Teachers have an opportunity to refocus every day by changing the way in which you lead into a subject. The exchange can be between a group of students that can change with each subject. Allowing students to refocus with the change of each group.
Joshula
Jeffrey,
I like this idea. Our classes start early also, and my students do not seem to be 'caffeinated' yet. Open discussion, and a short review might wake them up enough for thier quiz/test!
Great idea!
Cheryl
Hi Garry,
I like your "prep" work as you get ready to teach. It starts early in the parking lot and continues throughout the teaching day. You do have a part to play in the lives of the students and you are creating a legacy due to that influence. You are creating an opportunity for them to have a future through your efforts. Keep that focus.
Gary
"The best laid plans of mice and men offen go awry". The demands of life for both the student and instructor can easily pull each apart in the confines of the classroom causing a fragmentation of the learning process. The kaleidoscope of mind over matter for the instrutor and matter over mind for the student hints at the on going challenges for both. In terms of refocusing, when I park my vehicle at work and lock the door to remind myself why I am here. Thirty students expect my best and the emotional drive to see my student succeed overcomes any laziness on my part. Years from now they may forget my name, but hopefully something taught or a store told will pave the way for their dreams to come true.
Hi George,
You are correct about we instructors needing to remain fresh and excited about our field. What do you do to keep you excitement up as you prepare to teach a course again?
Gary
Redundancy can create a stagnant environment.
If we can find ways of sparking our own interests in the material our students will notice it and share the enthusiasm.
I like this idea of creating an "emergency". I plan to try it as soon as I can.
Hi Jerry,
You are right that we need to stay sharp as instructors or we will not "see" what out students are seeing. If we don't things can slide and the students will notice the decline of our attention to professionalism.
Gary
easy to become too familiar with the surroundings - the atmosphere and get caught up in the day to day
i think this is important to follow because as an instructor you do gettired and sometimes burned out, and in order to be a relevant source of information and motivation for the students you need to stop and recharge.
Hi Sharlen,
You are correct about needing to refocus each time we teach a course. This helps us to remain fresh as well as be more effective with our students.
What have you found to be the most effective way for you to refocus yourself as you start a new course?
Gary
Good morning, Gary
It is very important to refocus every quarter/semester and every class. After each class, I look at what happened in the classroom. It is important to look at what was good and what need improvement. This helps me to know how I can make the next class better for the students.
Hi Andy,
Well said. We need to take a look at ourselves and how we are doing things just to make sure we haven't lost what we are trying to do in the first place.
Gary
The reason we need to often refocus is because, though we are all professional in our jobs, sometimes we need to take a look and see how things change. The Students, Instructors, as well as society may reflect the way that we need to communicate to our classes.
Therefore, we must be able to reassemble the class after we have focused on the current issues and trends.
It makes them to re-structure and get re-charge so that they can teach more effectively.
Hi Ward,
Well said. This is what makes our work so interesting as well as challenging. Wouldn't trade the opportunities we have to influence lives and help individuals achieve success for anything else.
Gary
Students change, group dynamics change, why the students come to schools changes. Change is the only constant in the universe and to keep up with it we must review how we do our jobs and how effective we are in them. " Who moved my cheese"
Hi Michael,
I agree. This is what keeps teaching interesting. The constant change of students which gives us an opportunity improve, change and refine the content we offer.
Gary
i think that every single one of my classes should never be exactly like the last one. this keeps it interesting for me, prevents the students from sharing information, and most importantly it makes me as an instructor look over the material every turn around in order to keep it fresh.
As instructors we tend to get completely comfortable with the material and then switch onto "autopilot". Since each new class is filled with completely different individuals and since each class has it's own dynamics, each class has to be approached differently. What worked with the class you taught during the day 3 months ago may not be the best approach with the evening students you are teaching currently.
