Instructor REFOCUS
Why do instructors need to occasionally take time and "REFOCUS" themselves in order to be more effective with their students?
Terizian,
With changes in your field coming this frequently you really have to work hard to remain current. This requires a lot of effort but at least you know you are giving your students the most current information.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Thomas,
Good point and this is the reason that you need to mix things up, try new things and be creative in your delivery so that the course remains fresh to and for you as well. This will help you to stay excited about teaching the course another time.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Patricia,
Like your last sentence because it sums up your comments nicely. This is what teaching should be about.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
James,
I think you are going to like the results that you and your instructional staff get from using different activities to mix up the delivery of content. The more variety the more engaged students will be.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find there are two points that I need to refocus: during technical lectures in back to back classes and when teaching the same course over and over across terms. For my lecture fatigue, sometimes I try to think of a story that relates one of my experiences to the subject to not only show relevance to the students but to also remind myself why I enjoy the subject. When teaching the same course over and over, I've made it a habit to research a technological advance in that field to add to the lecture. One of my classes is a course on surround sound. With this particular course, it is very easy to find new developments each term that I find exciting and in the movie world there is usually a blockbuster film released with the new advance and that makes it more exciting for my students to see something "cool" and remember why they wanted to learn this material.
Some instructors need to refocus due to the change in the field they are teaching espically in my coding field, all codes and books change every year. So, by time i start learing the new books, it is change. So, it is good, because it is never boring,but it is bad, some time new question from student, i have to research it.
Sometimes as an instructor you get burnt out. For example, I taught the same course for several years. I could teach the course in my sleep. I had become so robotic. Even though I enjoyed the topic, I had lost the enthusiasm for teaching it.
Tom
Anything can get old after a while. But in the scenario of teaching, creativity is vital in order to keep the atmosphere interesting and fun for both the student and instructor. Keeping in mind that these are adults who probably have jobs, kids and other issues weighing in on them. Keep it interesting, fun and educational all at once.
I believe it begins with the self assessment, being honest about where the students are in your course and gathering feedback so you understand how the students feel. My instructional staff, in a recent faculty meeting, asked for ideas to mix it up in the classroom, so the suprise portion of this training has given me some great ideas that we can introduce into the classroom to shake things up. The Tell a Story idea works well with our Masssage Therapy program since so much of what is taught can be enhanced with personal experience and should be done more often.
It’s is important for teachers to refocus because it’s a reality check.
Mary,
It happens to us all. By taking a deep breath and refocusing ourselves we can see the impact we are having on their lives and this helps us to reset our minds and make ourselves ready to get back into the classroom.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Sometime I think that we have to refocus or regroup our thoughts to be more effective instructors. I know there are times that I get so frustrated with some students, that I must refocus my thoughts to better myself and my students.
Wendy,
This is when that instructor needs to leave teaching or do something to regain the enthusiasm he or she once had.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Once an instructor is no longer interested or no longer demonstrates enthusiasm for the content they are presenting this is turn transmits to the students and their motivation might go down and retention rates are likely to fall.
Instructors need to occasionally take the time to refocus so that they can keep the energy of their delivery of the material. If the instructor starts to lose focus on his/her presentation, students will notice that and feel that they are not getting 100% from the instructor. It is hard, but as an instructor you must give your all throughout the course and to all your students.
Gonzalo,
Well put. This effort needs to be ongoing as we strive to improve our instructional effectiveness.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is imperative we conduct assessments during the teaching process to ensure we identify opportunities for improvement to meet our students learning objectives. I usually conduct an assessment at the beggining of the course and another during the middle of the class through quizes, exams, or verbal questioning to ensure the material being discussed is completely understood by my students.
Katherine,
Great to hear the value you got from the information. I wish you much success as you work in the REFOCUS effort in your course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I am involved in a course now that could use some refocus. This was an eye opener for me. I started thinking about all the progress the students have made instead of being frustrated with what they haven't mastered yet. Now its time to do this with the students so they can be proud of what they have learned. This will motivate all of us as we continue through this course. Great session.
