Do you feel an instructor has to have experience in the field they are teaching or not ?

After taking this module I was pleasantly surprised that I have made a lesson plan that incorporates a lot of the components needed to have a successful class. I am teaching a meditation course this weekend and I have formed lecture notes to discuss walking meditation and purchased a video that is 30 min. on labyrinths and found a labyrinth at a nearby church for a field trip. I think it is going to be a lot of fun. It certainly covers the basis for the students to have a clear understanding of the components of what is entailed in a laybrinth meditation and the exciting part is they get to participate in Doing!!!

I think teaching is a bit like acting. It's really important to have confidence in the classroom and sometimes you have to "fake it until you make it." I think it helps to think of it in terms of putting on a persona. Who are you when you teach? Ask yourself "Who do I want to be when I teach" and then be that.

This is such a critical piece of the successful running of a course. You can assume students know what to expect, especially if they've been at the school for awhile, or you teach more than one class and you've had those students before. But I find it is always better to take the time at the beginning of every class to set clear expectations, go over the syllabus and school policies, and establish clear boundaries. And, it's always better to be a little harder/stricter at the beginning because you can ease up later as opposed to being soft at the beginning and then trying to enforce structure later on.

I am grateful I had the opportunity to take this module. I have been incorporating some of the information, but I find this will help me organize my thoughts so the class will run much smoother by making a great first impression. Thanks

I work at a massage therapy school and there are not always a lot of books available to choose from as potential texts considering some of our course content can be a little esoteric. We often use handouts (from trade magazines, websites, etc) to supplement our teaching. In fact, some of our courses are built around handouts, manuals, and charts and don't even have a required text. Handouts are an important addition to our courseware!

I work at a massage therapy school and their policy is to audit the class they want you to teach before you teach it. (They try to have several instructors in reserve who can all teach the same class in case someone gets sick or if multiples of the same class are being offered.) I think this is such a helpful tool.

When I have time to review previous lectures or for reviewing for a quiz, I will have each student in the class create a quiz question (from the current subject)in their head and ask the rest of the class the question. I think looking at the topics from a different view points helps a student broaden their understanding of the topic and enables them to apply the newly acquired information in a small but meaningful way. I will try not to go on to the new topics until everyone in class has come up with a good question.

I am preparing for a Reflexology class I am teaching this weekend and Sunday is Easter. I thought it would be a fun activity to have an easter egg hunt. I 'm considering putting a reflex in each egg and the student has to locate the reflex on their own foot. The student with the most eggs gets a prize. I was wondering if anyone has a better idea. I am open to any suggestions. Thanks

Will be applying all new info.

I had already been applying many of these techniques and will continue add the and the new.

The format was presented in well orginized and helpful way so that I can apply it immediately .

:-] This will be a great help in organizing myself for future classes since my background as a nurse and massotherapist never covered this .

I am all to familiar with the standard lecture, passive student listening format. I throw out questions to get an interaction, but I like the concept of maybe basing my lectures around a fundamental problem to be solved by the class. Perhaps, implementing multiple mini lectures as a means of steps to solve the problem.

I wanted to comment on the suggestion to "avoid a cold start" by getting to class a few minutes early and chatting informally with students before the class starts. While in point of fact I do the latter, my idealized image of a teacher or a professor is to be more aloof. I'm thinking of John Housman in "The Paper Chase," or even how Alistair Cook used to introduce Masterpiece Theatre. The professors I remember the best in my own education, from Harvard, Yale, and Vanderbilt, had a larger than life quality. I feel so small in comparison, even now that they are all dead. But maybe that was the style of another day. I certainly enjoy interacting with the students, being personal with them. But I just wonder if one loses something by that, that it says something like: you're just one of us. Bruce Crissinger

What would be some ways to increase the appreciation in value of the learning experience? Yhea, students see the need to get an education for a career, but they see course work often times as a "hoop" instead of a foundation.

Having been a student not too long ago, I now realize the importance of the task the instructor has to organize, present, and evaluate each of the students taking the course.

I now see how important the first class beginning and onset of the material presentation is. Much depends on the instructor and the student roles upon meeting for the first time.

I have learned from your website the importance of well planned classroom organization can be. I see the structure presented , it will be very helpful in the future.

I am currently a teachers aid. I have learned so much from the information offered on your website, I look forward to practicing in the classroom.