I tend to keep my excitment for the class if I have students that are fun to teach. By that I mean, students that like to share, that respond to my questions, that are actively engaged in the class. If I run low on energy for the class, I ussually rebound right back when I interact with the students. That is how I get my batteries charged.
Amalia
Hi Gordon,
One of the ways I have done it to to announce that I have just been approached by a person asking if I can provide a solution to a problem (I give details and specifics) that has to be solved in the next number of hours. (Can be 24-72,etc.) Then I ask for input and possible solutions. Sometimes I will break the class into groups and have them work on a part of the solution. Then we all get together at the end of the time and see what we have. It fun for the students and it really draws them together.
Gary
This is, thankfully, one problem that we don't see too much of here, since we get a new class every 6 weeks.
This is a way cool idea. The question I have is how to implement surprise ideas in an online environment. Any thoughts?
Gordon
Burnout and discouragement seem to occur if the instructor perhaps is not reaching the class the way he / she anticipates. I remember a course I taught where I actually called a time-out about 3 weeks into it and restructured the way the rest of the course was to be delivered because during the first three weeks, the students simply were not responding and not getting the material. That time out taught me a lot about what to anticipate going into a course.
I've never really had the issue of needing to REFOCUS, at least formally. But, perhaps now that I'm aware of the phenomenon, I'll see the issue occurring and be able to take the right steps :)
Gordon
Hi Ryan,
I agree completely about the need for additional team building in the professional sense. By exchanging ideas and spending time sharing everyone can develop a sense of what others are doing plus develop an appreciation for how to work together.
Gary
I love this idea Gary.
Instructors will often have personal means of mentally preparing for class on a daily basis, but recharging the "community" aspect can really benefit the individual instructor.
I wish that my college did more of this. Instructors need to get together, get to know each other, gain a support system, find value in camaraderie, discover new ideas, share best practices, whatever it is.
In-service tends to be too much procedure, numbers, logistics. Why not have it be "team building", not in the silly corporate sense, but in the real world, supportive community sense.
Refocusing is an essential process. As instructors we are assessing students all the time. The assessment should really start with the instructor.
Teachers can becoming stagnant in teaching the same material and we lose our enthusiasm for teaching. Refocusing helps get a new light and recharge our battery and enthusiam for the course.
Hi Meghan,
The key is to know when you are getting into that rut. With your comments I can tell that you work hard to make sure that this does not happen to you. Keep up the good work.
Gary
I think that we all get in a rut throughout the quarter and just want to go with it until the quarter is done. I have to REFOCUS myself and really reevaluate my teaching strategies many times throughout the quarter.
Hi Carol,
Good way of keeping yourself fresh and ready to teach. This is so important in keeping the energy level up in the classroom. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Instructors need to refocus because if we become stagnant, it shows in our teaching-students pick up on it, and they then lose the enthusiasm for the topic.
I think all instructors get to a place where their energy runs low and their enthusiasm starts to drop. I see it at our school when there are long breaks between vacations. I think that we may be lucky in that we change the classes we teach every 3 weeks. I know that this helps me continually refocus by having to refresh myself on the up coming course and syllabus before each new term. This helps me to think about how I am going to approach the new class and what I can do to teach the class more effectively than I did the last time.
Carol Kravitz
When you have taught for a number of years it is easy to use the same old lesson plans and in doing that you lose enthusiasm for the subject. I constantly read current resources on the subject area and add to my powerpoint presentations so that my students can see how history is still "alive" today.
It's important to refocus to keep your teaching exciting and effective. Going over the same material every day makes it easy to get into a 'letcure rut' and not really think about what we're saying. And refocusing keeps us in touch with how effective we are in our classes.
Hi Terrie,
Good to hear about your excitement as you approach the classroom. This is what keeps the interest of your students and your motivation for being a teacher. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Hi Meggan,
Good plan for constantly improving your instructional abilities. The more instructors talk with other instructors and attend in-services the more options they will have to select from to customize their teaching.
Gary
It's easy teaching the same material to get into a rut. I find that being a student myself and researching continuously for new material keeps excitement in my lectures. I'm always extied when I have new information to share with my students.
By taking a step back to refocus, the instructor can take a look at the course through the students eyes. This will let the instructor re-live the learning experience, and allow them to remember why the career field was chosen. I think this will allow for more excitement, and energy when teaching a subject.
