Hi Mike,
Right you are. Your positive attitude will reflect on the class and help your students to be excited about the topic of the day.
Gary
sometimes REFOCUS starts when you walk in school and starting your day trying to make today better than yesterday
The instructor need to ocassionally take time and
REFOCUS themselves to keep themselves and students motivated ,to try different techniques and activities in class to maintain the interest of their student and to let them know the milestones that they have acheived and will be acheiving.
Hi Ken,
I completely agree about being in a rut. Sometimes we get so comfortable teaching the same topics that it becomes routine and the students can tell. It is important to change things up from time to time to keep things interesting to us. We all know if it is interesting to the instructor, we can make it more interesting for the students. It is also important to refocus because not all students/classes are alike. We may need to do things differently for different sets of students as all students do not learn the same way.
Because my English class is broken into three sections [vocabulary, grammar, and writing], we have a distinct approach to each section. Yet I am always afraid that I will forget to give each new starting class [with new ones starting every five weeks] something that they will need. I try to vary the way I approach each five weeks, but sometimes the students say that they pick up on the material better the second and third five weeks. I have learned that their questions are my focus point because I can usually tell what we need to recover simply from their questions or the results of our quizzes. Believe it or not, English is never boring!
As is the case in many careers, job burn-out can be detrimental to both the employee (instructor) and the customer (student). To step back and reevaluate how far you've come, where you are, and where you want to be, is important to keeping yourself and the student motivated. We encourage the instructors to attend workshops and seminars dealing with classroom methods and techniques, in order to refresh their feelings of being a student and to gain new, exciting classroom ideas.
Hi Suzanne,
Good point. Batteries must be recharged. If management does not offer an instructor this opportunity they need to develop their own plan. Even if they are teaching the same courses over and over they can look for ways to make changes, add activities, etc. anything to bring variety to the setting.
You have to maintain a certain level of excitement about your field or teaching will soon become a difficult way of earning a living.
Gary
Any job that someone has where they are dealing with customers, reaches a point of needing a "recharge". For instructors especially, when you are teaching the same things over and over, it can be difficult at times to keep it "fresh".
It's important that management recognizes that this is a reality and work with instructors to ensure that their needs are being met, so that they are able to meet their students needs.
If you don't refocus you can lose the wide picture of what you need to do. Always ask simple question of students to see if what you say makes sense to them, if you keep getting a negative reaction the step back and look at what you're doing.
Refocus helps the instructor to apply teaching strategies. When these teaching strategies are applied the instructor will gain a good student feedback.
Because things and students and we, as instructors, are always changing. We need time to observe, evaluate and acknowledge what we are doing and how it impacts our students. I refocus daily as I start the day to be sure the students are getting the best of me.
Jim,
Forcing yourself to step back and review the program is an excellent recommendation. What if the college or the course vendor (like Microsoft) has strict guidelines on how the material is to be delivered. How do you make use of REFOCUS in that instance?
Hi Jim,
Thank you for your comments about how to refresh yourself and your approach. As you well know if you are excited it will rub off on your students. By using REFOCUS you can help create for yourself the excitement that lends itself to good teaching.
Gary
Jim,
I also find "REFOCUS" a hot topic. When an administration requires you to use a "speaking outline" the rut you get in can be very deep. I find myself needing to refocus frequently to avoid instructor fatique and sounding like a tape recorder to the student. Let's get inventive in class!
Dr. Meers
I have found this section on REFOCUS very interesting. I have taught the same basic program for over seven years now and have at times found myself feeling bored and jaded.
When I find myself in that situation, I have forced myself to take a step back and relook at my program. When I have done this, I find different ways to present the same basic material and in many cases I see the same material in a different light.
The end result of this, is that it has given me different ways to approach the same material with different classes.
Jim
Complacency, complacency, and complacency. I know that it can be difficult to present the same curriculum over and over, and strive for Class improvement. Without a "step back", the Course can be offered on a plateau of presentation. REFOCUS is an excellent strategy that, in my opinion, needs to be brought out to Staff Members as a valid option to maintain enthusiasm. Feedback would be appreciated...Thank you, John
Hi Jim,
You are showing your students the opportunities that they have ahead through your efforts in refocusing them. Sometimes they forget why they are there as a result of the stresses of the rest of their lives. By having them see how that by attending that class that day they are making progress you are giving them the gift of a future.
Keep up the good work.
Gary
I think that it is important to refocus every time I enter the classroom. I will spend the first 10 minutes doing this with my student. First a short quiz on the material from the prev. week, then a quick stimulation to reenforce the students' career goals and the application of the course, program, school to the career. Every class period should be an opportunity for the student to see once again , why they are doing this, and that it will be worth it in the end. :o)
Hi Josefer,
Education is realy a sales job no matter what level one is teaching on. We have to keep our motivation up to keep our students motivated. We also have to make sure that the content we are offering is sound and valid. If we do this we will be able to keep the majority of our students throughout the training sequence.
Gary
Hi Josefer,
It is exciting to hear about your REFOCUS workshop for tomorrow. Hope it goes well. Would appreciate hearing about it if you have an opportunity.
Yes it seems that most of what we do in the education field and in particular in the career college area is a sprint. We see to be running a marathon at a sprint pace. Whew!
Something I use to recapture some of the energy that has drained away is to take one simple idea or concept of teacher improvement and share it with the faculty. For example, I might share with them how to use guided notes for their lectures. I give them examples and then let them practice developing them on their own. The result is something new for them that doesn't take a lot of time to do and can make their teaching easier and more effective. Another time I may show them some organizational strategies that will help them get papers or projects back to the students quicker. The key is everything I do is focused on the faculty. I am sending the message they are valued and here are some ways for their life to get better.
Also, to fight “cabin fever†between quarters I have a little party prior to an in-service. It is amazing how the purchase of a few snacks will lift the spirits. Depending on the time of the year I theme the get together around something silly like Groundhog day. Point it the faculty gets to munch on some goodies, visit a bit and then learn about something that will help them. It is back to keeping them the center of the universe so they will keep their students the center of their universe while in class.
Hope these suggestions are helpful.
Gary
