Hi Giles,
You are making it "real" for your students as you are bringing to the class room evidence of your abilities and skills each time the class meets. They know you have the skills to be competitive in your field and you are willing to share these knowledge and skills.
This has to excite them as they can see in you what they can become if they put forth the effort to acquire the knowledge needed.
Gary
My approach may be a little different as I am a working professional in my field. I am able to show the students the kind of commercial work that I do and how they will be able to reproduce the same techniques in class. I find it energizes them from the beginning that they know by the end of the class they will be able to produce commercial quality work.
When I first began to teach I went to one of my old instructors and asked him what he thought was the most important thing to know going into the career. He told me basically to keep the students engaged (entertained and if you can slip in some education in there even better) and to make a positive first impression. This way they're likely to come back to class the next day. You know, turns out he was right!
Positive first impressions are important because, first impressions are lasting.
Because you want students to emulate your professionalism and encourage them to learn and motivate them to succeed
Many times, the learners will base their opinion of the course on their first impression of the instructor. Granted, it can be either a positive or negative impression. But, the impression of the instructor also translates to the tone and format of the classroom as well. What are your thoughts on this? I look forward to your feedback.
It lets your students know that you are there to help them and also to let them know you know what you are doing.
Making a positive first impression is very important. That first impression is something that you can never take back. Students like to judge you on your actions and character. When they see that you are nice and kind that will stick with them. They see you as being a very delicate person and it will also affect how that student performs in your class. If you are mean and nasty, your students will not do well. If you are positive they will see things positive and make a great impact in you class.
Hi Sarah,
You will quickly see how you can extend such an impression through your communications. Even though you don't meet on-site there are a number of ways you can extend your personality and welcome to your students online.
Gary
I think making a positive first impression is vital. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Before making the switch recently to becoming an online college instructor, I was a classroom teacher in a middle school setting. It was always very important to me to dress up more than normal, greet my students individually, and shake their hands when I met them. They feel much more appreciated and important and I hope I find ways to extend this to my online learners.
Hi Antoinette,
What do you use for ice breakers in your classes?
Gary
The instructor will have a ice breaker
Smiling and greeting the students at the door
It is important so the students have confidence in you that they will learn something. Come into the class properly attired, be a little early and engage some students in pre-class chatter. Come prepared with the syllabus and textbook and well as any first class handouts. Smile!!
Hi Dawn,
You are right in how respect can be earned. By being excited and prepared you are showing them what a professional in the field should be like.
Gary
To earn respect from your students. By letting tthem see that you are excited about the course material, they will be more likely to be eager learners also.
I totally agree with these subject. Thanks for the input
Because of the environment indigenous to the virtual classroom, I cannot look my student in the eye, respond to body language, or smile when the quiet one in the back makes a great comment. I have to create new ways to reach out to students and anticipate their needs based on the few typed words in an email or conveyed in a chatroom.
That being said, the online environment constantly challenges me to find new ways to challenge my student, and in doing so, I learn through each and every student correspondence. Just as body orientation in a campus-based classroom hints of a student lack of assuredness or understanding, so too are there cues in the online environment.
For instance, the angry student email often reveals a sense of frustration, failure or low self-esteem, all of which can be addressed by a teacher’s heightened sense of guidance. Taking this type of correspondence at face value is not enough and must be perceived by the teacher as an opportunity to better stimulate lines of communication and to refocus the student on productivity, completion and success.
It is very important to make your students feel that you are a part of a team along with them, as opposed to making them feel that you are an authority figure. You make yourself more approachable that way.
