I encourage new instructors to introduce first themselves and discuss personal experience in the medical profession. New instructors may be nervous at the beginning of a discussion but quickly find less anxiety as they start to talk from experience and share this knowledge with students.
Hi Agnes,
Ice breakers are definitely a sure way to minimize instructor anxiety. Ice breakers seem to put most people at ease.
Patricia
Hi Mary,
You can never go wrong by over preparing. It is a lot smarter to have too much information than to have too little.
Patricia
I like ice breakers, introductions of myself and having the class make introductions the first day. I also like being able eto engage in dicusussions about the course, their expectations and what they will encounter.
As the lesson suggested, I “over prepare†for class. By doing this, I eliminate anxiety and feel confident about my role as the instructor.
My biggest method is to over prepare. That means having very organized lecture notes, Power Point slides, lecture outlines, and questions to guide classroom discussion. The more organized and prepared I perceive myself to be, the less anxious I am. In fact, the more prepared I perceive myself to be, the more excited I am teach the material. Along with that, of course, is familiarity with the material and the confidence that I know the material well enough through personal and professional experience to teach it.
I also go over in my mind how the class will likely go, especially with my lecture and discussion points. As I do that, I also prepare for any contingencies that may arise. These include student questions, discussion points, student confusion, and possible classroom management problems.
I also remind myself that I am not perfect and I will likely make mistakes. How I respond to those mistakes will definitely be used to form a positive or negative image about me with the students. I have learned to be able to laugh at myself and not take myself too seriously.
Using humor and convincing myself to have fun with the class is also another way I use to reduce anxiety. If I am having fun, then I know my students likely will, and humor has a way of reducing anxiety significantly. The more fun I and the students are having with the class, the less anxiety will be generated.
If I perceive my anxiety becoming to intense, then I may talk with my colleagues to gain tips about how they manage their anxiety and then apply those tips to my life. Many times, however, my colleagues are just as nervous as I. And that is quite reassuring to me.
Finally, being a deeply religious person, I pray. For me, prayer is a very powerful means to reduce my anxiety as I know that God is in control of my life, including my teaching. So I place my anxiety in His hands, and trust that no matter how things turn out, it was within His will.
Hi Alexxis,
I too have over 20 years in the profession. It does not even phase me now to enter the class, but it is something that truly came about with time. I make it a point to learn all of my student names before they leave for the period, and I also make it a point to greet all of my students. Comfortableness eases anxiety with everyone. Make it a point to get to know your students.
Patricia
I would agree that the stage set by instructor is the open door to what happens in the learning process. Who are my students, where do they want to go, how will I lead them to their goal and what is the measure of success in the process? Answering these questions does remove great stress from the instructor and student as they gain insight to their instructor in such a setting.
When I orginally began teaching over 20 years ago - I found myself a little nervous...What do I do? Over the years, you develop more self-confidence and acquire an ease about delivery - so time does assist in removing the jitters.
I always open up the class by learning about the student - their name, where they originally came from, what they want to learn -- that way, I can hear and see their needs right on the first day. This has always helped me to stage future classes on what is most important to the students.
Hi Mary,
It is amazing to me that some instructors expect their students to read certain material, and the instructor has not even read the material. Unreal. We as educators should always be prepared.
Patricia
Hi Patricia,
I am a 22-year veteran in the field. Trust me, you will be fine. We all had to find our way!
Patricia
Read what you will expect your students to read! :-) Know the material well. Make a detailed, step-by-step outline for how you plan for each class period to proceed.
When I first began teaching, I looked to experienced instructors for reassurance that my issues weren't the anomoly, but the usual. It was reassuring to hear that EVERY instructor struggled to find thier "style" and EVERY new instructor made mistakes along the way. The seasoned veterans are an excellent resource for the newcomers. Remember to believe them when they tell you that you're going to be o.k.
Hi Michelle,
There is really a lot covered under the umbrella of preparation. Knowing content material, available lesson plans, copies, room setup all of these things include preparation. You certainly made some valid points in your response.
Patricia
Preparation is key in overcoming pre-class anxiety. Making sure that all materials needed for class have been ordered or in prepared for class in advance is critical. However, lesson plans and mastery of the material is also necessary. Every thing has its place both in a classroom, so it is important to make sure that the the class room is set up for optimum learning and teaching experience.
Hi Albert,
This is bound to happen, but whenever you are poised with a question, and you do not know the answer, admit to not knowing. You can have the students research the answer as a daily assignment grade. This can certainly be a good way to get discussion going. You can also let the student know that you will find the answer, and get back with them the next class period. You are right, we do not know it all.
Patricia
More than likely I know I'll encounter a technical Question due to me teaching a technical field. I know noone has all the answers but I 'm concerned I might stumble on something perceived to be an "easy" question and it may appear I'm much less knowledgable than I am. Any thoughts? Thank you.
Hi Thomas,
Preparation is key! Everything runs smoothly whenever preparation has taken place. As an instructor students can tell when you have prepared.
Patricia
When preparation meets opportunity luck happens
Hi Darren,
Confidence is a must. Students can tell when you lack confidence. Whenever the instructor does not have confidence, the student begins to question the instructor's knowledge base, preparation, organization, etc.
Patricia
