Preparation
It's good for the instructor to arrive for class early, start the class on time and have all necessary materials ready and organized.
Gregory,
I am with you. When I am prepared like you have laid out I go into the class confident and ready to teach. I know my material and that I can adjust as needed depending on what ever direction the class may go. When I am not as prepared I feel like I am lacking in having the control I want and the feeling that I am being the instructor I want to be. Thanks for sharing this good information with us.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I really like to be over-prepared for the day. In this manner if something goes amiss with technical equipment then an alternate plan is at my fingertips. I also feel that preparation is the essential to teach any subject. Do I know what the concepts are for the day? Do I have a clear way of delineating the key points or a way to illustrate the details of the structure? I get the best results day to day with more content being prepared than i can use, and then my next move is already in place for the next day, if i did not use all the material.
Ernest,
Right you are about needing to be a role model. By doing what you need to do so you are prepared and organized goes a long way in establishing you as the learning leader. From there on it is a building process.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Being on time, and prepared is showing the students how to be successful in the workplace. If the instructor is constantly late, then the students will start showing up late. The students need to see their instructors as role models. If you show up late and don't know the material the students are going to treat the class as a waste of time, and it will be much harder to take back and keep control of the class.
I agree, I think that prep is everything in the classroom. The students can always tell if their instructor is not prepared for the days lesson/lecture. I like to arrive to my classroom early & have my desk set up so that we can start right on time.
Cameron,
This is a great warm up activity as you get ready to teach a class. This review gets your mind ready for what you want to share and build the confidence you need to be effective that session.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I like to start each day with reading through the things that I will lecture about that day. It allows me to think about what I want add to my lecture that is not covered in the Power Point and make sure I'm bring it up at an appropriate time.
Floyd,
Excellent point about preparation. I have colleagues that do not invest the preparation time needed for student learning success and after class they are disappointed because the session did not go well. What did they expect? We need to bring our A game each time we meet with students if we want to achieve results.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Preparation
by: Floyd Mitchell Raines
Knowledge is an on-going pursuit. An educator must show up ready and prepared to present the material and also be able to back track if need be or move forward if all content is being received accurately. Only by being prepared can an educator flow between theory and practical applications.
Stephanie,
It is a must. If the instructor arrives late it will be almost impossible to get the students to come on time because by being late they are just modeling what the instructor does -- come in late.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think it very important for an instructor to arrive to class on time, it sets the expectation for students.
By arriving early you can solve any technical issues (if any) before class actually begins.
Indeed. When the instructor is getting organized during class time, students tend to begin focusing on non related activities and then must be brought back to full attention.
