I enjoyed reimagining the aspect of how my passion for the field can be used to enhance my classroom experience.
I am glad they course discussed not teaching your students like high school students.
Recognition and reward are important aspects of teaching. It is important to respect students and it is important for students to have self respect.
I like the idea of keeping the classroom as spontaneous as possible.
I think that the human factor is very important and i think its important for students to realize that you have been through what they are going through and validate their feelings.
Two-way communication is very important in keeping the class engaged and gives more opportunity to learn students.
Quick starts include a good lighthearted opening statement r event to get the class going. Its always a good start to break the ice each day with a thought provoking, potentially uplifting statement fact or event.
I like to be spontaneous with activities.
It is important to examine the communication I use with my adult learners to evaluate if more effective methods need to be adopted to ensure success.
A small part of this course, but one that made a lasting impact, was the inclusion of the one Harvard Business Review Video regarding lesson plans and their role in the lecture. I usually spend two hours prepping for class the day before and sometimes I obsess over hitting every single bullet point that I had wrote down. However, encouraging open discussion about the topic at hand, letting go of the reigns, is a great way to promote student engagement in the classroom.
Reassure students that they can do well in the course, and tell them exactly what they must do to succeed.
Take a few minutes and engage with your students about random topics. It's okay to have fun and still get the material covered.
I like the ideas of human factor, motivation, acknowledge their feelings and developing rapport with the students so they can be engaged in the learning process.
It is important to build rapport with your students. This helps them feel comfortable, accepted and respected. Creating a positive, upbeat, open learning environment is important especially with adult learners.
Engage your students. Be thoughtful in your approach and be a human being.
Start each class with a light hearted moment, a story, an icebreaker, etc... to get them comfortable and ready to learn.
I've learned it is essential for students to be continuously engaged in class to hold interest in the subject matter, which leads to overall better success rates for students. One interesting way to do this is to use random national holidays as a way to bring light-hearted fun to the classroom.
Our students reflect what they see. Instructor needs to be enthusiastic, confident, have a love for teaching and know the content.
Comment on Rose Elam's post: That is awesome. It is like performing or acting so to say, the energy of a professor is felt and mimicked within a classroom setting. What you bring to the table sets the vibe for that class and everyone in it.
