I change my instructional style for the different types of courses that I teach. For example, I try a different approach with a computer course versus a business course. Computer courses are much more autonomous and students often get more one-on-one time with me.
Patricia,
Great to hear of the professional development opportunities your school offers you and your fellow faculty members as you all strive to expand your instructional effectiveness.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree with you Angela! The more passion the instructor has the more excited the students will be about learning.
My employer offers many new ways of creating instructional styles by offering seminars in and out of the workplace and also being included in many webinars that correspond to my specific area of content. They have been very useful to me.
Trevor,
Not uncommon for for many of us. Keep it as a high priority goal and you get get better at it.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gary,
This is a challenge in a high interest area like yours. It takes some planning and as you say creativity to get the students to acquire the foundational knowledge that will enable them to work with the animals in a professional way. It is easy for them to get overwhelmed by the "cute factor" and not see the value of the science behind why the animal functions as living being.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Liz,
Like your plan as it gives you all kinds of insight into how to expand your expertise as an educator. This is how you become the instructor of merit that you want to be.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I need to develop my organizational skills. I am good with students, but sometimes a mess with paperwork.
I have utilize a more creative initial approach to my classes. When teaching about veterinary care, it is easy to get students who are already excited to work with animals to focus on the current lesson when you show how important each system whether it be circulatory, respiratory, or even urination is an amazing process in all the varieties of life in the world.
I like to sit in other classes to observe how the instructors deliver a particular subject.I have been able to see the good techniques that I can incorporate in my own class and some bad techniques that i definetely don't want to follow in my classroom.
When I have to teach a very challeging lesson I go to others instructors and ask them if they can listen to me to deliver the lesson just to them and after I am done to please provide me with a feedback.
David,
This is such a balanced way to bring continual improvement in your instructional delivery. Each of these input elements helps you to target and area and measure how effective you are with your students. Good plan. Keep up the good effort.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
To further develop, refine and enhance my instructional style, I solicit feedback from students both verbally and through anonymous surveys. My instructional style should vary from one course to another, and even among different groups of students taking the same course. Soliciting verbal and written feedback enables me to calibrate my instructional style to best meet the academic and emotional needs of each group of students whom I teach.
Nnekia,
I always get something that I can use when I observe another instructor and this is after teaching for many years. We can as life long learners always get something we can benefit from this effort.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find that having the opportunity to observe other instructors helps in the refinement of my instructional style. It provides me with ideas as well as assists with self reflection.
Mary,
I am with you on observing others and how they operate in the classroom or lab. I always get something from observing another instructor that benefits me and my professional growth and I have been teaching for many years.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have found it very adventageous to observe other instructors in my institution; not necessarily just instructors in my department. The variation in style gives me other options and motivation to try different things in my own classroom. I also find that feedback from managers is very beneficial.
Richard,
I am sure you have many examples of how to work with patients and these experiences help your students to see the value of what you are teaching them as well as helping them with their career growth.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I can include a variety of clinical experiences from different patients over the past 40 years
I utilize clinical experience of a variety of patients
Gary,
Great to hear. What do you think you will see as the biggest benefit of using this new information?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
