Helena,
Good balance to how you approach the delivery of instruction and student interaction. This method gives everyone an opportunity to participate and share their opinions.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I try to keep learning fun. My favorite classes in college where alway the fun interactive ones.
I am a strong believer in staying current in your field by not only doing computer CEU's but also going to conferences and local educational events. This also allows you to meet other professionals to throw ideas around with and gives an opportunity to see how other people instruct their materials and get tips on how they lead their classes.
Brian,
Good flow and balance in what you are offering in terms of instructional delivery. This is how you will keep your students engaged.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
My instructional style is interactive; students share their personal experiences relating to the course topics. The student’s willingness to share motivates the other students to do the same and shows them the value on how the course content is linked both personally and professionally. It also helps me to continuously improve as an instructor. The feedback gives me more relevant material to work with in the upcoming courses.
I agree that a number of teaching techniques are valuable. In most classes I like to give a lecture with a powerpoint and further illustrate concepts by drawing on the board or showing short videos when appropriate. When there is time I like to gage students’ retention and reinforce concepts with the Socratic method.
Robert,
Thank you for this statement as I find it true in my own teaching. I am amazed each time I start a new class with the diversity of experiences that my students bring to class and I get to share in learning about.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Robert,
I think you are right on target with this approach as it incorporates a number of very good teaching/learning practices.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Heather,
This is a very good way because you are bringing to your students the latest best practices in your field along with real life examples of how these efforts result in better patient care.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
David,
This is how most instructors approach their classrooms and labs as well. I currently have several classes with 25-50 students and I use the lecture/small group format. In my class with 4 students we sit in circle and do more discussing and mutual problem solving. To answer your question, we instructors do adapt to the number of students and the type of course we are teaching to make sure we are customizing our instruction to maximize the learning of our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I also tell my students that I learn as much from them as hopefully they do from me. Good point!
I like to keep up on the literature regarding adult learning to assimilate what I have learned in the classroom. I also utilize both formative and summative assessment techniques (e.g., Angelo & Cross).
My instructional style is very discussion-oriented. I believe that discussion is the age-old method of teaching. However, I also include andragogical principles as well to facilitate adult learning styles.
I like to teach to multiple intelligence types rather than a singular type of intellegene. This would include hands-on application in groups, lecture and discussion.
As a nurse, I think the best way to develop, refine and enhance my instructional style is to stay current. I believe that working as a nurse in different capacities (teaching, bedside) allows me to bring several different perspectives.
I find that my instructional style is sometimes dictated by the number of students in my class. When I have a class of 25 - 30 students, I feel more comfortable spending significant time in lecture mode. With smaller classes, I like to spend more time facilitating.
Do you think I am unique in this regard or do you hear other instructors mention this as well?
Mario,
Good advice for new instructors to consider. Knowing one's self is the first step as you mention and then it is a building process from there in terms of the knowledge and skills you develop to be an effective instructor that engages students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Luiz,
Good advice to share with instructors especially those just starting their careers in education.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
My instructional Style is very hands on. I think I can include the students in my lecture more to improve my instructional style.
Before you explore techniques, you need to first know yourself and determine what works best for you. Are you a lecturer or are you a facilitator? If you prefer to lecture then one effective technique may be to be more engaging in your presentation. If you prefer to be a facilitator, then effective content and time management techniques can work in order to make your class activities more rewarding for your students. Of course, a combination of techniques works best to really refine and enhance your style.
