Understanding that Instructors need to continue their Professional Development.
Preparation is key to a smooth-running class. A positive professional attitude and genuinely caring about the students will help motivate them to succeed,
Be who you want to students to become
Comment on Herman Elliott II's post: I agree Herman. I also try to emulate the most effective professors from my past by using similar teaching strategies!
As a relatively young and new instructor (26 years old, 2 years of experience), avoiding becoming a "pal" is something I believe I need to work on. Since I am closer in age to the students, it is easy to fall into that trap. Otherwise, I am very excited to share my passion for my subject with my students, and I always get feedback saying that students love my enthusiasm and it makes them actually want to learn. Hearing that always makes me feel like I am doing something right!
There are major benefits to professional development. One should look to see what their area of strength is and work on developing it. It is also vital that as one work in their area of expertise they do continuous self evaluation to see whether students are benefitting from their effort, or they still need to work at improving themselves to be effective.
Develop a written professional development plan.
Stay current with ever changing technology and convey your passion for the field in your teachings.
Being a student motivator does not include being their "friend."
This will be my first year teaching (quite an exciting time!) I have learned a tremendous amount but my 2 biggest takeaways were the 3 M's from lesson 1 and the 5 C's of confidence in a later lesson.
Manage, Motivate and Model. Lead by example. The five "C's" are also great. Continue learning. We learn new thing every day.
Lead by example, stay motivated and excited about your area of expertise, humility goes a long way, and last hone your professional skills... never stop learning.
Comment on Gary Wilkerson's post: Agreed
This instruction Model taught me that I should not present myself as the smartest in the class and that I should make it a point to be in my classroom and prepaired for class at least 30 minutes before my students arrive.
In Order to be successful i have to take a few minites to think of the instructors and teachers whom I have had over the years and enjoyed the most. I think of mostly the really happy ones that had an extra twist in the class. Never felt like falling asleep because the course was gaging and boring. My favorits were active and did not teach from a chair and had high energy and were always happy and encouraging. I am already a person like this more the most part. From my life experiences however, I can turn a serious dime on in a second if needed. Maybe I have to much confidence but like i tell my own children the biggest limiter in your life will always be yourself. Keep the door open, and you will always find ways to surprise yourself and others in the end because you are not afraid to face the world without barriers. This thought process has done well for me. I teach this concept to my own children, and if I can find a way to implement this in the class to help the students be more confident and comfortable, I will find a way to do that. Trial and error I see, will be what is needed for this teaching approach to be perfected and effective. I will gather all the information I can to enact this and improve it as the years go on. This model has helped me be able to form the basis for my teaching type and approach with a complex variity of students I will enconuter.
As an instructor, I am always striving to improve my knowledge and teaching skills.
Dressing professionally, speaking appropriately, being a mentor, a coach so to speak and not a "pal". Know your subject matter; never be afraid to say "I'm not sure, however we can find out together".
Be the example and develop your skills.
This module has reinforced the importance of modeling the behavior you expect from your students in addition to the importance of motivating, supporting, and encouraging them. I also appreciate how we were asked to reflect on our own teaching experiences from when we were students. Evaluating both the good and bad aspects and determining what we would want to incorporate into our classrooms.
My key takeaways were how to model desired behavior while incorporating my own personal style.
