Motivating the Instructor, as well as, the students.
I have been teaching for over 15 years in many diverse capacities. I think that it is important to continually look for new ways to energize how we, as instructors, feel about the field of teaching. It is very easy to become "burned out" on what we teach, especially if the course variation is not changed periodically. The students definitely recognize our motivation level as well as their own and it reflects their engagement in the course.
Sherri,
You are so right! I find that if I teach the same class in the morning and then again in the afternoon I cannot use the exact same methods. My mind will not function the second time the way it did in the morning. I then use different methods to teach the same material or mix up the order of what I will do. Not only do students need variety but so do instructors.
The Internet is a good tool for finding new ways to do things and new, interesting material. Textbooks take a year to come out and often times are not as current as we would like. About every three months I update the material in my medical law and ethics course so that the students know the current material and change the tests to reflect the changes. This is important because it teaches the students that staying current is important to them. Instructors must role-model this as well as other professionalism characteristics as well.
Dianne
