Hi Mary,
So critical but many times not done sufficiently by instructors. With planning comes direction, success and satisfaction. As a result there is not reason for not planning other than it takes time and effort yet the pay off for everyone is tremendous. It is a win win all around.
Gary
It creates the fundamentals of how the course will take effect. It's like building a building. You create the bases for the columns which support the walls later. If these bases are created from the beginning we will have reached almost 90% of the success of the course
Mary
If you don't plan for something early, then you don't plan for something at all.
The whole idea behind planning is that it is done in advance. You simply cannot plan for something in real time. The plan comes before the action.
Preplanning prevents poor performance. I begin prepping when I find out what classes I am teaching. I prep each day before class. After class I review what went well, what might not have gone exactly as planned and what will need to be reviewed in class the next day.
I know this will sound rather simple but, students simply learn more when we are prepared. It's not about us, it's about them.
Student's love to see their instructors prepared that in turn translates to a well organized instructor. Thus, they will feel confident you are planning the course not just off the cuff. I always have material that is hands on and they seem to rise to the challenge. Sometimes I have to do some hand holding but overall it works when you have a game plan. It just took one incident to come to this conclusion when a student said my papers were not organized and they were everywhere.
I feel that it is important because you should already have something preplanned of what you are going to talk about. I think that you should always be prepared for your class.
Planning ahead, being well-prepared for class and arriving early to set up each class demonstrates our competency as instructors to our students. In turn, it will promote trust and respect from our students. It also helps us build our own self-confidence as instructors because when we are well-prepared, we teach with a greater degree of enthusiasm and confidence.
Hi Harry,
Good to hear about how you are striving to expand your instructional expertise. I have been teaching for many years as well and you are right on with your comment about how you/we continually learn something new each time we teach.
Gary
I found section 2 interesting. The overview of the syllabus really illustrated ideas I can immediately apply to my classes. I particularly liked the extensive breakdown of the teaching environment. As I stated earlier, one is never too old or experienced to learn new and more effective methods of teaching.
Early and comprehensive planning is so important for instructional success because it allows for organization. For instructional success it is important that the instructor has a clear, understandable plan together in advance for his/her class. This will help eliminate confusion, overscheduling,not being on task,and any other conflict that may arise from not having a clear plan in advance.
Hi Daniel,
Right you are about instructional planning. It makes it so much easier for everyone when proper planning has been done prior to class rather than trying to just muddle through.
Gary
Planning is key to gaining confidence in the students and allowing the instructor to maintain control of the class in a way that the students feel comfortable and not threatened. It also allows the class to run smoothly with the maximum amount of information exchange.
I beleive this helps you be organized,and in control of your class. It eliminates confussion for you and the students.
For me personally it an oppotunity to revisit and digest information that is part and parcel of our curriculum (often revisted on a 12 week cycle). It is also a chance to add updates and technical information as it becomes available from the trade, the field and even the State.....Preplanning is key in staying knowledgable and literate when presenting course content, giving students solutions and answering their questions and concerns....
The better prepared an instructor is the better they will be able to present the course material in an informative way that helps facilitate the students effort to be educated or trained on a topic. Also with more comprehensive planning the resources needed to teach with can be identified and developed.
Hi Robert,
Good comments about this area. It is so obvious that planning is required and yet many instructors feel that they don't have to plan nor be organized in their efforts. Then they can't understand why their classes don't go well and their students are unhappy.
Gary
Dr. Meers,
You asked, "Why is early and comprehensive planning so important for instructional success?"
It is crucial just as prewriting is crucial in building effective papers so the ideas can be worked out, the resources can be gathered and the individual lessons can be planned effectively. All of these activities will better support student learning.
Luke,
I have been there. Students are the first to recognize when an instructor is not prepared. As an instructor I realized that being prepared is essential to my students and class success. As I conduct classes which I have prepared, I find that my classroom plan must be adjusted as I learn from my students. Each class consists of students with different levels of understanding and expectations. I try to incorporate into my class plan those topics or items that will meet the students expectations.
Sharon,
I couldn't agree with you more. A prepared instructor conveys to the students that the instructor is committed to the students success and has a professional attitude toward teaching.
