Preparation
For my first year as a college instructor, I prepared on a class-by-class basis the afternoon prior to that class. Since then, I have prepared my lesson plans prior to the course for each meeting. The results are signifcantlt better. I am more organized and there is more cohesion to the cumulative delivery of course content. As Module 3 suggests, preparation is key.
Hi Jerri,
There is nothing wrong with being highly organized even if it borders on OCD. At least you are coming to the class with everything in order and ready to go. This gives as you say some stability to the lives of your students even it is is only for a brief time in relation to their lives outside of the classroom.
Gary
Hi Dawn,
Also, it is always good to be able to work with a "net" rather than without a "net" as an instructor. A lesson plan helps to give you more confidence about what you are doing in a new class and as a beginning instructor.
Gary
I agree with this statement. I have only been instructing for two years and I love it. At first, I found it difficult to be as prepared as I needed to be. I was almost frozen by the fear of a question I could not answer!!! But after such a breif time(two yrs is brief) I feel so comfortable with it.The more organized I am the better my students learn. They begin to get accustomed with my routine and they seem to adapt to it so easily now. Current students tell up and coming students what to expect and I rarely stray from my routine. I have found that my ability to organize and my reliance on routine is helpful to students whose lives outside of class are sometimes chaotic. We do have some fun at my expense in class, about my "OCD" behaviour they say. But that keeps things light and very manageable.
As a first time adjunct instructor I did the same. Although I felt like it was time consuming, I was much better prepared for class with my lesson plan at my finger tips.
Hi Matthew,
Good strategy. This will help you to bring creativity and new activities into the lessons as you mention this helps keep you fresh and excited about teaching the units.
Gary
I try to keep all my lesson plans in one area for each class and then add and update to them. This will keep the class up to date with the real world and not have old material.
Hi Jeffrey,
Great to hear about how your lesson plans are working for you through preparation. I know that with good preparation instructors have more time to enjoy student interaction and the development of rapport with them. Both interaction and rapport development is difficult to make a part of instruction when you are trying to survive day by day.
Gary
Preparation is indeed key to success and students will certainly notice rather quickly when an instructor shows up unprepared and are not afraid to let their emotions show both in the class and in the end of term evaluations too!!
It also helps the instructor to offer a well run course too that will accomplish the course goals and objectives too in a timely fashion.
