If an instructor does not take time and "REFOCUS," you'll have a lot of unhappy students; that's for sure. I can see the real need to recharge, especially when you've been teaching the same course for a long time. It's just something you have to do every semester.
day after day,we tend to get caught up in repetious teaching styles and we forget that veriatey is the spice of life.mix it up.keep the energy flowing.get your whole class to particapate in all class lectures and question and answer time.if students particapate in activities there is a very good chance that they are learning from you,dont you think?
As the saying goes, "can't see the forest for the trees". Sometimes you are so close and wrapped up in the day to day instructing, you forget to reflect and see just how far your students have really come. Cut yourself a little slack too and look positively at your own accomplishments so far. Refocus can be synomous with renew and sometimes just an honest chat with the students can give all of you some breathing room and then all can celebrate the progress that has been made
As I do, teaching the same material over and over can cause us to become somewhat robotic in our presentation. I like to do research on new material and find new and interesting ways of presenting the material that will refocus there learning as well as mine. You need to refocus on the passion of teaching every now and then or just give it up and retire. If you don't you are wasting your as well as there valuable time.
well we get worn sometimes and the students can pick up on that so we have to take aa step back refocus our energy so we can be more productive in the class
To refocus or not refocus this is tha question. I find that i must refocus from time to time simply because I get bored with the same old thing. So from time to time I change up tne course. I find it keepd me interested in the subject. I find if i am excited so are many of the students. I get back from them what I put out.
When you have a job as an educator,You have to remember that this is WAY more than a paycheck...We are affecting lives.
I try and assess the class at the very beginning. I give them a short survey and also ask them if they feel there are particular areas that they could benefit from. It gives me a challenge to individualize the class and still attain the educational requirements of the course.It helps to empower the class as a whole.This also helps me re-energize and get out of trying to do the same old instruction. However, I still seem to loose some steam around mid quarter and notice my retention rates do as well. I am going to use the 3x5 card approximately every fourth week in the quarter to empower the students, and help me reflect on the progress that has been made.
With full lives and overloaded schedules, it's easy to become discouraged. I keep a list of one-line positive sayings as a pick-me-up when needed. I also have a "fun file" at work with some special pictures, positive stories, and a couple of really funny jokes. When I feel a little down, I go through the file and remind myself why I like teaching so much.
Carol Silvis
I think it is easy for instructors to become complacent in courses they have taught over and over. They can also be dragged down by students who relentlessly try their patience or who don't put their all into the education. Since most of us teach in less-than-perfect situations, we come in contact with lots of apathy and negativity--from students, other teachers, and administrators. It seems logical to bolster yourself by REFOCUSING on the positive things.
Carol Silvis
Tim, one danger I find with teaching online (6 week courses) is that I get overloaded and don't enjoy the teaching at that point. (The College might split a class at the last moment and give me two huge sections instead of one.) Since I recently got a new job, I'm just trudging through 3 classes while trying to balance the late-night work with the full-time job and speaking engagements and life (e.g., root canals). Using the REFOCUS techniques to reframe and refresh will help me return to the good feelings I usually associate with teaching, to radiate positive feelings for the students, and to exhibit the patience and TLC they want and need. This all can improve the situation until things get less hectic.
Anita
This is a great topic because it addresses something I noticed about myself. I find that I need to "recharge my batteries" on a weekly basis. This may be because our courses only last 3 weeks, so the inertia of what was gained in the previous week has been lost. I have found that if I'm having an "off day", the students pick up on that and their enthusiasm reflects it. It's important for the instructor to show enthusiasm and to keep trying new ways to keep students interested and involved.
If we are teaching on 'autopilot', our students will pick up on it. Teaching in such a way, I think, implies that we don't care. That, of course, is what we certainly do NOT want to do; we should care about our students and tailor instruction to them - NOT to our main focus. The two may not be the same. Also, if we refocus, we realize what we missed, what we need to discuss further, etc. It shows that we are truly listening to our students. If students see that, I think we have a better chance that they will listen to us.
Hi Anita,
Thank you for the kind words about the content of the REFOCUS model. It has worked well for me over the years, and I know it will for you.
You can reference the source as being from the course offered by MaxKnowledge and you will be giving proper credit.
Enjoy your teaching!
Gary
Teachers, like students, can become disillusioned over time. Even the best instructors can feel bad when not all of their students succeed, when there are mishaps (like missing books) beyond their control, or when administrative paperwork increasingly cuts into their teaching time.
The very practical strategies listed in the REFOCUS section, such as simulating a crisis and storytelling, can revitalize an instructor and bring new vibrancy to his/her teaching.
P.S. to Dr. Meer:
If I quote content from this course, how should I list the source to make sure I am giving proper credit? Thank you for your advice.
It is in my experiences as days and weeks progress, there is a mountain of information that is being covered. It seems that information is being surpressed by the new. It becomes imperative that you "stop, refresh, refocus, and review".
To recharge your batteries, to reconize what you have achieved and what you have done right, to see if you are on track or if you may need to make changes to contine to grow as an instructor.
Our jobs as educators is to of course "educate" But also to reasure our students of why they are there. They are making a life chance.
The main purpose for refocusing our efforts is because each new group of students will learn differently. We must be ready to change with these challenges.
"Old dogs still can learn new tricks" There are ocassions when a more "comfortable" program lulls us to sleep. Grinding thru material will always foster complacency if the instructor doesn't take the time to evaluate the benefit to the students he/she has responsibility for. As educators the burden falls squarely on us to provide the best possible material, tecniques, attitude, involvement etc. Periodic self-evaluation is always required to stay on the edge that our profession demands. However, the difficultly in this is when do we realize the need for it ?
