It is very important to re-boot our system sometimes. One method is to take the course material, review and try to update the practical applications, this often leads to whole representation of the materials. It is in this process that I find myself re-booting my system.
Donald,
Thank you for these good comments about how to stay fresh in the material after having taught it numerous times. I teach the same course four times in a row before I get a break. I follow your strategies so that the material stays fresh with me and I try to introduce a new activity each time I teach the course. This way I am excited about seeing if the activity will work and how it will come out. These makes me a learner along with the students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is very important that Instructors or any professional for that matter take the time to Refocus in order to be more effective with their students, customers, employees, etc. Daily activities, challenges, and disappoints can zap someone's energy. For this reason, refocusing gives you an opportunity to go back to the basics and revisit why you are in the profession which is a great way to renew and revive.
For me, repetition leads to stagnation as an instructor. I find that teaching the subject matter from different angles (or different approaches to the subject) allows me to develop different delivery methods of a given subject. Each class has a different dynamic and what works in one class doesn't always work in another. i can tell when students start to become disengaged and by refocusing and changing the delivery methods, it's possible to re-kindle the passion I have for the subjects that I teach, which reflects in the way the students engage in the training.
Micki,
So true. Most of us teach the same set of courses over and over and we need to strive to introduce new content and/or activities so we don't become buried in our routine just as you say. We need to keep our passion for our field and our enthusiasm for teaching at the front of efforts.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have found over the years that if I teach a subject over and over, I find myself in a rut. I don't offer any new ideas and I sound like a robot while teaching the course. REFOCUS for instructors is as important as it is for students. It never hurts anyone to take a look at themselves, both personally and professionally, and take the time to REFOCUS. In the end, it will make you a better instructor and the students will feel that you are excited about your class and the course.
Burn-out for teachers can be a real problem. Everyone wants to do their best and working with at-risk students takes special effort and time. I encourage faculty to teach different courses, introduce new multimedia into their instructional plans, change schedules when possible, and take continuing education courses to assist faculty in refocusing.
Sonya,
Right you are about how easy it is to get locked into the same content and delivery format. We need to change things up for the good of our students as helping to keep our interest in the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Sometimes people get caught up in doing the same thing over and over again that it becomes boring and dead (nonvital). So that is when the instructor needs to refocus and come up with some creative ideals and keep the students from falling a sleep.
Scott,
Right you are and that is why I put something new into each course I teach. I find that planning and introducing a new activity or project gets me excited because I want to know if it will be successful for my students. This makes a repeat course fun as well as a bit of a mystery until I see that my new activity worked. Then I can try something else the next class session. In addition, this effort helps me to improve the course each time I teach it.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Jan,
You make such and important point about maintaining a positive attitude in spite of certain student attitudes. We need to focus on providing the best instruction we can and if certain students decide not to put forth the effort required to pass the course we know in our minds that we have done the best we can do to help them and they alone chose not to be successful.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
After teaching the same subject repeatedly, instructors may get bored with the material themselves. Whether or not we realize it, the students can pick up on this. If we lack enthusiasm or excitement about the information we're delivering, the students will won't be as excited to learn it. Taking time to REFOCUS can energize a "bored" instructor and inject new life into a lesson or class.
It is easy for instructors to get caught up with the daily routine. Often times, we find ourselves focus on the negatives, like why are the students not turning in their assignments on time or why are they not putting more effort in their work. As we focus on the negatives, our enthusiasm dwindles. When that happens, our ability to facilitate the class diminishes. It is important for us to take inventory of our accomplishment and empower ourselves so that we can make an attitude shift.
Roberta,
Passion for one's field and enthusiasm for teaching the content need to be present each and every time we step into the classroom or lab. It is for sure that if we aren't excited about being in the class it is for sure the students won't be either.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Because we tend to tire of the same content. We need to be exciting and passionate about what we are teaching in order for the students to want to better learn.
Suzarie,
Like your attitude about classes that are this way. Some classes are worse than others but we need to continue to bring our passion and zeal for what we are doing to class each and every time we step into it.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Sometimes it can be disheartening to lecture to an audience whose body language is negative. Example students looking at the clock; putting away their belongings etc. It is even more disheartening when the instructor is very passion about the subject and students are not receptive to the passion. I think refocusing is great practice to keep that passion going so that the students can feel that at all times.
they need to do this in order to feel like they are reaching students and to regain everyones attention through a revived display of enthusiasm
Tiana,
Yes, they do. Bringing our passion for our content and enthusiasm for teaching to class each time it meets is an important teaching and motivation strategy.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Students like it when you are excited and egar to teach. When you are teaching a topic that you are less interested in, the students will know and then they will be less interested in it as well. Refocusing, in times like these is important if you want to keep the class exciting.
