new instructor
What suggestions would you give regarding training a new instructor?
I so agree with having a mentor. I wish I could have followed more when I was first hired it seemed as if I had so much to do getting lesson plans together and getting familiar with the material I was to be teaching. I only had 4 weeks to prepare thats not enough time.
Hi Patricia,
Preparation is key, and a seasoned instructor is worth a pot of goal to a new instructor.
Patricia
Hi Sandi,
Having a mentor is definitely a big plus for a new instructor. New instructors appreciate having a mentor. The new instructor feels a lot more at ease with a mentor.
Patricia
As in any new situation the new instructor or employee should have a mentor. The mentor can help the new instructor find their own style of teaching and still have a more experienced instructor to "bounce" their ideas off of.
Be as prepared as possible and ask others with more experience for assistance.
Hi Laura,
Yes, experienced instructors serve as great resource people.
Patricia
Hi Joseph,
Really being liked and respected is the perfect world in education. Just remain professional at all times, and remember you number one goal is to educate, and sometimes students may not like you.
Patricia
Being liked and respected is my goal as an instructor. What steps can be taken so that I do not cross over that " friendly" line and enter the "friendship zone". I find that being relatively close in age to my students makes me want to interact with them more but I can't.
As a new instructor, I found that the biggest help to me was assisting really experienced instructors. I could take notes, watch, and learn, so that when I was in charge of my own classroom I could assimilate what I had observed and modify it for my personality.
As a new instructor myself, getting the opportunity to sit in on classes that I was going to teach was quite helpeful. I was given the opportunity to not only sit in on the class I was going to teach, but had the opportunity to observe instructor presentations in several different classes. While this did nothing to ease the "first time" jitters, the opportunity to see different styles of teaching as well as different ways in teaching one particular subject was quite helpful. I am learning from my mistakes, and that in itself is making me a better instructor.
Hi Becky,
I agree as well. If I had to choose between the two, I would much rather be well respected than well liked. We are not in education to determine how many people like us. We are in education to change lives for the better and sometimes students will become upset with you, but they will get over it.
Patricia
I totally agree with this. I think it is human nature to want to be well liked. As I've gained experience teaching I've learned that being "liked" isn't nearly as important as being respected. Having a student tell me, "I learned more in this class than I ever expected" is a lot more rewarding than having a student tell me, "You're such a nice teacher, I feel like I could tell you anything"
I could not agree with this more. Every time I tried to teach just like another instructor, the lecture/demo failed horribly. You got to be you!
Hi Katrina,
Great idea! I always take special notes in my textbook pertaining to challening concepts, what to emphasize, telling story applicable to the lesson, what worked, what did not work, etc.
Patricia
I would highly suggest using a teaching journal. It's easy to think I wouldn't repeat the same mistake I did in class, but sometimes my memory doesn't serve me as well as I would like. By taking a few minutes after each class to write notes on what went well, what didn't, and what follow-up items I have, I found that I was more relaxed (and prepared) for each class meeting.
Hi Matt,
This is scary! It can be kind of like throwing them to the wolves. Inexperienced instructors need a lot of guidance. A mentor is highly suggested for new instructors.
Patricia
I would argue that putting new instructors into the frey under a instructed environment gives them the best sense of the course.
I know that shadowing an experienced instructor really helped me a lot in knowing how to present material and keep a good pace in the lectures. As well as helping me figure out how to handle different situations that my arise.
I think i made the classic mistake of being too friendly with my students when i first started teaching, and realy worried that they wouldn't like me. I have discovered over the last term that it doesn't matter if they like me as long as they are respectful. and that i can't be their friend because it takes away from my authority in the classroom and makes some of the students think they can get "special" treatment
