Keeping Motivated in Certificate Course Setting
I instruct an entry portion of a 3 week certificated vocational course. Every week I am meeting a new class. Suggestions on staying motivated and handling the stress are appreciated.
Hi E Woods,
It takes a lot of energy and focus to maintain a high level of motivation when you are starting classes as often as you do. I am currently doing the same thing with one week and then two classes.
Here are a couple of things I do to help me keep the "edge" with my teaching. Focus on developing rapport with the new students. I try and take a different approach with how I gain information about the students and get them engaged in the learning process. By trying new approaches I am doing something new and that helps me to stay motivated. Another thing I do is to pick one area of the course content to deliver in a different way. Again this helps to keep my personal interest up since I am always courious to see how the new delivery method will work out.
Gary
It is difficult to keep oneself highly motivated especially when you have a class is full of slow learners and not motivated and too relaxed. On my part I try and make my lecture's as intresting as possible by explaining things in different ways and involving the students in the conversation and highliting the importance of this course and it relates in real life.
Sometime's I change the style of teaching based on the caliber of the students as some classes are motivated and some not. Depending on what is before me I scale the information given and how it is to been given. This keeps me motivated with the class if I am able to get the positive points of them and make them feel good so that the are motivated and get intrested in the class. I am really motivated when I have class that really wants to learn.
