Teaching and Acting
Sometimes I think teaching is like being an actor or actress. You need to know what role you need to play and sometimes you have to get into character. Does anyone else feel this way?
By doing this, we grab students attention. I have also found keeping students on their toes so they don't know what to expect helps as well.
So True!!
I remember thinking very nearly the same thing while watching Bill Cosby's stand up. "I wish he was my history teacher" I thought. Well, that is something to try to live up to. Thanks for reminding me!
DARRON,
I agree and it is something we need to remember as we work through our instructional delivery. We need to keep the students engaged by using a variety of methods throughout each session.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
There really is very little separation between the two. Students tend to relate when their instructor has a sense of humor and can still deliver his/her message effectively. i consider myself to be humerous but stern on occassions to give sense of importance when dealing in subject matter. The best teachers are usually great actors.
Ryan,
Edutainment is a part of teaching. We need to keep the students engaged and focused on what we are sharing with them. You have a good understanding of this approach, plus a laugh always helps to keep the students relaxed and learning ready.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
This is something I look forward to every day. Not only the acting but being a comedian. There are times that I will joke about my own past miss fortunes (which I have a few from before I knew better) and this really gets the class involved with questions and gives the students a mind break.
Helen,
Spoken like a true actor. Enjoy your teaching and the impact you are making on the lives of your students. This is what being an educator is all about. The bonus is that you get to share your field with your students, enjoy being an educator and get a paycheck at the end of the month. It is a win win for everyone.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
OMG! This is the very thing that sold me on teaching!! I was always the passive one and had a hard time asserting myself in a male dominated profession. But once I got in front of students I found I had a captive audience (where were they going to go?!) who thought that anything that came out of my mouth was mannah from heaven! I never realized what a ham I was. I'm almost embarassed to admit at what a high I get out of it. The more I yuck it up the more they laugh. The more they laugh the more I yuck it up!
Doug,
Thank you for the comments. We need to realize and recognize our gifts in terms of teaching and use them to reach our students. Just as our students are unique we are unique so we can bring our personalities to the classroom and communicate effectively.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Traci,
Your thoughts are right on. We need to put ourselves in the seats of our students and ask ourselves if we would like to take our class. The answer we give ourselves should dictate the approach we take to the classroom. Be dynamic and show passion, both sell to students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Bill Cosby.
As a kid I would listen to Bill Cosby and his routines over and over. I did not need a tv because the story was told with such vigor and varied inflection that I could see it in my head.
When I teach I think about Bill Cosby and how he would tell this story. I draw on a real life experience and then apply it to my lesson and almost always is humorous.
I once told a fellow instructor, 'wow, I really wish I had your high energy presence when you teach'. He says to me, 'I really wish I had the humor that you put into your teaching.'
It was at that point that I actually realized that not everyone has that approach or ability to convey humor to their audience!
I've always found a bit of theatricality to be of great use in the classroom. It tends to keep the students awake and entertained, and often makes the material more memorable. There's a bit of a balancing act to make sure it doesn't become a distraction, but, used responsibly, it adds a lot to the class session.
I agree, but to take it one step further, I think we also have to act out what we are trying to get across, through animation and inflection. I have been to many lectures where the presenter was so dry and boring I had a hard time focusing on anything. A good animated instructor with stories from the field to tie into the lectures seems to work well. I don't know if this makes sense but just my thoughts.
Absolutely!
Daily I must prepare not only with my classroom materials, but with my game face and props to grab and retain the attention of my students.
Yes i understand what you mean. Sometimes i feel i have to play the role of the material i covering in order to help get my point accross of how serious the things we are discussing maybe. Especially teaching a field in healthcare where we are dealing with helping others
