Leslie,
This is an ongoing need for all instructors. Our material needs to be fresh, current and engaging each time we teach the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I need to remind myself to use new material for coding and guidelines with new presentations to keep it fresh and interesting for my students.
Barbara,
There is much value in this due to the reflection and redirection that can result from looking on the outside in in relation to how we are presenting our content.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is always helpful to take a step back and refocus. This makes us better instructors.
Andrew,
Right you are and thank you for this important reminder.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Jeffrey,
So true about the need to REFOCUS at times. You make a good point about student relationships when you have them in back to back classes. I teach two three hour courses and many of the students are in both classes. I have to work hard to keep them engaged and make sure I am sharing new information with them.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is very common to get lost in enthusiasm. However, you must always remember why you are teaching and then empower yourself to refocus and proceed.
I think instructors get complacent with a class. That is why instructors need to take time and refocus. An example; when the instructor has the same students back to back. From my experience with this I tend to get comfortable with the students and focus on only certain ones. A certain amount of students will have a good experience while the rest will fall to the wayside. This is one reason why "REFOCUS" for a instructor is very important.
Tara,
This is a very good way to keep the content current while showing the value of the content that is in the textbook. You can feel confident this way that your students are receiving the essential information they will need in the field.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Excellent topic. In some classes they new texts simply cannot keep up with every single change in trends and technology. I like using some refocus moments to have the students look for the latest research or news on a topic. It shifts the discusiion while still spending time on a topic and teaches students how to look for information when they have a question.
Gordon,
I like the way you describe how to achieve FOCUS both for yourself and your students. Refocus is critical as students wear down during the later part of the course so we need to ramp up our excitement and activities and get them back into seeing the value of the content being presented.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Instructors need to occasionally take time to "REFOCUS" when the class appears to be getting into a slump and the excitement is lacking as compared to what it was at the beginning of the course.
To be more effective REFOCUS yourself and then REFOCUS your students.
You can refocus yourself by remembering what teaching methods best worked and kept your students attention. You can create lists of your strengths and greatest personal achievements.
Once your refocused you can refocus your students with your regenerated attitude and excitement and by throwing some change ups into the lesson plan. You can play "The Crisis Game",
tell a story, work on material that gives the greatest reward for the least amount of effort, ect.
Once everyone is REFOCUSED and exicited then you can rise out of the slump and move on to Victory !
Kerry,
I teach from 4 until 10 pm so I can relate to being worn out. By the time 10 pm rolls around I am used up because it is a real effort to keep students engaged for a period of 6 hours especially since they have worked all day and are already tired when they come to my class. The results are worth it though when I see the excitement in the eyes of my students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Donald,
I think this is a good way to gain insight into how the students are perceiving the course and then adjustments can be made if needed. This will keep the course fresh from session to session.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Anthony,
This is an opportunity that instructors should have ever so often. Stepping into something new and prepping for it helps to fire up the creative juices once again and that is what REFOCUS should be about.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Kaley,
I like the way you have laid out how to stay fresh in your content and delivery. This is so important because even though we have been through it many times it is the first time for that group of students so we need to demonstrate to them how much we value the content we are sharing and the excitement we have for teaching it.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I know for myself I get overwhelmed by the sheer amout of energy that I expend to keep my class interesting and engaging. I know that I start to feel tired and down sometimes too. I loved the idea of REFOCUS. We all need to boost our attitudes once in a while.
We sometimes get stuck redoing what we have done before, since its easier than relooking at the course content and presentation from the student perspective to see if we can identify changes needed. I think that, if it is done right, the students, or selected ones, might prove helpful if they are asked what could be improved.
Teaching the same subject over and over can become boring. I've taught a course many terms in a row and I could only retool it so many times. I talked with my Program Director and asked if I could not teach it for one semester, which gave me 16 weeks to find some different ways to present the material and new lab ideas.
Just like in any career you have to step back and evaluate your situation. I think it is even more important as an instructor to do so because it is very easy to get into a lull that is quite boring for the instructor but even more so for the students. I think you need to step out of the box and make learning fun and enjoyable again.
