I have found the same thing to be true. Be squared away yourself before you step in the building. Leave YOUR problems in the car so the students don't see your negative issues...only the upbeat "let's go learn something new" attitude.ALWAYS greet them with a positive attitude and they will respond in kind. Your words may be the only kind words they have heard today.
I think part of it is an ability to communicate in various ways to various audiences!
John ,
This is a great point, and we need to be conscious of that. It is easy to do things easy and not adjust for individuals.
Philip Campbell
The ability to recognize and relate to their individual students and develop differing strategies to effectively relate to each student. A one size fits all approach usually does not work
Vicki,
True, we all need to realize that the culture of a classroom is usually set by the instructors.
Philip Campbell
I totally agree! If an instructor is having a bad day so are a room full of students.
I feel that the most important quality that sets highly effective instructors apart from those that seem to consistantly have issues that arise/involve administration, or have alot of classroom management problems, seems to be the ability to listen and manage their emotions. The aspect of reasoning first, and then making a response to a student or someone else is critical in avoiding escalation of an issue.
Sheila,
Yes, there needs to be a good balance between getting the coursework presented and getting to know your class. We need to be careful we do not make the classes a social gathering but keep at our tasks.
Philip Campbell
Highly Effective Instructors are firm in following course objectives yet empathetic to students, understand their "at risk students", and understand how to motivate their students while always "raising the bar" to learn.
Karen,
Ability to work and guide a group is imperative in a classroom setting.
Philip Campbell
Shannon,
Very true, and glad to hear you believe in that as well.
Philip Campbell
Motivation, high energy and abiity to read the group and respond in porductive manner
Irina,
Energy can come from different avenues. The instructor does not always need to be the cheerleader in front of the room. The activities need to be motivational for the students too.
Philip Campbell
Love this post. Having a positive attitude in everything you do is a a big contributor to success on many levels.
While there are lots of important behaviors, I think the bottom line is respect for all the students. If we don't accept and respect them, we cannot empathize and truly care about them. I think my most wonderful adult ed teaching experience resulted from my caring deeply about the students, and making myself equally vulnerable by asking their flexibility and help while I dealt with a family emergency. As one student said, "You care about us, and we care about you." It was a wonderful learning experience on both sides. Another thing that helped was recognizing the individual strengths of some students, and developing a team mentality early on. We all bring some strengths to the table. Students appreciated that I recognized their abilities. They actively coached their fellow students. It was the kind of experience that makes us love teaching!
I would say that leading by example is far and away the most important quality that an instructor can have. When your students see the way you look from the outside they will follow your example. Everything from your attire to the way that you carry yourself in every situation. you stand tall they will stand tall. You are squared away they will aspire to follow your lead. I feel this also carries over into the emotional aspect of it as well. If you show up every day truly inspired to teach they will show up with the desire to learn. They will share and emulate your passion.
First and foremost an effective instructor must be a good communicator. It is important to capture the students’ attention but also maintain their attention throughout the class. This can be achieved by using a variety of activities that focus what is important for the students to know and retain. In addition to being a good communicator, teachers must know the subject matter, have clear objectives, and a sense of purpose. With good communication skills an instructor has the ability to not only motivate students but also make learning new material fun.
It seems like energy in the classroom is a key, but what if an instructor doesn't have energy, tired? How to generate the positive charge from below zero point?
Highly effective instructors have high energy, stay positive about the subject matter, work with students to see and understand why they are there, answer questions for the students in a reliable and timely manner, motivate and push students to better than they thought they could be. I strongly believe that an effective instructor sees the potential in students they did know they had and helps them reach that potential or at least realize it is in them. Being prepared is important for class, behaving professional, wearing appropriate clothing, etc is all important to the vision of how a good instructor should appear. However, showing a flaw or two is not a bad thing. It helps the students know you are a real person and letting them see that makes you more approachable and reachable for them. I often share stories of myself or those I know who have struggled as adult learners and the success that came as an end result to hardwork. An effective instructor provide support and allows the students to know they can be successful if they work.
