How to be a good teacher
Being a good teacher can be the most rewarding and exciting job in the world. However, being a teacher who doesn't work effectively can be stressful, painful, and exhausting.
Pamela,
This is something that we need to do throughout our teaching careers. As life long learners we need to always be on the look out for ways to improve and expand our message and our effectiveness with our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I truly agree that being a good instructor can be the most rewarding and exciting job in the world. However, every good instructor should always take the time to reflect on what did and did not work with a class thereby learning from each experience. I can say this from personal experience, because a recent graduating class has sure taught me the art of reflecting and making changes within myself and my teaching style and approach to assure I am delivering the material effectively.
Gilbert,
There has to be a mental shift on the part of the students as they move through their program and that shift has to include the fact that it is their future they are shaping. They have to decide for themselves if they are going to be successful and then put forth the required effort. If they don't then they are going to fail and their failure is theirs and theirs alone. This is why your approach is so important in their career development. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Yes, I agree. I teach pharmacology in an LVN Program. By the time the students get to me, they have been so coddled into thinking that "everything will be ok, even if you have an F." They are then shocked when they discover that this is not the case. I believe in consistency with setting expectations, courtesy, professionalism, and respect. I find that students adjust very quickly to the expectations imposed upon them.
Patricia,
These are the types of students I am getting as well. Self discipline is not a strong point with them but entitlement is. The key is to hold to the standards of the field and show students how to acquire the needed competencies. If they do they will be successful and if they don't their failure rests with their lack of discipline.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I absolutely agree with everyone's posts. I do find that it is difficult because other professors may not hold the same standard. The caliber of students today seem to be coddled. They are handed things easily and expect immediate gratification...don't want to work.
Thomas,
You make a number of very good points about the attitude we need to project to our students. We are models of our field as well learning leaders for our students. Our every action is being observed so we need to set the standard for our students and project our expectations both verbally as well as through our actions.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Hi Gary,
I agree about planning and selecting instructional content. However, I believe that a good teacher must also set the tone for courtesy and respect in the class setting and do as much as he or she can to create a comfortable environment for discovery. If students feel the least bit intimidated (and sometimes new lessons or challenges can be a little scary at first to some...), they certainly won't feel comfortable enough to absorb as much as they could have from a course. I, like many of us, have had my share of both good and bad instructors. And some of these "bad" instructors had extremely impressive resumes and credentials. Some just didn't seem interested in engaging students (they only wanted to speak at the class) and some did not appear to be invested in the success of the students in the class as much as they could have been.
Mai,
That is for sure. This is why we instructors need to work hard in our planning and selection of instructional content. This will result in better instruction and engaged students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
