Have a plan, be prepared and be able to adapt to fix mistakes.
That most fear obstacles.
Preparation before class is the best way to avoid some of the jitters before class. I am the last person who wants to stand in front of a class room full of students I don't know personally. I look at it as the first day of meeting a class room full of students wanting to learn how to work in an industry I happen to love. And so, I cant wait to meet and get to know them.
I like the explanation of using humor to address your mistakes as an instructor.
Comment on Shelley Freshman's post: I love this idea. I'm going to borrow it. Thank you.
It's great advice to focus on the long term job of doing a job well from the start and taking your time, rather than rushing to do that right away. It's better to do the job right but poorly, instead of doing a job poorly and wrong and then landing on doing a job right but poorly because you never set out to do it right from the start.
Be willing to make mistakes and learn from them.
Always be prepared to not be worrying about what ifs.
Learned to avoid instructor image mistake, dress professionally,to appear to the stiudents as someone who cares about them amd their success.Learning the names of the students make them feel inclusive.Another great lesson learned is to always go through course work and put in the time, not to be anxious on class day.
This class has taught me many ways to succeed in teaching, but the most important fact that has impacted my learning and has influenced my enjoyment using this platform, is that I am not alone. Many of the fears I have and have had are not unrealistic, and are common fears that I have learned, many teachers have.
I worry all the time about my first impression towards people. Sometimes without saying a word and dressing in a uniform, people will still form an impression that may be based on stereotypes which I dont have any control over. There are other actions that I can model which will create an overall impression of professionalism and competency.
- Being on time - all the time
- Keeping your promises
- Providing students with the tools they need to succeed.
- etc.
I think remembering student names is important. Providing name tents for the first couple of weeks can help us to remember are students names.
be confident and organized with your teaching skills
When teaching adults, class management means that you are prepared, organized, and dedicated to sharing your expertise and knowledge of the field.
Lots of good and useful information for new instructors. Remembering names of all students specially when you have 70 students every 12 weeks has been my biggest challenge. With the consent of the students, I take pictures of the two sides of the classroom and write the names of students as per their seats and then put their faces to their names and it helps me to remember their names quicker than anything else.
making notes on how the lecture went. I find myself wanting to forget how it went and then not making productive choices in the subsequent class sessions
It is difficult to remember students' names. By having them make a trifold "tent" to write their names on and post this on their desk the first day of class, it helps me to remember who each student is. We also use popsicle sticks with their name on each stick. When we want to call on a student to answer a question, pick out a popsicle stick and call out the name.
I remember wanting my students to like me when I first started teaching 20 years ago - now all I want from them is respect!
If you come to class prepared, it will decrease your anxiety and make you appear prepared to the students, reducing their anxiety.
I have learned to come prepared. More than prepared actually. I learned about professional image as well. Also if I make a mistake i should write it down and how I resolved the issue. So, I guess make a mistake book, but yet don't dwell on it
A good note I was given by another instructor is make a note each day so you can look back on it next year. keep a running log of this and you will be able to learn and grow from year to year.
