A burned out instructor is rarely effective. Instructors need to recharge their own batteries so that they can go out and charge up their own classes and students.
Hi Martha,
Good point. We need to be like actors on stage. The presentation we are making needs to be exciting, dynamic and fresh even if we have it presented a hundred times before. By adding new information, different activities and keeping our focus we can keep the needed edge for good teaching.
Gary
Some times when an instructor been teaching the same class for a long time, we have to take time to realize that for the student this is the first time to hear the information, and we need to make it interesting and exiting as if this was the one and only time we were presenting this information.
This is an excellent way to re-energize yourself and your class in order to successfully complete the course.
Many instructors have learned to expect the "mid course" blues. REFOCUS gives us ways to change this expectation.
It is our job as teachers to keep our students' minds stimulated. We must assist them in acquiring the knowledge that will later allow them to succeed
I teach military students and our goals and objectives are constantly changing. As a military instructor I must stay in tune with the needs of my students in order to give them the knowledge and skills they need to do their jobs.
It is very easy for instructors to fall into a routine and just start repeating the same material. But when an instructor does so they simply become a robot, and although robots are good for many tasks teaching is not one of them.
That is why its critical that instructors constantly evaluate their methods and their effectiveness. Are their examples in class still relevant? Are they taking advantage of new learning technologies? Have they stayed current with the cutting edges of their field?
Refocus is a good tool to remind instructors of the need to keep their material relevant and to help them keep their classes fresh and interesting to both the student and to themselves. It short is help prevents them from turning into teaching robots.
Just as instructors can tell if a student is preoccupied or not totally focused, students can certainly observe these same qualities in their instructor. Teaching is a tough job with a lot of responsibility and can be stressful. I find that by spending time on other activities removed from teaching, I can balance my life and be more energized when it comes to being in the classroom. I seem to find fresher approaches to instructing when I have had some time to regroup.w
Hi Steven,
What are some way you would mentally change the outlook on the current course?
Gary
Hi David,
Good point plus it is fun, or at least I think so to come up with a different activity or project to deliver a portion of the course content. This gets me refocused because I'm not sure how the new effort will come out so there is a bit of a mystery there and that helps me to more excited while teaching.
Gary
to mentally change the outlook on the current course.
It is important both for instructor and students in order to create a nuetral inviroment and helps keeps the minds of refreshed.
Taking the time for the students to recapture what has been discussed and taught can also be a great way to reinforce important steps and topics,this also works great for the instructor's benefits as well as they too will retain more information and find different ways to approach for a better end result.
I think its important for instructors to realize when they are just verbaly running off at the mouth and the students are not even interested or listening. Being able to recognize the signs so its not a surprise to either party. Doing a course over and over again this can happen very easy to an instructor. refocusing can be a good tool to help get out of a slump if you are in one.
We all become complacent with our teaching styles over time especially if we have enjoyed a great deal of success in the past. Students change and instructor styles need to change with the times. Refocus is good way for instructors to stay current and to relate to the students we have in the classroom today.
It certainly is, Cheryl. Some folks mistakenly think that teachers don't work. I invite them to try it for a day.
I too have been looking forward to this break and have planned to use the REFOCUS methods during the next session of classes. If the class isn't going well, I can get discouraged. These are useful tools for working through that.
Hi Julie,
You have a great attitude and plan working for you. I know you are going to have great results next course phase as you work to keep the energy level high for your students.
Gary
I was glad to see some attention paid to re-energizing. Teaching takes a lot of time, patience and work and can sometimes be short on short term reward. It is hard to be exciting, interesting and innovative every day!!!
Hi Everyone,
This question is especially timely for me given I'm composing my response during the holiday break! I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to the holiday break so I can have a chance to regroup and 'REFOCUS'. I really found this section of ED102 to be especially relevant and helpful given the situation I find myself currently in right now.
Just like with any type of professional position, we're suseptible to burn-out, stress, and lack of motivation from time to time, but the 'REFOCUS' information is a great way in which to try and minimize the burn out and lack of enthusiasm at the mid-point, ending, and in between courses.
One of the strategies I'm going to try this next term is to sit down and objectivize what I'd like my students to learn starting with the new term. There is already a list of approved course objectives, but I'd also like to expand upon these to create my own objectives for which I can focus upon throughout the duration of the term. When I get to the mid-point of the quarter I can objectivize where I'm at and then commit to end the quarter strong. I think in my own way I've already been doing this, but it will be interesting to see what the effects will be if I formalize the process a bit more.
Thanks!
Julie
Tamara, how right you are. I had students in a live chat comment how tired I sounded one night this term. That put me into REFOCUS mode quickly!
