I try to model my passion and enthusiasm for my job. I approach each class and lesson with the same enthusiasm, which not only motivates students to learn the material, but also shows how they should enjoy the jobs they do. Keeping a positive attitude in the classroom will teach them to remain positive in their careers, even in high stress times. When students approach their work as if they actually want to be their, they will produce better work and become successful in their careers.
The first way is to dress for success. I teach accounting, and I show up in my "work clothes" i.e., my business suit that I wear in my CPA role, with shined shoes, too.
Another way is to promote reading. It is informative and fun to relate the class to an article I've read recently in the Wall Street Journal, and I promote the reading of that paper and other publications.
I address the students as Mr. and Miss Jones, for example. They are adults and need to be addressed professionally.
Hopefully, they will mimic me in the work place.
I completely agree. As instructors, we should daily demonstrate behaviors appropriate in our fields so that our students will come to understand and practice the same positive behaviors.
Hi Perry,
Good points and so critical to the total career development of your students. By modeling dress and language you are helping to set them up for success and growth in their field.
Gary
Leadership attributes are one key to a successful career. Modeling the behaviors of credible, insightful and engaging leaders while delivery course materials provides students with expectations and pathways for success.
Imitation is the highest form of flattery!
I teach in a dental career program and I love it when the I hear the students repeat things I have said in class or lab to their patients. Most of the explanations given to patients about procedures, post-operative instructions, etc are the same for the most part.
I tell them to "say what I say" and listen to their employer and "say what they say" too.
I model behaviors by always dressing appropriately & explaining to the students proper dress attire for their career.
I always treat my students with respect and expect the same from them.
I expect them to be on time. I remind them to treat this (college) as their job. Your boss expects you to be on time - so do I. Your boss expects you to show up every day - so do I. Your boss expects you to call in if you cannot make it - so do I.
When something happens in the classroom (or even outside of the classroom), I discuss the issue with the students and we talk about what was not appropriate and what would have been more appropriate.
I try to stress how important my attitude is to our clients when we first meet them, and how it can have a direct influence on the clients confidence in our technical abilities.
Personally, I find that "dressing the part" of your chosen career field is an influence on your students. If you're a nurse and you normally wear scrubs, then if you teach a medical class, you should dress in scrubs. Another technique that I like to utilize is the modeling of appropriate language skills and techniques that are used in my field. The perspective that I take is this: If I don't show them how "something" is to be done, then the method that the students use may be incorrect.
I think there are a lot of ways to model behaviors that will help students succeed in their career field. The most important ones that come to mind are the obvious ones like acting professional, dressing professional, talking professional, etc.
The others that pop in my mind, though, are not talked about as much: showing your ability to accept and deal with change; calling students by name to show them that you care about getting to know them as more than just a number on your class roster (or just another employee in the workplace); and having fun in the classroom as a means of showing them that you can act, dress, and talk professional while still being yourself.
Hi Kamarah,
Well said. We have to reflect the standards of our profession. If we don't we are not being professional nor are we being fair to our students. They need to see a model of their field in their instructor. This involves all of the components you mentioned in your comments. These are so important to the total educational process.
Gary
Hi Susan,
Our school has many of the same issues with students as do you. We have to work hard at helping them to develop the needed "soft skills" that will enable them to be successful in their careers. They should have these skills coming into the program but many don't so we make soft skill development a part of the curriculum.
Gary
Hi Donna,
Your approach to the classroom is a good one. You are bringing to the class a balance that shows the students that you are a caring professional that is well prepared and ready to teach them. You are also serving as model of your field which gives the students something to work for.
Gary
I find that it becomes dificult to maintain a leadership role when you are asking individuals to do things that you, yourself are not/or willing to do. For example, you ask that your students dress professionally when you are dressed in unprofessional clothing and not keeping a neat and clean appearance. I feel that you must, as the leader, set the example. Moreover, if you are setting the example, the students have an image of the standard to achieve/maintain.
We teach in a career school where many of our students come from non-professional backgrounds, & do not have the necessary professional social skills-- such as not interrupting, walking in & out of class, etc. that I guess were not encouraged in their high school life??? It is very frustrating to have to spend so much time
"resocializing" so many students...are other career instructors seeing this also?
I always come to class early and organized. I am neat, clean, and my attire is professional. I love my career and it shows. With my years of experience, I have lots of stories that relate to the profession and they seem to enjoy the stories and the lessons they derive from them.
Students first observe an instructor by the physical attire. It becomes easy for a student to copy a dress code. I feel the best components of modeling are the soft skills in attitude and communication.
The tone of my voice when happy, excited, or angry. Allowing a student the opportunity to obtain the skills of communication when they are angry with a proper tone of voice and correct language.
A positive attitude when I don't agree with a rule or regulation. Allowing the student to see loyalty and respect in our field. Helping the student to understand a wider focus on areas and not just narrow personal views.
The best way to model behavior to students to assist them in succeeding in their career is to lead by example. I set the same expectations for myself as I would for my students. I provide examples of how I appropriately handled various situations in clinical practice, and how they could have been handled poorly, in order to demonstrate the proper way a nurse should behave.
I feel that being aware that being a teacher goes hand in hand with being a role model for your students is key. We must remember that they look up to us and turn to us for guidance. By being a professional in what we do, teaching, we are demonstrating to our students that we must take pride in what we do and we must put in 110%, no matter what our goals are. We should do our best to drill in this concept because it will benefit not only the student, but ourselves as well. It will remind us what our purpose is as an instructor.
Gary,
It is very true that instructors are role models. Not only do the students see a professional related with the field , they also get to learn the soft skills they will need in their field .
