I believe that instructors must take the time to recharge our own batteries. We have bad days and life happens to us just like everyone else. Vacation is important and tryong to find new teaching venues with different information may also help.
I think that some instructors need to "REFOCUS" in order to be more effective because sometimes you just sort of get stuck in a rut. Maybe you have been teaching the same thing, the same way, using the same resources for way too long, and you need to give yourself a shot in the arm. If you do not reamin current with the best materials and students' needs, it is most likely time to "REFOCUS."
My attitude has a huge impact on my students. If I become unfocused the group will follow very quickly.
I find that I have my own "lull" moments throughout the course where other things in my life are consuming my thoughts and attention and that has a huge effect on my students.
If we take the time as instructors to re excite and remind ourselves why we are there, then our students will also stay engaged.
If we are not engaged and focused as instructors then how could our students possibly stay engaged and focus?
Misty,
Being fresh and excited about the course content even if you have taught the course many times before is important. We are much like actors playing the same role over and over again but for that group of students it is the first and only time they will hear it. We need to make it special for them.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Instructors tend to experience "burn out" as well. If we do not take time to refocus, or reassess as I refer to it, we get too settled and indifferent. This indifference is obvious in our performance to both the student and the establishment(s) we serve. When we refocus, reassess, refresh, etc...not only is this reflected in our attitudes, but also in how we present information. I find I tend to make changes and update materials and delivery to keep them as "fresh" as I feel; keeps it interesting for me and the student.
We all lose focus from time to time; so we have to throw out the old and tired teaching methods and introduce some new and fresh styles of teaching.
Brian,
True. What are some strategies you use to keep your instruction fresh and engaging?
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It keeps the instructors batteries charged so they dont lose their enthusiasm
Change is a constant thing in life, to be more effective there should be changes to your mode of instruction no matter how subtle.
Everyday i learn something new from my students.
Jessica,
So true. We have all set through classes that had become black holes where nothing was every learned nor retrieved.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
If one is worn out and/or overwhelmed, it shows and can be contagious from teacher to student. If you refocus your mind on what you have done and not what you haven't done, it will keep you motivated and at peace with oneself.
Instructors need to take the time to REFOCUS because around midterm both they and the students start to experience burn-out. We need the time to re-engerize ourselves, so that we can energize our classes. Creativity requires energy, and it's important to put energy into the classroom and the students and not let the class become a black hole.
Instructors need to refocus in order to keep the material they are instructing exciting for their students. Tying in with what we learned previously, if the instructor doesn't enjoy what they instruct, the students will quickly zone out and not learn.
By refocusing ourselves to what we have learned and hope to learn, it will reignite the excitement of the material, and cause a domino effect that will include the students remaining interested in the material, as well.
John,
You have a challenging area to begin with so I can appreciate your comments. How to best create a connection between the content and the delivery is always a concern. Are there ways of introducing more problem solving and case studies into your content? In my field I use both to reinforce what I am teaching and the students really like making immediate application of their newly acquired knowledge.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I agree -- I also teach IT subjects. One aspect that I was hoping for more info on was "Focus": how to best present the material. I am often at odds on how to get some students to comprehend programming logic. I have been reading several articles/texts by subject gurus and have yet to come up with an "ah-ha" break through.
Brian,
Competency based courses provide so many opportunities to students to acquire the needed skills in realistic settings. Your students are gaining those competencies with repeated practice and application. At the end of the course they can hopefully weld at a level that meets industrial standards for the field. You are in a position to coach them through the learning process which is both exciting and impacting on your students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
We as instructors need to refocus sometimes because we get caught up in the everyday grind and lose focus ourselves. This is why we need to reset and refocus on what is important for the students as well as ourselves.
I work @ a welding school and it is hard to imply a class room situation. 95% hands on learning and it up to the students focus and ability to produce phyicaly sound weld not sit in a class and lecture hours on end. It is show them what the need to be able to do and for them to meet the requirements of certain weld codes. D1.1 the basic weld proceduer. In welding it's either PASS or Fail and at the school it's more about practicing what you have been showed. In class 1 day a week is were we teach the students the guide lines and requirements of welds. We have open book test to make as easy as possible.
If an instructor goes through the basic motions of teaching of the content it can become stale and mundane. When developing a rapport with the students a good instuctor will refocus on new cutting edge information to "spice things up" so to speak and to add more relative instruction. Once the students are energized by the refocus the instructor will feel better about the results too!
