Jerome,
This is a good way to use different resources to expand your expertise and knowledge base as you strive to be the most effective educator you can be.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Eunita,
Good strategy. Thanks for sharing this with us. I know it will be of help to other instructors.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I like your post about finding your own style. At first when I read that you sat in on other teachers classes, I thought how smart! But then I realized I would probably do the same thing and mimic them instead of finding my own style. I have been in the classroom for about 11 months now and some of that time I was, what I referred to myself as, "just a substitute." I realize now that I was no valuing my contribution to the program. Different people around the campus started to tell me how great the program was doing.That felt pretty good and so I decided to stay.
I find that the Internet has much to offer in helping with my instructional style. Being a professional in my field, I am able to filter out the bad information and being an educator, am able to choose some of the better ways of presenting the information to my class.
Instructional style is often based on ones personality as well as previous learning, comfort level, and ability to connect within a group setting (as well as other factors as well). To develop and then refine my instructional style would involve managing or educating myself through self-learning, seminars, workshops, and possibly formalized learning opportunities.
Lecture in front of a mirror and/or your family and ask for feedback on your lecture style, your appearance and speed of your speech
Christopher,
This is a good way to gain a lot of insight about how others teach while developing your own teaching style. I wish you much success as you spend time with your colleagues.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
At my campus we do peer observations and I find those helpful. I also obtain information from the students to see what worked and what did not.
Furthermore, I seel feedback from all of my peers to see what are best practices.
Julie,
Good way to find your own style and then define yourself within. This way you are projecting your personality and expertise to your students so they can see you as the learning leader that you are.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
When I first started as an instructor I didn't have an instruction style. I sat in on other instructors and saw what worked for them. This worked to my advantage and my disadvantage. Their style was theirs! Trying to imitate it was a mistake and got me into classroom management problems. I needed to find MY groove and only borrow certain techniques that I was comfortable with. Now what I do is I really evaluate how well the students receive my message if it works I keep going, if it doesn't I find a way to change it. I like to discuss issues with other instructors to get their take on how to handle situations. Staying in the loop with others whether it is colleagues or experts in the field like you is very beneficial to continued growth.
Rueben
I too felt that way in the beginning, with practice and time the self confidnmece came about. I endeavor to use video's, personal experiences and stories, some demonstrating errors and short comings, to ease tensions and gain support from the students.
Talk with similar instructors, maintain current information, attend classed of fellow instructors, be tuned in to what works for them, perhaps try in my own class.
Amber,
I think this would be a valuable experience for you. They can give you a lot of insight and hopefully help you avoid some of the more common instructional mistakes.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Maybe having other teachers that may have more experience watch and listen to one of my classes and give me some tips on what I am doing right and maybe what I can change to help my teaching methods.
I agree that taking these types of courses do assist in enhancing my instruction style. So far other than taking these courses,I have been shadowing other instructors to see the style I most agree with for myself.
Donald,
Great to hear that you are ready. You are going to have a great first day because you have the communication skills needed to get your message across. I wish you much success in your teaching.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Ruben,
This is a good strategy to use. The camera does not lie so you are getting real feedback in terms of how you move, talk and interact with your students. This information will give you many opportunities to refine your teaching style.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Audrey,
Good self check to use when selecting the delivery format for content. This way you will use strategies that are of interest to both you and your students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I am a new instructor. I believe that after 17 years of experiences in real world business, I can merge my business style into my instructional style. By saying this, I was in sales and marketing. It is all about professionalism, good communication, being prepared, and being confident. My first class is next Monday. Ready.
I am sort of new to the instructional side. Having spent several years in the field I feel confident in my knowledge and have trained many "on the job", but I still feel ackward in front of the class. I use a video camera to tape myself giving a lectre and then play it back to critique my presence, clarity and focus during lecture. I know this doesn't account for student feeback or questions but it does build some confidence in my delivery.
