Preparation is key. Also in the computer field there is a wide array of topics so you cannot be afraid to say you dont know something if it is outside of the scope of the class. However you should research the answer and get back to the students. Never make up an answer your credibility will be shot!!
Some mistakes that instructors commonly make are:
Not preparing
Discussing personal problems
Not remembering students's names
Not being organized
Admitting inexperience
I think the best way is to be proactive and prepaired.
Patricia,
To never, never argue with a student in front of the class. Tell them that you will answer their question at break or after class.
Arguing with them during class, never works, and only makes it a tense class. Usually it's the "know it all" student that tries to get you to argue with them!
Karen
Hello Karen,
Wow, I've never tried this tactic in all my years of teaching. This is a must try for me.
Patricia
Hello Karen,
As educators, we do know a lot, but we don't know everything. I agree, I try not to be an "I know all" teacher.
Patricia
Mark you have the right idea. When I start a new class I will get there early and sit in the back of the class watching as the students come in. I enjoy hearing what they say about me, and how they decide where they will sit.
always being prepared, having an outline if necessary, having a back up plan so that if the class is quiet, that I can get them to do something else that will awaken them!
Trying not to be "I know all" teacher!
Hi Mark,
At my institutiion we try to make it a practice for new instructors to team teach before actually teaching on their own. We have found that this practice helps the new teacher get better prepared for upcoming courses.
Patricia
Not being prepared is high on the list, also you have to get a feel for the course by possibly sittting in ahead of time to see how it looks from the students point of view if possible. Get to know the curriculum, and don't try to be the know it all. Let the students participate in the course instead of viewing a course.
Hi Robert,
I make it a point to memorize my students names on the first day of class, regardless of size . I am good at memorizing names. I generally STARE at the student for about 5-8 seconds and associate something with their name to help me remember. I always impress my students on the first day by memorizing all the students names.
Patricia
I really have to work hard on names. I realized I was naming the seats ,not the student. If I saw them in the hall a few classes later I had to think of where they sat to remember names. Am working on that and doing better
Hi Richard,
Preparation is a must in the education field. I generally do not ask an instructor about a student. I always like to form my own opinion of a student. I am good about figuring out students quickly.
Patricia
Like everyone else here I prepare before classes. I also try an "inner game" of visualizing the students, the setting (I typically use only a few rooms for all my classes) and standing there in front of the class. Even after 15 years here it helps a lot. I also ask my fellow teachers if they have had any of the students before. That way I can get a "feel" for what the class may be like. Each group of people is different and the more I know about them ahead of time the easier it is to interact with them.
Hi Curran,
It is important to communicate with your colleagues. It is amazing what you can learn from each other. It is good to share your success stories as well as your mistakes.
Patricia
talk to other instructers often about mistakes you have made and they have made this will help you recognize problems from a long way off then you can avoid them
Hi Cynthia,
I always tell my instructors, you must have tough skin in the education arena. Do not take things personally, you know your status as a professional.
Patricia
I try to remember not to take things personally. Whether it be a student falling asleep in my class or a student earning a bad grade. Both make me feel things about myself. When this happens, I step back and look at the big picture. I remember that this is who I am profesionally which is separate from who I am personally.
Hi Benson,
Having a memory of an elephant in education is extremely important. You are right, you must remember what worked and what did not work. I have been teaching for 19 years, and I have NEVER taught the same course the same way twice, simply because each class is different (personalities). Experience is no doubt the best teacher!
Patricia
Remember what worked and what did not, from one class to another. Each class has a differnt personality, and the instructor may need to adjust teaching styles to relate to the sudents on a whole. Experience helps, talk to other instuctors about teaching strategies.
