agree to this. Students are like customers they always want to be right without any proof or evidence.
I agree with having students present their ideas. This makes the class very interesting. The fact that there is no right or wrong answer, will give many students more confidence to speak up and join in the discussion. The students can learn from the remarks and experiences of other students. I find that students are more attentive and more motivated in this type of environment.
I teach in an information technology program and neutrality is a must. What I do is have the students present their ideas, always being careful not to let there be a 'right' or 'wrong' answer. Since the field is changing so rapidly, my neutrality helps them to build trust within the learning community and respect for others opinions which is necessary as a professional.
Hi Mario,
Good point. Thanks for sharing your approach and the "Principle of Charity". This method should help the students to gain additional insight into the sequence and content in their field.
Gary
When dealing with any controversial issue, it is my belief that students are best served by fairly presenting the most two or three most salient, or important arguments on both sides. I do not make myself concerned about whether or not my preferences are apparent as long as I exercise the so-called "Principle of Charity." This principle states that if one states all arguments with clarity, accuracy, and sufficiency, then one has done his or her job of fairly communicating them. As long as one is clear, accurate, and complete in explaining one's thought-processes, one need never fear sharing one's opinions, because the thinking process is always more important than that which one is processing.
