I lean toward using available time to improving the teaching techniques to keep the students actively involved in the class. I get a lot of professional readings to update me on subject matter and that takes little effort. The big effort is to keep the classroom interesting and relative to our subject matter. As an adjunct teacher, semi-retired, time is not a critical issue for me.
I think it is important to stay current on all course material, at the same time we must strive to continue learning. We must make an effort not to let our skills degrade, not only as an instructor also as a profesional in our chosen field. It is important as well to recognize the classroom as a fluid environment each learner brings different expectations and skills, we must be prepared to respond effectively, and develop methods of delivery to address all types of learners.
Students have alot to offer, especially those that are older and have previous careers.
I constantly reshape and reform my classes each term. It is always good to rethink your classes, even the ones that work, in order to make them the most effective!
Many times both teaching techniques, and advancement in one's fields of endeavour are developed simaltaneously while in the class room. One technique I use is the"parking lot". I make clear to my students that I too, while being very learnant in the subject at hand, am always looking for more experience and education, to the end of becoming better at teaching as well as what I teach. Any questions posed that can't be answered in the class, we place in the parking lot, and turn into a class project to find the information, and of course documentation to go with it. Everyone wins!
I have a mentor who has decades of experiance thus I put in my own time to self improve. At times I would sit in at his lectures, demonstrations as well as private conversations also outside of working hours. It seems to me there is always "cheaper to learn out of others' mistakes".
I TRULY AGRRE,I ALWAYS GET FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS,HOW TO MAKE IT A BETTER LEARNING EXPERIENC,ANS I ALWAYS LEARN AND MAKE CHANGES IN MY TEACHIN
I feel that teachers have the opportunity to utilize their students a lot. Their backgrounds allow them to add to the classroom. I also find that co-teaching allows teachers to learn from eachother. Communication amongst faculty is important.
I balance the need to learn more by continuing to work in the field in which I teach. My classroom time can therefore be spent on the implimentation of the new things I learn while using new techniques.
I am relatively new in this field as an instructor. But so far i have learned that every student can not be taught the same way.What is right for one isnt necessarily right for the other.Choosing different words during lecture,how you instruct demos,watching different instructors teach,keeping up on new technology and incorporating all this into your class,keeps me learning.Every day is a new adventure.
I research a lot and try to find ways to add it into my already made lecture without taking up too much time. I look through what is outdated and what is new and try to stay as contemporary as I can.
I try to stay current with changing info in the field and introduce anything that I think might spark some interest and discussion.
Taking classes and going to meeting that discuss the latest innovations in the software used in class always help with my growth as a learning facilitator. Also asking other instructors what they do to see how they teach opens up new avenues of presenting the material more effectively to students.
Re: the need to learn more; I do alot of updating through the internet as well as continuing education credits for RN.
Re: Developing new ways of teaching is through exploring, classes like this, my DOE teaching and ideas from peers.
When students inquire about things I am not fully capable of answering, I ask them to google the information and share it with the whole class.
This has been received very well since the student gets to leave class and return to share what information they found in order to open up the class for more discussion if/when applicable.
I do so through CTU online. They require and provide 4 professional development opportunities. Two opportunities must be in relation to the subject matter I teach. The other two relate to teaching/facilitating in general. The university gives us a year to complete with constant encouragement given throughout the year via e-mail from a dedicated staff member. Finally, I use the time between courses to complete such required development.
I think they go hand in hand. The more you know about the subject you teach the better you understand what your teaching goals ought to be. My instruction in the classroom is dictated by the goals that I believe my students will be best served by, and sometimes I need to experiment with new teaching tools in order to accomplish those goals.
I spend most of my time trying to develope new methods of teaching and spending quality time in the classroom. We sometimes are not able to go to lab for hands-on training so it is very challanging to keep the classroom interesting.
I find that I learn as much from the students as I teach them. They get me thinking more about the subject in ways that I hadn't considered. Plus if they ask me something thaat I don't konw the answer to it makes me do some research to find the answer.
I read and review new material and techniques on how things have changed and from there I develop new ways to teach based on each individual class and the experience they have in this area.
