I AGREE WITH MOHAMMAD I ALWAYS TRY AND PUT MYSELF IN THE STUDENTS PLACE,WHERE I'VE BEEN AND STILL AM, I ENCOURAGE THEM FROM THE FIRST DAY OR EVENING THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE FOR THEM FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES AND THEY CAN NOT PUT THE TEXT BOOKS DOWN ONCE THEY HAVE BEEN CERTIFIED.
JUDY
I teach MA's A&P and I have been out of school for 44 years. I am now taking an A&P class at our community college to get more indepth info.
Diane
Hi Ruby,
I find using the ones from the book and reworking or tweeking them help me. I have a test generator for my texts.
Interesting comment. I also have found that my teaching style changes with the course that I am teaching. When I am teaching Career Success I am trying to engage the students in discussion and self-evaluation. When I am teaching a medical coding class I encourage participation by asking very specific, short answer, questions. I want to determine if they understand the topic, but need to keep the class moving.
I am constantly trying to think of new ways to present my material to a variety of audiences, to account for the fact that college students these days come from a variety of age groups and social backgrounds. For example, when I illustrate the need to use a variety of sentence structures in writing to maintain an interesting rhythm, I sometimes play a short sample from some popular music (hip-hop makes the point best, especially any of Timbaland's early work, but there are examples in several genres, including country, rock, and probably others I'm not familiar with.) This helps to introduce the concept of "flow" to different types of students who eithe rmay not know the material at all or might only know it from its musical connotations.
I asked other instructors what they do as well, because sometimes I find that students can be bored with the same routine, and you need to mix it up with different activities in order for the student to enjoy the learning process and be passionate about his/her career.
I use alot of personal examples, it lets the student see me not just as the teacher but also a person. It also opens the floor up for them to relate some of their own personal and life experiences.
The best method is to watch your students reactions and results and modify your approach until you have become a distilled teaching dynamo.
It's always good to study the subject your teaching students. Sometimes discussing with coworkers your ideas and asking for their opinions is another way to improve your style
Taking job experience and presenting it to the
students in a positive manner
Hi Tammy,
Good point and one we instructors need to remember if we are still working in our field. Our students will be our colleagues and so we need to earn their respect while we are their instructor so we will have their respect when we are fellow professionals.
Gary
Hi Samantha,
Well said. "Common sense" has a lot to do with how your arrive at your instructional style. It is a growth process as you mention and as long as you are open to reading students and responding to feedback your style will evolve into one that that is student based.
Gary
I try to relate the subject-matter to every day life experiences. This keeps the students engaged and encourages them to ask questions.
I am a very down to earth instructor. I teach nursing and these students will be my peers in a few months to a year. I want them to be comfortable coming to me as a nurse as well as an instructor.
I would keep in mind about diverse students in the class & therefore include different methods of instructional techniques which can keep all students on task,focused & motivated.For example,include hands-on activities & experiments in class
Hi Sandra,
That's a great idea about the squishy balls. I have a student says she is hyperactive and has difficulty focusing when she is sitting still for long periods of time. I'll have to try that with her, to see if it helps.
Cross training with other instructors and observing their instructional style has been a huge help in molding something unique for myself.
This is my first time as an instructor and I'm under 30 years of age, which honestly has no relevance except with that being said there is always those that have more experience that try to dictate to you how you should conduct your class based off of their experience and knowledge. I think that your instructional style is always going to evolve and change, and that it will always be constantly evolving to fit each classroom, the students and subject matter. I don't think your personality should ever change, but you should adapt your style to what fits best for the course, the objectives, the student feedback and your overall feel for the classroom. Once you get in there day one, start with your basic style and then adapt it as the course progresses. It's kind of a "you just know" sensation to me. If you have an innate sense of how to read people and feed off of their vibe then you should be able to tell what is obvious as to a successful style or not.
I make every attempt to stay abreast of the latest developments in my field. As criminals learn new things we as Criminal Justice professionals and law enforcers have to "keep up with them" so I make every attempt to attend live training seminars when I can so that I am up to date on the latest information. I then pass that on to my students to make sure they are learning the most current material out there.
To study more, taking new corses talk to the other instructors
