Brandon Randall

We, as instructors, will make mistakes. Its human nature. Its how we learn from them and make the necessary adjustments and corrections to better ourselves moving forward. Write down your mistakes and find ways to improve and prevent those same mistakes from happening again.

I learned that you need to monitor students behavior. Dont "pick on" quiet students but make sure they are engaged and participating. Have private discussions when I feel it needs to be had. observe class. make sure no one is cheating. If I feel a student isnt fully engaged or any other issue, I will pull them off to the side to have a discussion to figure whats going on and find a way to resolve.

There are and will be all sorts of different types of people with different personalities. It is up to the instructor to identify these personalities and run the class accordingly. 

I learned to be open with the students about the curriculum and expectations of the course. Explain and go over the course syllabus in detail. Use teamwork when doing activities.

This part excites me the most. This is where I can put my own spin on things delivering different learning techniques to the students. I plan to utilize several different methods of teaching to keep the students engaged and create an environment where they actually forget they are learning but, in fact, they are learning. By switching up different styles, it keeps everything fresh and new and will hopefully prevent students from being "bored" or lost. Everyone is different and everyone has different ways of retaining information effectively.

My takeaway from this is how important it is to get to know your students and have the students get to know you. I want to share my experiences from my time in the field as well as other personal information about myself. One thing I plan on doing, is, at the start of every class, I will have on the whiteboard, an OTA. On Task Assignment. It will be some random question either about a previous lesson or subject we have gone over, but mostly be questions like, what did you do last weekend? Whats your favorite activity to… >>>

It is essential not only for myself as an instructor, but for the students as well, having a plan and being prepared for the days lesson. This keeps the students engaged and relieves any anxiety about what the day beholds. Having a checklist is a great way to make sure everyone stays on task and everything is covered for that days lesson. No plan or preparation, I feel, will lose respect from the students and are less willing to engage in the days topics and lessons. Therefore, not able to learn at the maximum level. 

I learned how to be a model, manager and motivator. Staying professional at all times in different aspects such as appearance (how I dress, hygiene, etc.), how I conduct myself (overall attitude and how I speak to not just students but fellow colleagues.) and how I simply act (being on time, being prepared, and being available)