Chancey Stanley

Adult learners fear embarassment in front of their peers or colleagues. Security deals with the belief that they can sucessfully navigate the course material and achieve positive outcomes. Autonomy refers to the adult learner having some control over what they learn and how they learn it. This is especially useful when the content has real-world applicability to the student's professional experience.

Keeping students motivated and engaged is critical to their progress in the curriculum. However, keeping instructors motivated is equally important. When instructors start to feel "burned out" and succumb to exhaustion, the classroom environment will suffer. Learn to recognize these signs early and make adjustments to keep the mood lively, entertaining, and informative.

I love the part about expressing genuine interest and enthusiasm in your subject material. The "energy" in the room first flows from the instructor. If it is lacking, the students will cue in on this and adopt a similar mentality. The students cannot care more about your content than you do!

Cheers,

Chance

One of the best ways I have found to encourage student retention is to demonstrate a genuine desire to see them succeed in their academic endeavors and professional and personal lives. A second method is to ensure the course material is linked to real-world applications that interest them. In this way, the subject material remains relevant to the target audience, thus ensuring maximum participation and enthusiasm.

Cheers,

Chance

From this section, I learned that all students have unique needs. As an instructor, one must aspire to meet those needs so that every student can realize their academic goals. When instructing adult learners, it is important to remember that they all bring varying amounts of professional and life experience into the classroom. Where appropriate, a good instructor can leverage that expertise to add depth and breadth to the conversations, enriching the classroom experience for everyone.

Cheers,

Chance

When delivering course content, be sure to vary your methods and style to accommodate students with different learning types.  Additionally, adhere closely to organizational policies as well to ensure the content you deliver is acceptable and in keeping with industry-wide standards.

The most important aspect of meeting your class for the first time is the student's impression of you as an instructor.  Being late, unprepared, or overly nervous on opening day sets an undesirable tone for the entire course.

As an instructor and a representative of your organization, there is an expectation that you will be well-versed in the subject matter to be taught and will conduct yourself as a professional at all times.  In addition to this, taking the time to prepare for classes, rehearsing if necessary, and arriving a few minutes early will undoubtedly pay dividends during your execution.

I think the most important aspect to remember as a new instructor is to make your students and their continued development your number one priority.  Sure we all want to improve professionally, but not at the expense of our students' abilities.  Put your students first and you will naturally grow and develop as a competent and trusted instructor.

Bringing in support materials, especially technology such as videos and computer-based presentations, can help instructors to relay difficult or complex concepts to their students.  It can also provide examples of how the subject matter is relevant to their chosen field.  Lastly, support materials often combine aspects that visual and auditory learners can appreciate.  Kinaesthetic learners can benefit as well if there is a practical application session built into the lesson plan.