I'm continously researching for new information and ways of teaching by attending seminars or conferences organized by the professional organizations I'm a member of.
I'm always open to discuss new ideas with my colleagues,and introduce them in my class.
I also find extremely helpful ( I enjoy it too),
to give my students different assignments on certain topics,so they can bring different information they may have found on the Internet and share it in class.
I often tell my students that one of the many things I like about being a teacher is the fact that every day I learn from them too. :)
I like keeping up to date with all the lastest information on the subject I am teaching. I usually do that by searching the web and reading newspapers. I also like to speak with other instructors, whether they taught the specific course i am teaching or not, and see what they do in their classrooms.
I don't balance these things as I am not paid for prep time. I barely have time to enter grades on the clock, and I have to take this course when I should be teaching. My institution doesn't value continuing education, they mandate it to meet federal requirements but they allot the minimum amount of resources necessary to achieve it. So there is not balancing of time as I do not have any.
As a nursing faculty member, we must learn everyday as the health care arena changes daily. Nursing must obtain CEUs yearly to keep one abreast of the information.
Being an active member of my professional association allows me to receive emails and journals with up-to-date developments in my field. A also survey my students at the end of each semester to get their views on course content and delivery.
Balance, for me, comes when I analyze how I learn new information and reflect on how I might present the new information to my students so that they may retain it as I have.
It definitely takes a lot of time management to balance the two. I try to plan/review/study information pertaining to lectures and classroom time in advance. After planning for my lectures, i then research topics pertaining to the lecture/class and make changes as I learn new things.
I try to keep up with new things on my time as well ask my students if they have any information to add. I try to change it up with open ended questions that may help them think of things they may already know. I will never stop learning as well.
I make it a personal goal to try to bring in at least one current event article per week to my theory-based classes such as Intro to Economics, Customer Service, or Business Communications. I demonstrate connectivity to textbook content and examples for my students by getting their input on the article first(likes or dislikes). Then,I ask them to find in the textbook what chapter or specific pages relate to the article. This becomes a warm-up activity to their future assignments and projects for the remainder of their term.
I've found that one of the best ways to stay current on the topics in my curriculum is to discuss them on a regular basis with my students. While the technology may not change, often a students fresh perspective on a topic that I've grown comfortable with will spark some new understanding or open a new path of discussion that all will benefit from.
I believe that the more comfortable or the more knowledge I get on a topic the more comfortable I am with trying new ways to teach the information.
I completely understand and appreciate watching others instruct. not to critique in a critical way but to learn tips if you will for fresh delivery or watch how they respond to certain questioning. If all you have is your experiences to go by then thats how you respond. Seeing other ways is very enlightening.
Bykeeping up with current knowledge of my profession,and going to Teacher's Seminar's.
By keeping up with current knowledge about my profession,and attending Teacher's Seminar's.
I believe you can only teach as well as your knowledge will let you. You must first have a good understanding of the material and fill comfortable with presenting the material before any adjustments can be made in your teaching style. Most students can see through a teacher if they dont know what they are talking about.
I balance my time learing more on a subject with my desre to keep from inundating my students with information they are not ready for. I try to keep it simple and striaght forwanrd but when pressed can add more information that they will find helpful and interesting.
i enjoy working with the students they teach me almost as much as i teach them
Sometimes students can teach you something
A great question, the balance is in making sure you can effectively instruct. I think that you can learn with students as long as you guide the lecture on the topics. You never know what you may uncover in the classroom and it may be in a subject matter you consider yourself in expert in already. In this case spending more time on developing your teahing will bring out research and expertise on your subject that you may have not had with just researching the topic. A fine line for all instructors but one that we balance all the time.
Thank You,
Byron
I am always reading, asking questions, or surfing the web to find out more about my topic, or to glean other ideas about ways to improve my instructional strategies. We participate in Peer reviews to get ideas from oour colleagues. During an evening English Foundations class recently, we played Family Feud and the students created and sang a song using the parts of speech. It was fun and a great learning experience for both me and the students.
