Instructional Improvement
I am very new to teaching. I actually have not taught a class at this time. When I do start teaching what are some of the questions I should ask myself about the progress I am making in my instructional growth.
Thanks,
Cindy
LaTunija,
I would bring in a graduate and have him/her talk with the students. These individuals can make a powerful statement when students not only hear them but also observe their dress and conduct. Another strategy I use is role playing. My students love to role play what is professional and not in terms of behavior and dress.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Dr. Gary I agree that is really some good effective communication points. I'm actually not an insrtuctor but I set the Medical Assistant students on externship I'm the cooridnator. And some times I feel I lost them when letting them know how important it is for them to act professional while on externship. Some look at me as if I don't think they know how to act. So I want to know how would I make that connection with the students to let them know professionlism is everything.
Jesse,
Good points about effective communication. From research we know we do three things with new information. One, delete it because it has no application to us. Two, distort it to make it valuable to us. Three, personalize it because it will help us in some way. The task of teachers is to find the information and share it with students in a way that will enable them to personalize sufficient content so they will be able to continue their career preparation and achieve their life goals.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Something you should also ask yourself Cindy is did I meet the students on their level. I am a chiropractor professionally and one of the things you have to learn as a doctor is to relay information to a patient in terms that they can understand. Otherwise, getting them to do what is necessary to become healthy is nearly impossible. THe same is true with most students in career colleges. We must relay information in a way that they can understand. Otherwise, they may be confused and not motivated to apply full effort to their tasks at hand. Also, not relaying information on "their level" will most likely result in a disconnect between you and the student. They will most likely stop paying attention as a result of feeling that "I am not getting anything out of this anyway."
Cindy,
Some questions you can ask yourself after a class session is how you feel the content was received and did I have the students engaged. Do I feel that I accomplished what I wanted to for that class? Did I get the responses I wanted from the students? Did I meet my goals for that day?
Keep a journal of your responses to these questions and you will be able to see areas where you need to improve and areas that you really have it nailed. Then you can build on both areas as you grow in your instructional expertise.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
