edward,
Relating to people helps people to work more closely with each as well.
Philip Campbell
The most important quality in a highly effective instructor is being able to enthusiastically present the information to the student. You need to be able to do it in a way that engages all learning styles.
I think the ability to relate effectively to all types of students helps set apart instructors and how effectively they can get students to be engaged
Relating to each student regarding their experiences in the topic area is crucial if one is to support their students' learning endeavors. Instructors who are unable to recognize students who are anxious about the material because of being inexperienced cannot begin to help them. Developing a relationship with each student enables instructors to gain student confidence and to provide students with the determination, interest and willingness to step forward and learn the material. Students must feel comfortable and safe if they are to overcome initial fear caused by inexperience. Students have significant difficulty in overcoming learning obstacles if they sense that they are alone and isolated.
David,
Helping students is what hits home with most instructors. Keep up the good work.
Philip Campbell
I think empathy might be most important. Most
students are dealing with some issue in their personal life. If you can show empathy for them and give some suggestions or connections to others who may be able to help, it may have a far reaching affect in their life. As an instructor it's the highlight of my job if I can help a student overcome an obstacle and better his or her own life.
I feel that it is difficult to choose just one soft skill or quality that makes a highly effective intstructor. I believe that it is a combination of being a good listener , exhibiting a sincere interest in others and providing constructive feedback. Many of the students that I deal with on a daily basis are coming from environments where they are not being supported to succeed or their environment produces many issues that hold them back from succeeding. Therefore, I feel that being good listener exhibits an interest in the student and it makes them feel like someone cares and it gives them a reason to come to school because you are acting as a support system. It also makes them feel like someone understands and for some students they just need someone to connect with. I also feel that providing constructive feedback it extremely important to bein an effective instructor. Our job is to teach and guide these students in the right direction and by providing positive feedback they feel that they are learning and doing things right and it gives them the positive motivation to go back and make the corrections to become the best that they can be. It gives them a sense of accomplishment.
An ability to present the information in an enthusiastic, interactive manner that hopefully "infects" the students with the same enthusiasm for the material that the instructor is showing.
Albert,
I agree with all of these.
Philip Campbell
I believe highly effective instructors are compassionate, understanding, nurturing, caring, sympathetic, empathetic, motivating... I could go on.
When students see these traits in us they are much more comfortable in class, they are less apprehensive, and are more apt to ask questions.
The more I exhibit these characteristics, the more successful I am in the classroom.
Al;bert D'Addario
Paula ,
Good points, and your students will appreciate you be dependable for them.
Philip Campbell
Truly loving what they do for a living, both in material presentation and watching the student go from first day in session scared to raise their hand to that confident individual reaching for the diploma as they walk across the graduation stage. Dependability, to me, is that which should be emphasized both for the sake of the student and that of their co-workers as well as administration.
I think there are multiple qualities/abilities that make an instructor highly effective. This includes a thorough knowledge of the topic, actual work experience in the area of the topic, an enthusiasm for the work, and the ability to communicate that knowledge and experience in a way that is both interesting and meaningful to the students. To me there is no one quality that stands out, what is key is the ability to take multiple qualities and combine them in a way that actually reaches and teaches the students.
Larry,
True and every class is different, even if it is the same subject matter, so interpretation might be different every time time you teach the class.
Philip Campbell
I am able at times, to relate to the students on their level and at their capacity. Each student has different levels of learning and while in tune to that, I let my students know my expectations from day one and I expect them to step to a higher level to meet those expectations. It challenges them to become more professional thinking and to learn to multi-task. They will sometimes get agitated when they ask a question and I require them to find an answer as opposed to me handing it on a silver platter. Not knowing the answer is not always the problem however, not knowing how to find always will be.
As you have said, "If an instructor cannot effectively manage his/her emotions, the classroom dynamic will suffer." I will ask that if an instuctor cannot manage his/her emotions how does he/she manage the classrooms' emotions? The instuctor is driving the bus, if the driver is not in control, who is and where is this trip going to take them? There is a saying, "If you can't control your head pressure, you're going to lose you cool." If you lose your cool, you are losing control. If you are not running the class, the class is running you. Having good soft skills prevents this from happening.
Caren,
True success is what we all look for.
Philip Campbell
Samantha ,
That is a good way to focus them on what they need to know.
Philip Campbell
An effective instructor finds a way to interpret the course material in a manner that that particular class can understand. Each cohort of students tends to have a distinct personality that varies tremendously from other groups. It is the role of the effective instructor to reach that cohort and pass on information in a relatable manner.
It depends on what you mean by "effective."
If you mean "students pass the class," then it would be about assignment creation, clarity of expectations and the work load, as well as keeping students interested enough to do do the work.
If you mean "students give the instructor a high score on assessments," I think this is where soft skills come in. If students feel like they are listened to and the class is engaging and informative, they are more likely to give the class positive reviews.
For me, effectiveness doesn't have to do with these benchmarks though. I think effectiveness must be about demanding that students think critically and challenging their assumptions. I think it also has to do with treating students like authentic human beings. So I would say that the ability to truly be interested in others is the most important skill a teacher can have (I would call this 'curiosity.')
