It is important for the instructor to REFOCUS something throughout the course to keep learning exciting. It can also give the instructor a way to refresh their love of teaching the content.
Refocusing will allow the instructor(s) to evaluate their teaching technique closely and make changes in other to deliver high quality instructions (content) to the different types of learners. This is especially important for the online environment where students can easily “disappearâ€. Communication is very important.
As in my field of nursing, I need to update myself in my teaching techniques. If I find certain strategies are not working with a particular class or student, then I must change course. I think it is important to keep an open mind as each class is unique in their backgrounds and educational style, which ultimately, affects my methods of teaching.
It's easy to get worn down and feel in a slump. Expecially right now with more people turning to edjucation simply because they can't find a job. There are more and more uninterested "adult" learners pouring into schools, and it is very easy to feel discouraged when dealing with these students. Taking some time to refocus, and look at the acomplishments that have been reached at that point in the course can make all the difference in your attitude and delivery to the class, which in turn will greatly affect your retention.
Things don't always go as planned so REFOCUS helps you as an instructor to get back to what is nessary for the students to succeed. Also, if you teach a class more than once, then REFOCUS will help you to try new things to reach you students. It has to be exciting to you to inspire others.
The students will be more involved in the discussions and learning process.
instructors are like students, they can also lose interest & excitement in the subject taught , so they can translate that to the students.
Dr. Meers,
My point exactly! If you dont reflect on what changed or didnt change then you will ultimately lose students from your class. The end result is that you must make a change to keep the students interested, therefore preventing drop out of students from your class.
I hope this clarifies any misunderstanding.
Bill A.
Instructors need to take time and REFOCUS because there are times during the term - especially at midterm, that instructors get tired or drained and that also reflects on the students. The students themselves are also drained - especially if there is a life situation that a particular student is struggling with outside of class time though that term.
This happened to me just last term when I was teaching for the first time a research writing course that I was unfamiliar with and that had a textbook which wasn't helpful at all and had very limited activites for such an activity-driven course. I had to expand a lot of mental and emotional energy trying to be really creative in developing activites that kept the students engaged as well as drving home the important aspects of the course. From taking them on a visit to the campus library in one class session to showing them how to operate the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software in another class session, it was a constant battle to keep creative and enthusiastic throughout that entire term. I gave them short quizzes but not a final exam due to the nature of the course - the research writing term proposal was heavily weighted to passing the research writing course.
By midpoint I was exhausted as well as discouraged and shared my discouragement with my program chair. My attitude by midpoint was just to get through the rest of the term, and every week I dreaded teaching this very dry course with limited resources. I did "Empower" myself by reflecting on the fact that when I went through the class activity of showing the students how to do simple operations on the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software, that a majority of the students had learned something new about the software - even those who have a good working knowledge of the software had learned something new that they could apply! By term's end it was still tough going as the research writing term proposal included a template that was created by the previous instructor who taught it and yet, certain students still lost critical points because although I went though the template and instructed them to write their research term proposal in adherence to the template, some of these students still did not follow the template!
It was a tough term in which I had to REFOCUS not just at the midpoint, but nearly every week of that term! Because of my efforts, a majority of the students did pass the course - maybe not with the grade they expected, but they passed, and I was relieved that this particular course was finally over! My suggestion to my program chair in evaluating the course and my efforts in it?...1) we need a more subtaintial text resource for the course and 2) don't give me that course to teach again!! :)
William,
That is one of my favorite quotes to use when working with curriculum committees. The question is what outcome do we want at the conclusion of our effort? No change the same outcome. Change different outcome. Let's decide how we are going to approach this situation.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
If you don't take time to REFOCUS then you with suffer BURNOUT.
I always enjoyed this quote by John Maxwell. "If you always do what you've always done, you will always get what you've always got." This applies well when you find yourself and your students disengaged from the classroom environment. "REFOCUS" allows you to evaluate what you need to do to get back on track and regain the enthusiasm in the class room.
Some instructors need to refocus due to the change in the field they are teaching. As an industry changes,sometimes this can leave an instructor stuck in the past and how the industry use to be.As an instructor you need to stay updated and current. It is amazing how your focus can be energized when you as a teacher gain additional knowledge. Alot of the time if you have good rapport with your students, you can some great knowledge from them, which energizes them and you.
Instructors wear down and energy is lost. This can happen during the course and when the course has been taught numerous times. When instructors refocus and re-energize they build up not only their own energy level, but the students as well. Self evaluation of progress is critical in having an effictive course. students will remember how it ended rather than how it began if they are not guided and engaged again.
Teaching classes over and over again can lead an instructor into a rut. Many times the students won't be far behind. To get out of that rut one needs to change/modify the same old routine or material. "REFOCUSing" helps one to make things interesting again.
I believe they need to refocus to get a better perspective on the class. Their current methods risk becoming boring and by refocusing we can look at another way to teach the same material and spice it up for not only the student but ourselves. This will bring greater enthusiasm for both the instructor and the studentst and help the students get over their slump.
I see it too many times where an instructor teaches the same material time after time. But what worked before might not work now. Classes change and we must be attuned to what is the current culture. Try to look at it with a fresh set of eyes. Tweeking information can be helpful as there is always something that no longer applies. Perhaps a current event can link to the info and shed some new light on it.
I am refocusing through these online courses and my own reading about teaching. I would like to try some of the strategies given in this section. I try to incorporate humor into my classroom. I love to tell stories. I am constantly trying to revitalize by applying what ever they learn to specific projects that relate to their career choices.
As an instructor we need to stay motivated because our students can sense a true excitement versus boredom. By refocusing and taking another look at diverse ways of instructing the same information it also recharges us and our brains.
Adam,
I agree with your comment. There needs to be a blending of both new and old strategies, procedures and problem solving in order to give your students the complete picture of the field today.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
