Human Instructor
When a student hears an instructor make a mistake and the ability to blush, giggle or a hearty laugh it does foster the human side and I think students will respond better and feel more comfortable in approaching that instructor.
Amen. I hate it, and berate myself, when I make a factual mistake while preparing a PowerPoint, syllabus, or whatever, but try to correct it as soon as possible when I do - I don't want the students to be learning the wrong thing! I do tell my students on the first day of class that one of the things I enjoy about teaching is I also learn from the class. I also encourage them to speak up if they don't understand something, or if they've had experiences or personal knowledge that differs from what I've presented.
I find sharing my personal mistakes in the field help students realize that I am human and it makes then more comfortable.
I definately agree with you on this point. I also feel it's important that when an instructor does make a mistake or doesn't know something, that their admission should remain honest, but light-hearted. If we get extremely upset or overly serious, it turns into a negative event. We need to model how a professional handles these experiences. The students will also be in situations where they make mistakes. How they deal with it may depend on what they learn from their instructors!
Students need to know that although their instructors were hired for their expertise they are human beings who don't have all the answers. Instructors make mistakes just like students. When a student realizes this imperfection, communication and comfort opens up between instructor and student.
I totally agree with being human, sometimes the students tend to disagree with you and what you have taught because of their past experience, when I have tried to BS the information the students can totally tell. If I tell them I don't know and I will get back to them on the subject and then do so, they feel a lot better and they don't think badly of me. Even when I make a mistake and they catch me, if I admidt it and move on they are usually satisfied and I can continue teaching as long as I don't allow that to hurt my self esteem or the fact that I am knowledgeable and a good teacher.
It's definitely good to admit mistakes to students and to not act as if you know everything there is to know about your field. The student should see that as a professional in your chosen area you are always learning. If a student has a question that I can't answer I will look it up online and then give the student the correct answer and the website I found it on. Hopefully this will motivate him or her to do the same next time they need to figure something out.
Hello Beth,
Mistakes in the classroom are opportunites for engaging in learning something of value. An oversight in grading, incorrect information posted in a handout, an unanswered question not prepared to answer at the moment and a student out cry for attention will all lead to some type of learning in a classroom.
How we approach these issues will provide that human element of personal problem solving giving the students a view of the instructor's modeling style to life activities.
I always tell my students that I am not the greatest speller in the world. I once put together a power point presentation and forgot to do a spell check. The students had fun, at my expense, pointing out the mistakes. I now purposely insert one or two spelling errors in each presentation and it has become a bit of a game. The seem to have fun with it and I have noticed students pay better attention.
well its really hard for me to do that although it will happen someday
Hi Charlie,
This is always sad to hear. These types of instructors are missing out on the rewards of being instructors. It is fun to learn, share and grow with the students. To miss that is to miss a key part of being an instructor.
Gary
i have seen instructors where i work talk and act like they know it all and have seen it all.the students pick up on it and it makes them feel that the instructor is all talk
Hi Beth,
That is for sure. We all make mistakes and how we handle the recovery from them will shape how the students see us in a human light. If they can see the human side of us they also see that they need to have their human side developed in addition to the skills and competencies they are learning.
Gary
