I agree with John's comments. In addition to a facility supplied syllabus, I also provide a more personalized "course requirements" sheet for my students. I believe it provides a summerized "what I must do to pass" fact sheet for the student. Often instructor investment in a course will lead to better student response; if you seem unprepared, your students will not bother to prepare either.
Lisa,
Having a standardized program enables you to stay consistent while stamping your course with your personality. Also, you can refine your instructional delivery since you already have the core content given to you.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
At my campus, this is already taken care of for us. The programs are standardized. We have some flexibilty in what we can introduce within the program, but ultimately, we have to stick to the original layout prepared by our advisory board and leaders. It works and allows for all instructors to be on the same page especially if an instructor is absent.
LT
Jason,
I hate to hear stories like this but sad to say they are more common that we would like. At least this instructor taught you how not to conduct yourself as an educator. I know your students are benefiting from this negative experience.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This is the truth. As a student, I had one instructor that I swear seemed like he came in everyday at the last minute just "winging it" like he'd never even seen the materials, the powerpoints, or had any idea of what or how much material needed to be covered that day. It really came back to bite him in the backside later, and we (the students) know we didn't nearly the quality of instruction we expected from that course. I have seen how badly being unprepared goes, and I strive to be as well prepared as I can be.
John,
Your first sentence is so important for instructors to remember. We have to make what we are teaching ours and personalize it even if it is standardized in terms of content. This gets us invested in the content and excited about teaching while we share the required content.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
If the school is supplying a syllabus for the class you are teaching, it must still be personalized to the teacher and their strength of teaching styles. If the instructor cannot make changes to the supplied syllabus, it becomes more about teaching to the syllabus rather than teaching the content based on his or her instructional strengths. Being able to modify the syllabus will allow the instructor to personalize the addition of supplemental material to aid in the delivery of the knowledge.
Ruth Ann,
Standardized courses are common in career colleges and so much of the developmental aspects of instructional planning are taken off the table for you. On the other hand you are personalizing the content through your method of tweaking it. The students need to see the course and the content as being yours even if it is standardized or they won't believe you believe in what you are teaching.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
At the school where I teach, all of our classes are mapped out for us. They have selected the textbooks, created the syllabus, course outline etc. I take the course outline and tweak it just a bit so that my students have a better understanding of what to expect in each class.
Richard,
I agree with how an instructor should prep for a class. By having everything ready to go and confidence in what is going to be shared the instructor is ready to communicate with the students as well as build rapport with them as the course unfolds.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
With early preparation and planning the instructor is more relaxed, confident and ready to "meet and greet" students upon their arrival. This might also make the difference in how he/she handles that "off the wall" question that invariably comes up during any class!
I also never understood how hard it was to prepare for a class. For me this has become a motivator to try to be as prepared and as efficient possible. I thank everyone for their input.
Heather,
Only way to go. With planning like this the instructor can really enjoy sharing the content and activities because he or she know they are prepared and ready to teach.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Carmella,
Good point about preparedness and instructional ease. One contributes to another and both lend themselves to effective instruction.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Early and comprehensive planning is critical when it comes to the deliver of course content. By developing a detailed outline up front an instructor can determine if all relevant and important information is being covered in a course. The instructor can properly allocate time for each topic and rearrange if necessary.
Heather
The well prepared instructor is more at ease with both the material and interacting with the students. It portrays one aspect of the instructor's professionlism. Striving to maximize productivity in the classroom.
Mike,
I like your strategy for first class jitters. This gives you something to start with as you interact with the class and everybody works to get a feel for the class. Thanks for sharing this idea with us.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have taught on and off for the last 35 years. It is not my primary career, it’s something I enjoy. No matter what the subject is that I plan to teach, the key to enjoying it is to be prepared! Of course, the first requirement is to be a subject matter expert. The second requirement for me is to have a plan for how I present the information. Power Point works well for this. I use it to stay on track. I don’t like to read from it but short bullet points with pictures provide visual interest for the class. The bullet points also keep me on track and prevent me from missing any key points.
I thought it was interesting to see the comment that no matter how long you have been teaching, you are still nervous at the beginning of any class. I used to not be able to sleep the night before! A trick I use is to have a first sentence prepared that will grab the classes’ attention. I memorize the sentence word for word. When I get up in front of my class for the first time, I start with my memorized sentence. Once I’m talking, the nerves disappear and the fun begins!
Paul,
Variety in instructional delivery helps to keep you engaged which also will engage the students. I teach the same courses over and over again so I can relate to your situation. I try to introduce something new each time I teach because then I am engaged in the class because I don't know how the new case study, role play or learning group activity will work. I have with the new strategy and the students benefit from my enthusiasm for the field.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I teach the same 6 week course over and over so it is very tempting to do the same thing over and over. I found that I not only need to add new methods and inforlmation each time but I also need to see which methods or information are not serving the student's needs and remove or drastically modify them. It is a constant temptation to continually add to the course. Un fortunately, the students do not have a limitless learning capacity.
