You cannot be an effective teacher, therefore your students will not be confident unless you provide a comprehensive plan for instruction.
One needs to be fully prepareed in order to confidently deliver information to the students. When the instructor is fully prepared they are more confident. Students are more likely to connect to an instructor that is confident.
I agree wholeheartedly. I believe that if you are well prepared, you've allowed yourself time to prepare for any prior issues/confusions with the lesson and for any new questions/issues that may come up (from you and/or from your students).
I think it's important so that you know as the instructor and they know as the students that they will have what they need to meet course objectives. You have to show them and instill in the professionalism and not being prepared in advance is not profesional conduct. I would think that it would make me feel more confident as well to know that I planned well and have the means to execute the plan.
I think early and comprehensive planning is important for instructional success because it shows instructor professionalism, can be motivational to students, and shows the overall excitement for teaching and learning.
I find early preparation very helpful with the success of my teachings. It makes instruction less complicated and easier to flow through the course. With out preparation, I might find my teaching and instruction very chopping and unorganized.
Hi Toni,
I think you will really enjoy the results you get from letting the students do some of the exploring and searching where they can get answers to questions that are raised in class. Let me know how this approach works for you.
Gary
The not knowing is the thing I panic most about - and beat myself up about as well! You are right, that we don't need to know the answer to everything - we just need to know how/where to get it and follow through. I often allow students the chance to research these topics and present to the class the next week.
Early and comprehensive planning helps to keep the class cohesive and allows you to use components to build on eachother. If you function week to week, you miss out on the opportunity to truly tie components together. It also gives you a better understanding of how the entire class lays out so you can allocate the time needed for certain tasks more appropriately.
Early comprehensive planning is important in order to be prepared to answer students' questions, and help students achieve the course objects.
Hi Bruce,
Great points and your method of presenting it really says it all. You are right about the planning, planning, planning part. It is the core of what teaching is all about.
Gary
If the three most important words in marketing are location, location and location then the three most important words to education are planning, planning and planning.
Planning in the early stages of a course will assure that you will be able to have well thought out objectives and lessons.
Planning in the middle stages will help you adjust to unforeseen circumstances.
Planning in the later stages of a course will guarantee that you have met your objectives.
I believe that a classroom is an ever changing entity, always unpredictable. That's what makes it so great!
Hi Dr. McArdle,
You make a number of excellent points about how to approach the classroom. Your "read" of your students is what makes your planning and organization so valuable and rewarding to your students. Thanks for sharing these perspectives with us.
Gary
My experience has been that students gain a sense of security when they see a complete, well-organized, clean course outline that is easy to follow and tells them exactly what is expected of them.
I pay extreme attention to spelling (many of the responses in this thread from *instructors* contain misspellings!), use of bold type or underlining to identify assignments or tests, spacing so the student can add notes, and format.
What I present to the students also serves as a model of the level of care I expect from them in the course and in their career.
Students do not appreciate last-minute changes. Even though adjusting to change is also a part of what the student may have to learn, the planning I do and the structure I provide give those students a base to work back to and a model of how to do just that.
As I set up the course outline I am also able to identify inconsistencies in assessments, avoid extremes in workload, plan for instructional resources, and work around a missed class due to a holiday. I work in some open time to accomodate problems in comprehension or unexpected glitches beyond my control (e.g. a power failure).
Providing all this, and the obvious care that was taken to do so, also demonstrates to the students that I care about their success. This can be another source of encouragement to a student who is feeling shaky. For some of our students the education they are seeking may be the only secure or stable part of their life. What I present to the student represents the future. It had better be good.
So that you have a direction and you cover what Globe requires.
Early and comprehensive planning is so important for instructional success because when you get in front of a group of people it is much more difficult to think as clearly as you usually do. This may not be true for everyone, but it's true for me.
I also need the comfort of feeling prepared. I'm in a much better mind-set when I feel that I am prepared and ready to go. If I'm flying into class and flying by the seat of my pants, I'm flustered and nervous--not that I would know what it feels like to be unprepared, of course.
However, it's important to remember that, no matter how prepared one is there will always be unforseen cirucmstances that occur. Just make sure that you remember to be flexible and go with the flow, but don't let it drag you under! I've found that it really helps to be prepared, but it also really hurts my instruction when I am too rigid.
This allows you to attempt to cover any situations that may arise. You will look better prepared to your students as well as more professional. Plus it will help the students feel at ease and that you know what you are talking about.
Hi Joan,
I commend you for your planning efforts. This gives you a level of comfort that enables you to focus on the dynamics of the class and student needs because you know the content you are going to deliver. This increases your effectiveness and engages the students at a higher level.
Gary
Early comprehensive planning aids an instructor in being prepared. The earlier I began the more equipped I am for the class. There is always last minute items that need to be added, however when you have a longer time period you are more prepared and I find that the students will be in an environment where they are more apt to learn the essentials. For example, when I am preparing for one of my lecture classes, I begin to prepare for this class about 6 months before the class begins. I order my book, go through the book to find out what would be beneficial, what extra items will I need to acquire.
My theory on classroom preperation is, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Teachers must take time to plan thoughtful lessons to ensure the students get the most out of their education. Having clear lesson plans and objectives will help ensure that class will run smoothly. For every hour spent in the classroom, teachers should spend about two hours preparing. Remember, "failing to prepare is preparing to fail!"
