Hi John,
I like your plan. With your observations and workshop attendance you are learning about a lot of different ways of approaching the classroom. Now you can select from these options and blend them with your personality and you are going to have a winner in terms of your instructional style.
Gary
Hi Cynthia,
I like your last sentence. Be yourself and develop a style that fits you and your personality. The results are going to be more effective and efficient teaching and a higher level of satisfaction. You have a great outlook on teaching and I know this carries over into your classroom to the benefit of your students.
Gary
Hi Christopher,
Well said and a great plan for achieving your instructional goals. This is what being a professional and dedicated instructor is all about. Keep up the good work.
Gary
To help me develop and refine my instructional style I talk to students about what they expect from a instructor. I communicate with other instructors as to what works in their classrooms and what does not work. I also look online for resources that will help me improve my teaching method and course content.
I too thought about this as I was reading and really liked the idea of the questions on the index card, I already give it to them for the name, phone number, and email address. I could easily have them give me some information on their knowledge of the subject and what they want out of the class.
Geni,
I think it is great that you have found your preferred style and can build from it and find activities that enhance your style of learning, do you ever have nontraditional students that refuse to participate? I had an elderly woman refuse to participation in an activity that required them to move around last quarter, I let it go but afterwards thought maybe a should have pushe her in little to get out of her comfort zone.
show up on time and say hello
In the past I have leaned heavily on the instructional style of my peers to further enhance my own instructional style. I have spent a lot of time observing the leaders of our institution in a classroom environment to see how they became successful at what they did.
I also take part in regular workshops to teach me new ways to interact and get my information out to the students in the most relevant way possible.
J. Cipriano
First I find out what the students learning styles are and then incorporate various activities that will allow each student to get the information they need.With the courses I teach, hands on activities and simulations are a big part of my style.
I think I have been struggling in this area but after the course I realize why I am struggling to define my style, my supervisor wants us to be like she was in the classroom and I want to adapt my style to the course and the particular students and the two sometimes are conflicting. I have my ways of getting information to and from students which is very different that her way and I have been trying to do it the way she wants instead of dealing with the particular make up of the class and my styles of dealing with the conflict between the way I feel I can deal with things and know the way she wants me to do things. My intent is to develop my style and adapt to the students needs.
I would agree that drawing on ones strengths can greatly enhance how one can further develop, refine, and enhance their instructional style. For example, my strengths are organization, motivation, and esteem building. By understanding my style, I can tailor my teachings to draw on those strengths. For example, we have a math week which most students dread. I encourage them to practice talking about math in nothing but positive terms, we do games with prizes to make the subject matter more fun, we work in groups so it isn't so tedious, and I encourage all along the way, remarking on how wonderful their progress is. Before they know it, the week is over and they learned way more than they thought they would.
I am a high energy and motivated instructor. The following areas I need to work on for experienced adult students. First ensure I know my audience (education and experience), research the updated information on the subject and stay current with the media and how it relates to the subject. Then, take the extra effort to modify the lesson to meet objectives for that audience.
Hi Robin,
You have an excellent background to use when it comes to your career college students. In many ways you will be using elementary instructional techniques with adult examples to reach your students. I taught elementary students and find that the same methods work with adults even giving out candy. I wouldn't dare tell the adults that though. I just smile and enjoy knowing that for the most part humans are the same in so many ways.
Gary
In order to enhance my instructional style, I feel that first I must recognize the learning styles of each of my students. I have to vary my instructional style to meet the individual needs of the students so they will be successful. As an elementary school teacher, I have attended seminars on differentiated instruction, observed other colleagues to see their teaching styles, and read articles and books on different styles of teaching.
After learning about the many aspects that are integrated into my instructional style, I feel I can enhance my style by knowing more about my college and my colleagues. With the ever-changing resources available at my university, it is important to stay abreast of changes and enhancements that can benefit my students. My colleagues are an excellent resources for sharing as well.
Hi Samer,
You have a good plan for professional development. The more courses on instructional planning and delivery you can take the more options you will have in your classroom. Also, the more variety you can introduce to your students the more you will be able to keep them engaged and focused on the content. Good start and I wish you much teaching success.
Gary
Hi,
I believe some good techniques that can help me to improve my instructional style is to complete the Instructional improvement courses on CEE website, to give my best to instruct the subject area to my students.
I think it is a good idea to link my lecture to a different subjects and later sections, so it will help the students to be more motivated and productive, it will help them to see the relevancy and transferability of their knowledge.
Hi Helen,
I agree with you about the use of humor and laughter to keep students engaged over longer periods of time. The use of variety and change of pace helps them to reset their brains and concentrate on the content as needed. Good point thanks for sharing it with us.
Gary
I agree, some of the courses I teach are 4 hour long courses and if they are not up and moving and interacting, you lose them. I also like to add humor to the topics, it gets the laughing and helps them remember by relating the humor with the topic and making it a 'fun' way to learn.
Hi Geni,
The key is to play to your strengths and you are doing that with your personality. Look for ways to share your personality and teaching style with your students and you will be connecting with your students at a level that is comfortable for everyone.
Gary
