Keep it Fresh
Your attitude towards the subject,school, curriculm, etc, will be noticed by the student body. Be positive, love what you do, and be excited about the subject matter. If your not, ask to be cross-trained to a new
clinic so you will be challenged again.
Hi Karl,
I like your plan for keeping your course fresh and relevant. By knowing what is required in the other courses you can help the student make application between your course and their future courses.
Gary
I teach the same subject over and over and over. It is so easy to just do the same old thing. One way I have found to keep thing relevant to the situation is to visit some of the required classes and see what math skills are needed for them to be successful. It keeps me on my toes and also makes examples ones that are relevant to the students.
Hi David,
I hope this doesn't happen to you. Look for some ways you can get excited about your content and delivery once again. Try some new delivery techniques and see how they work. Develop some new handouts or try some new group activities. See what will happen as you change the way you organize the class. Strive for improvement and change.
Gary
i agree, i first thougt that staying in the same room meant that you would just get better every day. after 3.5 years, for the most part, i'm think i'm getting burnt out.
Your own enthusiasm will generate enthusiasm in the class. Don't allow yourself to become stale and boring. Check yourself and you personal attitude regularly.
Hi Gregory,
Great to hear about your new look at your instruction. This is how you keep the excitement in what you are doing. As you say the greatest reward is when you students notice that you are giving them the best of your professional abilities. Keep up the good work.
Gary
I agree Scott, I felt I was getting burned out in a few of the classes I teach, But I have looked hard into what I can do to make my classes more exciting and informative. My attitute was going down hill and now I have a whole new outlook on life and this has really helped me in the classroom. My Students have even noticed a big difference in me. I am loving what I do again and it really helps.
Attitude is everything, the students pick up on your every move. The good and the bad . Keeping a positive attitude in each class is very important for each instructor.A high level of professionalism is required to accomplish our goals and to mentor our student body.
I believe the most important word to remember is enthusiasm. I teach a professional Service Writing course and you must continually show the enthusiasm for what you teach. This is a hard course for some students to connect with, they just can’t see the value of this course. I find that an energetic, positive, enthusiastic approach every minute of every day is essential to the students connecting with the material and beginning to draw the line between the course and how it affects them and being in the business on a daily basis. If you do not exude the completely positive approach it will only reinforce a negative image that the students have given to this course prior to class.
Hi Jeffrey,
You make a number of very good points about professional development. It is as you say very easy to fall into the trap of being too comfortable with the content of your courses. Not only do you do the same thing over and over but you, the instructor can become bored with the content to the point that your students start to notice that you are not excited about what you are teaching.
Also, I commend you for the test question item analysis you are doing. All instructors should do this to ensure that the test questions they are asking are valid and reliable. If they aren't then true assessment is not taking place with the students.
Keep up the good work of seeking areas where you can change and improve your instructional delivery and I know you will continue to be an exciting and motivated instructor. I wish you the best in your teaching.
Gary
I have been instructing one particular subject for about six years now and recently I noticed an alarming trend in my class and one of my fellow instructors class as well. We had both become too comfortable in our routines and were missing the cues in the classroom that effective learning was not occurring. We began having meetings and discussing best practices and developed a new approach to the material. We decided to change our approach to the materials and add some new ways of covering key points in new ways that would address different learning styles.I also implemented some tracking tools to help identify problem areas. I found that there were certain test questions with as high as seventy percent incorect responce rate. we identified the short commings in the lesson plan to correct these problem areas and immediately began to realize an increase in the success rate and retention of the students. I personally feel now that I must continue to look for and identify problems and continue to try to improve my course. A successful professor or instructor cannot be satisfied with business as usuall. Remember the definition of insanity is to continue the same process and expect different results.
Hi Scott
True the students might not pick up the information that is being passed on to them. but gaurented they will pick up on on the instructors mood people love to gossip. and as instructors we need to learn to keep stuff that has nothing to do with the students. away from the students. if you are having issues or concerns,follow ths e chain of command, talk to your supervisor, team leader ect. but not in front of the students. they need to see a united front.
Every instuctor must keep themselves and the material fresh i agree.You must also love your job i think otherwise when you show up in the morning all fusterated or upset your students see that and that rubs on to you.
Hi Scott,
Well said about being excited that you have the opportunity to share your knowledge and expertise with others. Yes, teaching can at times have problems, but the overall outcome is the fact that you did have an impact in the lives of your students.
Gary
