Hi Gary;
Teaching a short course has created an awareness that I have too much material available, which is all good but cannot take up too much time. I am often aware of my being behind in certain areas. This Max Knowledge discusses taking a triage approach to achieving a teach objective, despite being off course. Refocusing by asking students what they feel they have learned allows me to refocus where I need to go next.
Mark
Ocassionally I like to refocus by changing the class room setting entirely, making a state change. At our campus I will sometimes conduct class in a commons area. This is an enclosed patio area with glass windows all around and round tables seating 4 students. This really changes the dynamics of the class and seems to work well in study group format. It's refreshing to get out of an enclosed classroom with artificial lighting and go into the open area.
Some time we all wonder off trake and have to refocus. we have to get ourselfs in a mind set to give the best information possible.
The absolutely deserve the best effort just like the first few classes. I find that if I take a 10 minute break in between and do something else by the time I walk into the last class, I feel slightly refreshed. Also knowing it is my last class, gets me through.
Hi Michele,
This is a good point. I teach multiple sections of the same class and it is hard to remember just what I said to each class and to maintain a fresh energetic approach to each class. I work very hard at this like you because for the students in each class it is the first and only time they are going to hear that information. They deserve our very best effort every time class meets even if it involves us having pep talks with ourselves before each class.
Gary
I find that when I teach the subject multiple times in a day, I lose my focus and become bored and tired with the same lecture. Although I try to use other examples, the outcomes are always the same. By the third lecture I am exhausted and have no interest to be exciting. I tend to remember that it is not the student's fault why I am teaching so many classes in the day and try hard to make their experience enjoyable.
Hi Ryan,
You sound like me in terms of why you go to graduations. I like to go to see the end results of my time with the students. Seeing the excitement and emotion shared by students and their families at graduation gets me fired up and ready to go back into the classroom for another course. Keep up the good work and exercising those mental muscles as an educator.
Gary
It is not easy to do what we do, it wears on you in a different way. A construction worker's muscles hurt at the end of the day, at the end of an educators day what muscles hurt? You have just lectured all day and you are worn out. Sometimes i like to go to a graduation cermony to help me remember what i do and why i do it.
Hi Jamie,
Good points about the need to keep excited about being an instructor and getting to teach about your field.
What are some ways you keep yourself excited about teaching and working with students?
Gary
During the course there are struggles with keeping up with the fast learning students and still slowing down enough to keep the slower learning students progressing. If the instructor can't keep his/her motivation up then it cannot be expected that the students will.
Students feed off of their instructor. If the instructor is burned out/impatient,etc. then the students will reflect that back.
John,
There is no doubt that way you say is true. What is one of your most effective ways of refocusing?
Kurt
Lynn,
Prioritizing is a critical element of effective teaching. I often find myself working in details that really don't matter to the students, and if I spend the same amount of time improving the course it makes a lot more difference.
Kurt
Hi Lynn,
Good strategy. Take time for yourself which will in turn help you to remain sharp and ready to focus on student growth.
Gary
Hi Mark,
The change of delivery format or introduction of different learning activities really help to keep one fresh. You have a very good strategy for helping to keep your skills fresh and enthusiasm high.
Gary
Hi Kurt,
Great way you have of keeping yourself fresh and on top of your content. This is really an important factor of professional development so you can keep your level of excitement about your field.
Gary
What a great idea. I am going to take a break after winter quarter. I hope to come back refreshed and inspirational to my new students. I so often feel the other part of my position needs to be done ASAP--and there are some items that need immdiate attention, but I am slowly weeding out the high priority vs the low priority, in order to a better teacher in the classroom. I am new so I have to be easier on myself--try not to be so perfect....
Instructors can occasionally get into a teaching rut. By refocusing there goals they can provide better quality education towards the students.
After I had been teaching for about 8 months I found that my enthusiasm for the material had started to decline. I believe this stagnation was from my own repetition of the same material and delivery methods. In order to combat this, I now try to find new ways to deliver the same information. This not only forces me out of a rut but allows me to become reenergized about the subject.
Jerry,
I like the idea of getting the students out of the classroom, although that is difficult for me to do in online classes. I have, however, held classes using different tools to allow students to interact differently. I once set up a live chat where I took my laptop and camera to a park just to change the venue and it was a big success.
Kurt
I have seen those situations a lot when I served as a Dean. It is important to provide support for other instructors in this area because we have all experienced it from time to time.
Kurt
