Hi Sherri,
Welcome to teaching. I hope you are enjoying your new role as a director of learning. You get to "sell" your field, work with students and get paid for it. That is as good as it gets.
In terms of feedback you can give the students 3x5 cards and have them write down their comments about a the value of a project or discussion. They don't put their names on the cards so they can be free with their comments. I have found they give me very valuable feedback so I can modify my instruction as the course progresses. This enables you to keep your students targeted and moving forward.
Gary
I think listening to other instructors will really help me expand my instructional abilities, but finding the time to sit in other classes is holding me up. Since it is my first quarter teaching I have been giving in-class homework that allows me to get some feedback from the students on how well they are grasping the topics and helps to break up the lecture.
I find that I pick up great ideas when sitting in on a fellow instructors class. Wheter or not they are teaching the same type of class (lecture or lab) , I can alway walk away with a new method or idea to try out.
By completing courses that help me to understand different ways to approach lectures and keep students interested.
I love going around and observing what fellow instructors do in their classrooms. This can be very fun and entertaining. Then I kind of pick and choose what I like and mold those instruction techniques or styles with my own. I then put them into action and see what works and what doesn't in my classroom and for me. Other instructors are my favorite resource!
Most of my courses have a ton of information and a lot of reading. I have started asking questions during the lecture to break it up and encouraging discussion as we go along. However, it still seems like a large amount to be feeding them in one sitting. We are also on a quarter system that is 3-4 weeks shorter than a semester. This is my first experience with accelerated learning since I went to a traditional college so I am also learning.
Hi Rhonda,
Keep the input coming from your students and you will do fine as an instructor. You have a good plan for how to be effective in your instructional delivery.
I have had a number of students in my teacher preparation program that are totally blind and they have gone on to very successful careers as instructors. In my opinion the key to instructional success is dedication and motivation. Keep these two words in your preparation scheme and you are going to be a great teacher. Yes, there will be challenges but none that you can't overcome with effort.
Gary
I plan to expand my instrucational capacity by learning from more experienced instructors. Additionally, I plan to seek out additional resources that will increase the synergy of my classroom. As I continue to define and develop my instructional style, things should fall in place. I also may solicit students' opinions regarding a more effective learning experience. I alsol need to keep current on technology, and try to get things to assist in the classroom. For example, would a braille display be helpful? These are questions I shall need to discover during my first few weeks of teaching. As a instructor who is totally blind, I may hve additional challenges accomplishing this task.
Hi Jerry,
You are going to do fine as a result of your refreshing your mind as to what the beginners are like. It takes some thinking and insight on where they are coming from and how you can build on their previous experiences or lack thereof. You are going to do a great job of laying a foundation with these students.
Gary
Hi Tracey,
Three very good points for professional development. You are enhancing your expertise with each of these strategies. This is what being a professional educator is all about.
Thanks for sharing them.
Gary
I have been a technical instructor for 21 years now and I enjoy it very much. Over the past 10 years I have been working with the more experienced students that have experience in thier field. I am getting ready to go into a program with the "New" student with various age and learning abilities. I have to retrain my brain to get "back to the basics" One of my favorites is the use of analogies, I like to relate the subject matter to things they already know. Another stratigy is make sure that they understand why the subject matter is important to them and how they will need the information to be sucessfull in the field.
Dr. Meers,
I believe that I can best expand on my instructional abilities by doing several things.
First, I must be a good listener. I must be aware of the things going on around me in the instructional arena. I have to take mental notes of the things that I see and hear, and decide whether or not they fit into my teaching style, and if so, adapt them into my processes.
Second, I must work towards continuous improvement. I must develop a strategy to further my knowledge of a role as an educator, and then follow up on that strategy.
Third, I have to accept criticism from my peers and leadership. I must graciously accept all feedback from my peers as a learning tool. I must use this information to better my teaching style, my technical abilities, and as a monitor for my professionalism.
Tracey
As a new Instructor, I am trying to get all the information I can that is relative to job. This includes class management and learning class material.
Peer mentoring would be very beneficial. In the absence of this, evaluating the skills of instructors that I found to be exemplary and attempting to incorporate those skills into my classroom.
Student feedback is also very important. Assessing how your students learn and respond is a great tool for modifying or adapting your instruction.
Hi Laura,
You are very fortunate to be able to start your teaching career this way. You were able to observe and see how someone sets the bar high and achieves success with students. This gave you a standard upon which you could measure your own professional progress as an educator.
Gary
One of the best experiences I had in starting at Le Cordon Bleu was the opportunity to observe and work with a veteran teacher--I learned so much.
Hi Kelli,
This is good to hear because professional development is so important for we instructors. It sounds like from your comments that you have a variety of sources from which you can get new information and strategies for expanding your instructional expertise.
Gary
I feel by learning from other instructors their way of teaching is extremely helpful. By going into other Instructor's classrooms and learning their style of teaching. Seeing their syllabus. Maybe have them come into my classroom and observe my style.
By taking more classes myself.
Hello!
I work for several online University's. One in particular has several faculty forums in which I visit several times a week. These forums help with policies and procedures within the University as well as 'what do I do when...' scenerios.
Often times instructor's post tips with feedback statements, Thread starters, rubrics, etc. I find that sharing information with other teaching professionals helps tremendously! Often times I incorporate a new way of doing something in my online class, or learn how to handle a sticky situation with professionalism and ease ;)
Another University that I work for encourages us to take workshops such as this one. I am tickled with the opportunity as it shows they really care not only for their students success but the success of their instructors.
Thanks!
Kelli
