Hi Daniel,
We have to be excited about our field if we expect our students to be excited about learning the content within the field. What are some ways you go about keeping yourself excited about teaching?
Gary
Refocus is good teaching technique because sometime teaching can be a boring routine and that can be boring for the students. Therefore, the instructor needs to keep the battery charged at all the time to keep students optimistic.
Hi Thelma,
Well said. If we are fresh then our delivery will be fresh as well. We need to always keep this in our minds as we start a new course.
Gary
to stay always confidence and show to students an image of security.
We need to take time to refocus so we won't get stuck in a rut. We want our teaching to be fresh and interesting. We can't let ourselves get so caught up in everyday life that we become bored (or boring).
To make sure the student is still continues to enjoy the class and continues to have the willingness and eagerness to continue learning. Otherwise you begin to lose your students interest.
Hi AJ,
You make a very good point about we instructors not taking are responsibility lightly. We do have to keep the big picture in front of us and let our students being the center of our attention.
Gary
We as instructors at times get so looped into paperwork, schedules, regulations, meetings, we at times loose sight that the most important person in the school is the "Student" .
By taking time to "REFOCUS" the instructor is able to repriortize their day and also lets us revisit " THE BIG PICTURE" and this makes us better at what we do and I agree it is not just a job we are affecting lives and boy that is a responsibility one should not take lightly.
AJ
Hi Anne,
This is a good approach to identifying why a certain assignment didn't work as planned and developing an alternative way of working through it. This way those that completed the assignment on time get credit while helping those that didn't understand it get it completed with an understanding of what they were to do without missing all of the points.
Gary
Refocusing is so necessary, as the 'best laid plans' can be disastrous if students just are not 'keyed into' the assignment. As an instructor, I have become willing to step back and extend the deadline for an assignment if I see that over half the class did not finish it for critique because they were 'confused.' I might reward those who turned the assignment in on time and done well by giving them 5 additional points but instill a hands-on work session in lieu of a new lecture so that students will understand the assignment and have it completed by the beginning of the next class. To 'shame' those who did not understand or complete the assignment would be extremely lacking in compassion on my part and detrimental to the class rapport. I pride myself in being flexible and spontaneous when necessary.
Hi Margaret,
This is a good approach to teaching. You have a specific plan for covering the course content but there are a number of different ways you can get there. By letting the students be a part of the selection process you are getting buy in and they are invested in the end results.
Gary
I like the idea of empowering the students to be successful in their own education. Moreover, I try to make sure my students can give feedback on in class and homework assignments. Somedays I come prepared to teach a myriad of topics and empower the students to decide what they want to learn that day.
Instructors need the time to recharge and rejuvenate themselves. If students are not doing as well on the work that is required of them the instructor sometimes takes it personally and that can effect the teachers attitude. Each person is different in the way they learn and how quickly they catch on. Sometimes instructors forget that they have been teaching for a while and the information is easy for them. But the students have maybe never come in contact with the information and they may struggle trying to understand it.A good way to REFOCUS is to take a course or class in something you have never done before and know nothing about and see how difficult it may be to learn.
Hi George,
The fun part of keeping up with your field is that you get to share this newly acquired knowledge with students that can apply it to their lives. This is a great combination of personal growth and professional development.
Gary
Hi Angelo,
Well said. The most important link in the educational chain for students is the instructor. Instructors are in need of support just as you indicated. If the administration sees that and provided that support they will see increased satisfaction from all sectors of the educational setting.
Gary
One way to REFOCUS is keeping up with the constant changes and new trends in the industry. I feel excited after learning something new and useful to give this information or method to my class.
Instructors are considered the gravitational center of an educational institution. Refocusing and giving importance to the big contributions that instructors provide must be recognized.
This topic must be addressed both ways--to the students and to the instructors.
The strategies presented in this module are well taken. Teachers need to develop ways to REFOCUS to consistently keep the students on their way to GRADUATION.
Let us face it. Most schools focus only on enrolling students, retaining students, and graduating students. The same focus must be provided to instructors. Institutions must recognize it is very important to retain good instructors and make them great instructors. Coffee & donuts provided by the school before class starts is a great start. Occasional pizza / food during faculty meetings is another. Instructor of the Month Awards during student convocations or graduations will make them feel important. Most of all, merit increases in pay must be an integral component of faculty development and retention.
REFOCUS is a vital element to success. It has to address both the student and the instructor to merit its true usefulness.
refocussing will let the instructor step back and see the process better. We get so cught up with the day to day instruction etc. I try to reflect on my teaching style, delivery, the things I said and did that day. I know I have made mistakes in dealing with students but never with malice or intentionally.I am sure we all want our classes to be smooth and error free and to flow prefectly with no problems. But stopping to identify and be true to ourselves,rethink our own point of view will help us in that goal.
Each class period brings a new viewpoint into the classroom. Students will have a new question and what you previously discussed might need a new slant to convey the information properly.
Hi Erik,
What a great set of comments about why we need to REFOCUS ourselves throughout out our lives. The vision we have had becomes a vision of the present if we can see ourselves clearly. Well said and very reflective.
Gary
