I find myself thinking which teacher was the one teacher I learned the most from when I was in high school and college. I use them as a model and then develop my own style. I talk to my students a lot and explain why I do a lot of the things I do. As far as dress, I typically wear a tie with my outfit because many of my students do not understand the whole professional look.
Hi Renita,
Good strategy because you are bringing real life issues into the classroom. You are right about how sometimes they are engaged and sometimes they aren't. Just try to concentrate on the times they are and enjoy being a teacher. This will really help when you hit a "dry spell" in the learning process.
Gary
In the past, I have used various journals within my field to show the students what diseases/problems are currently being addressed, ideas others have about clinical obstacles, changes in how practices operate, and new products that are now on the market. At times I have had them each pick an article and turn it into an employee training session for the class. Sometimes it goes well and other times they don't seem interested at all although they will face similiar issues/topics in clinics.
Every instructor has their own way. I tried to involved my students with the subject matter and make sure they understand.
Hi David,
Good plan. This is the kind of instructional variety students need to stay engaged throughout the course.
Gary
I try to alter my instructional style to meet the different learning styles of my students. This gives the students a better grasp of what I am teaching and a better understanding of the material.
Hi Jane,
Based upon your comments in the forum I already see an instructional style emerging. You are setting yourself up to be supportive to the students while serving as a resource as you share your life experiences and knowledge with them. It is a good one so keep up the good work.
Gary
I am mostly in the clinical setting, so I will have yet to discover my instructional style this term. I hope to be effective in giving out knowledge to my students, and find my style that works for everyone.
i will employ the objectives learned in this unit. i feel that more active involvement on the fascilitator's end makes for a better learning experience
I tend to be the same way. I think this is simply because we want them to succeed and it is difficult to see them fail.
-Jeff
Hi Aprilyn,
This approach is essential as they are developing their soft skills as well as the specific skills of the field. This way they will enter their career area knowing that they need to always act like professionals when dealing with patients and other health care individuals.
Gary
Although most of my students are very young and are in their 20's, I talk to them very professionally as if they are my collegues in the clinical setting of a hospital. It teaches them how to speak appropiately in a hospital setting without using slang or profanities.
I will get feedback from old students or friends out in the field and use them in class to make class more interesting.
Joan, I have to agree with you about the PPs and adding breaks into the slide show to make sure the students are understanding what you have just gone over. I actually never thought of that and will implement it in my next class. Another thing that could be done during the break is demo the points you have just gone over so they are clear on what they are to be doing in their assignments.
Ways I modify and improve my learning style is to observe other teachers techniques and most importantly learn as I am going and through reflection. The end of everyday, I sit with four other teachers and we discuss how the day went and we all input ways things could be improved.
I AGREE WITH JACKIE SOMMERVILLE BECAUSE I EMPLOY THE SAME CANDY TECHNIQUE SUCH AS HERSHEY KISSES TO KEEP MY STUDENTS ENGAGED IN THE TOPIC. IT KEEPS THEM FOCUSED AND ALERT.
Hi Kyle,
Good to hear about how you approach the classroom for your students. Letting students develop their problem solving skills while learning the needed foundational content is critical to and for success.
Gary
I feel like my instruction style allows for my students to explore themselves in a variety of ways. Basically what this means is I do set my objectives for each lesson, identify the activities and strategies I will use to successfully assess my students, but also the students know the assessment method that is being used.
Using an active learning environment allows for my students to apply the concepts being taught after the content has been discussed.
Hi Quynh,
Good strategies all in being successful both with the new course and the one you have previously taught. The steps you are following are going to help you be successful in reaching your students while providing them with support as needed.
Gary
I am teaching a class that is new to me and another class that I taught in the past. With the new class, I'm not very comfortable with the material so my strategies have been to be 1) very organized with the lesson plans, planning ahead of time the class activities, guest speakers, etc and 2) read, read, read on the topic and seeking out books beyond the required text book. So far it's been going well as I am feeling more comfortable. With the class that I've already taught, the subject is not the problem. In this situation, I find that I am lost when it comes to the administration of the class (i.e. running the class, syllabus) so my strategy has been to seek current and former instructors to get guidance and moral support.
