I usually try to keep myself motivated by tring new way to motivate my students. by teaching diferent classes, the teaching delivery become less boring. Chalenge students are always keeping me on the edge, so I have to to come up with new teaching ideas, and force me to do not take anything for granted in my teaching style.
Many student think that it is easy to be the instructor. I have had students say, "your job is easy, you have all the answers and you decide what we do." This never upsets me because it is exactly the same thing I thought in school but now I realize how wrong I was. Teachers get just as burned out and frustrated as students and this strategies offer a method of rejuvinating the soul and mind for found 2 (so to speak). If I am not upbeat, interested and motivated by what I am presenting to my student how in the world can I expect them to be interested and motivated.
In addition, this is a great way to recap what was discussed and learned over the first half. It helps students put new knowledge into perspective and can offer some application. Students often do not realize they can take what they learned in the first half to help them more efficiently learn in the second half. I try to draw a learning map for my students to help them pull everything together and show them how to draw upon prior knowledge to learn new material.
Sometimes just a day or so of exhaling and regrouping gives all of us the energy we need to move forward.
Hi Laura,
Right you are about needing to keep refreshed and excited about teaching. What are some things you do to keep your excitement up for teaching?
Gary
Hitting the refresh button on ourselves allows us to open up and look at things from another angle. We will be more approchable, as well as more motivated to pass our knowledge along to our students. Also, showing the students how we can keep the positive momentum going is good support for them.
Instructors can get into a rut. After teaching a class several times they can become stale or they assume their class will meet all students learning needs. I like to look at my class and my teaching approach weeks 4 and 8 to see if I am meeting my students needs. I believe that if the majority of students do poorly in a class it is the instructors problem not the students. I also like to change areas of my classes every term--this prevents my getting bored--and if I am bored the students certainly will be.
Evaluations is an extremely important part of a process - one that should be continually introduced into the steps moving toward the end product. Without this essential element many critical elements can be missed. As an instructor it is necessary to take stock and reevaluate a variety of areas to make sure all are on track and the course objectives are being met.
Hi Heather,
Good to hear that you have been using the FOCUS method without knowing it was really that. The key is that it worked and helped you to be more effective and less stressed in the classroom.
Gary
Great point, Solita. I didn't realize this time how much I needed a break until I found out it was three weeks long. Lord did I need the reprieve! :-) We need those breaks just as much as the students to prevent going into burnout mode.
We all need a pat on the back and reassurance that we are an affective teacher. It's human nature to feel the need to step back, reevaluate and refocus our attention on the task at hand in any part of our lives, and especially in our professional life. I have had times I have felt out of control of my course and feel inadequate, rushed, and in desperate need of more than 24 hours in a day. I have used the REFOCUS method and didn't even know it. :-) If we are tired or feel stressed, this attitude will be passed on to our students and they smell our fear so to speak. We have to be an example in order to be more effective with our students.
Hi Gretchen,
Good point. Instructors need to take some time for themselves to recharge and refocus their minds. A bit of a walk about can really help and if more time is available then getting off sight will help. Another refocus strategy is to try something new for a class. The planning and then implementation helps to get you excited again about what you are teaching. Plus, it is fun to see if your new method will work.
Gary
Hi Shannon,
It is fun to do things differently. As instructors we get to be creative which helps us to get REFOCUSED. The students then benefit from out excitement as well as their own.
Gary
Overtime the instructors can become unfocused due to the paper work and regulations of the school.
To become refocused sometimes just getting a change of scenery . Taking a vacation or just a day trip can help you relax and clear your mind.I think finding a good stress outlet for yourself can help as well,just finding something you enjoy to do.
If we don't refocus, we could continually be doing the same thing over and over again. It would be very monotonous for the students and for ourselves. Mixing it up and refocusing are ways to make it more interesting for the students and the instructors.
Hi Christopher,
Being an instructor is much like the saying "if it was easy everyone would do it." Teaching does involve a number of different roles throughout the class as well as the course phase. We need to know when those roles need to be played so the students are supported and encouraged to continue with their work.
Gary
Hi Luis,
The list of questions to be asked by an instructor as the class is progressing is a good one. By following the items on the list an instructor will be able to keep his/her finger on the pulse of the class.
Gary
It is a good practice to look back and revisit how things are going. Are we achieving the goals and objectives we set out to achieve at the beginning of the course? Now that we are midterm, are we still in the path we set out to be? Do we need to revisit our original goals? Are our students as excited and motivated about the course now as they were at the beginning? What kind of non verbal (body language) is going on in our class?
An instructor needs to constantly assess how things are going from the point of view of the students, and the teacher. How are the class dynamics going? It is a good time for everybody involved to recognize the personal achievements thus fur in the course and it is also a good time to recommit to why we (instructors and students) are part of the course.
We as instructors give so much on a daily basis. I find that I end up being more than an teacher. In some cases I am a counselor, career coach, life skills coach, etc. You want each and every student to be successful and you work to help them to acheive success. You put so much into the class and sometimes it seems you get nothing from your students. This drains your enthusiam and desire. You have to "REFOCUS" in order to recognize that hopefully you have done the best job you could and at the end of the day thats all that matters.
Hi David,
As life long learners we have to keep up with our field and the developments in learning so we offer our students our best. This is what professional development is all about. Well said.
Gary
Change! If we do not continually refocus we will probably get caught in a rut and lose sight of what is going on around us. Our classes are constantly changing in attitudes and makeup which we need to be aware of and change our outlook which is one of the basic reasons to refocus. Taking this class is an excellent way to have your eyes opened and refocus what we are doing in our classroom.
Hi Franz,
Well said. Instructors impact lives and we have to remember that this impact can be positive or negative. It is up to us to make it positive due to our excitement and enthusiasm for our field.
Gary
