We all need to re-energize and re-commit to stay focused. Changing things around, finding new materials, activities, and exercises keep it new for us.
I agree. It just may be that the stress we feel with regards to the middle of the course is the result of other life occurances coming into focus, since there is no set mid-course item major deadline that overshadows other life deadlines (that is to say, there is no "start of class" or "final review and exam" to prep for ourselves at the mid-point).
because we get frustrations off student's situations o failures
and if we lose it, they will notice it and they'll feel it as well
Taking time to refocus will allow you the opportunity to analyze your current progress with students. At this point you can make changes that adapts to student needs. Efficiency is a very important factor that may raise the question "why do I do the things the way that I do them"? Due to changes in technology and the current market it may require a new approach to how to teach the students.
Elizabeth,
Good ideas of how to reinvent excitement in one's professional career. We need to always strive to be fresh and current on what we bring to the classroom.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
there are times when we tend to divert and/or go out of the topic and objectives we want to emphasize.. just a few moments of time out to refocus is important ..to just check if we are still in the course content ..
It's important to be interested in what you are teaching. Burnout can easily occur, and sometimes a challenging student can get the best of you. To re-evaluate why I became an instructor, and doing research on the topics I enjoy can re-energize me and motivate me to do a better job.
Jennifer,
I like your strategy for keeping your pulse on the class. By getting ongoing feedback from your students you are able to make adjustments as needed to keep them engaged.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
To focus on changing in learning styles and maybe development of new teaching skills.
Hello everyone,
As an instructor, I know that I have faced challenges with late work or the student that may need assistance beyond what you can give due to the class is online. On the other hand, there may be a need to refocus due to it the same course repeatedly, different students, but the material needs a makeover. What I like to do when I feel challenge during or after a course I step back, look at what I have accomplished thus far, and say can this be done better and how can you do this better. I enlist the feedback of my students within the chat sessions and state a question of if there was a different way of presenting the material to you can you share your thoughts. Sometimes I get responses and sometimes I get the response of the delivery method was fine.
Refocusing is so important especially before the start of a new session, because every class will be different.
Jennifer
Dr. Wilson,
An important part of being a dedicated professional educator is to keep instructional delivery current and fresh. Your point supports this part of working through the REFOCUS process.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Enthusiasm is contagious. On the flip side so is lack of enthusiasm. It is important for instructors to be excited about their course material as well as the outcomes in order for the students to feel engaged by the instructor.
An instructor needs to refocus every so often to ensure a freshness in the class that continues to engage the students. It is too easy to get set in your ways and simply push through a class... taking time to refocus keeps the material exciting for the instructor and engaging for the student.
Some of my concepts or expectations were skewed when I began teaching last quarter. My experiences in teaching were in various sized groups outside the college environment. My expectations didn't cover the disruptive behavior I experienced. I had to work hard to understand where they were at, enlist the help of my program directors/supervisors to work better with them as well as accept where I was at. It was a difficult process but after mid-term the class and I were both working better together. Their acceptance and respect, for the most part, seemed to grow as they saw me struggle along with them. I don't feel I ever lost my respect for them or their goals and I think it showed. The last month of class was more of a pleasure for the majority of us even though we were focused on putting a large amount of material and review into a short period of time. We discussed dictatorship/mine in the classroom versus democracy/ours as a way to obtain the goals. They seemed happy with the results and the learning/information the final exam showed they had obtained/retained.
Teaching sometimes become mundane and students can easily recognize this in the instructor. So as instructors we must focus on the students reaction and interaction to test our ability to create continued interest. The 3x5 card is a good example of testing the pulse of the class to see if instructor and strudent is still connected.
Thank you for your input and education. Happy New Year doc
All of us suffer "burnout" to varying degrees-- at the halfway point of the course it's always a good idea to reflect on how well the class is achieving the expected learning outcomes. If there are deficiencies, it's a good time to correct the path of the course--Refocusing-- using the appropirate achievement recognition, empowerment, outcome focus, learner outcome objectivizing, success commitment, unburdening from perfectionism, and injecting a little surprise in the course can go a long way to making the course an outstanding success, instead of just adequate....although sometimes "a win is just getting the laundry in the dryer before the mold sets in...."
With any lengthy task, it is easy and common to get 'bogged down' in the day-to-day minutia and lose site of the bigger picture. Frustration with the schedule and the students can compound the situation. By REFOCUSing the instructor can put their 'eyes on the prize', consider the successes of the class so far and plan for future successes.
Stelian,
You make a good point and one that we need to keep in mind. Even though we have taught the course many times it is the first and hopefully only time the students will be in it. We need to make sure what we do is current, exciting and engaging.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
