Preparing yourself for class.
Before you prepare for the class I think we should put ourselves in their shoes only then we will be able to make the students understand.
Irum,
Thinking from the perspective of a student is not a bad idea. We may want to reach the students into higher levels, but going from A to D, omitting steps B and C is probably not that productive.
Barry Westling
I completely agree. Intructors often forget the level of difficulty in the act of learning itself. Students have difficulty in saying, wait I have missed a step. My approach is to assess after a topic with the group of students. If I am getting less than confident answers, I try to broach the subject again from a different direction and only take it step by step at that time to make sure everyone is with me up till that point.
Christa,
Checking for understanding is a great method to assure that everyone is on the same page prior to moving ahead. This does take patience and extra time, but students will recognize and appreciate their instructor's effort.
Barry Westling
Being an experienced professional in your field it is easy to forget the process that it took to learn your skills. Putting yourself in the students shoes and remembering how it was to learn the skills will help in your teaching.
Michael,
Thinking like a student might is one (of many) considerations to make while preparing for class. Often because the instructor knows the material, the sequencing of instruction makes perfect sense. But to students who are just learning the material, there may be alternative ways to present and enhance understanding.
Barry Westling
