Hi David,
I love it! This is worth memorizing and revisiting.
Patricia Scales
In my experience, some common instructor mistakes can be avoided by over preparing and being ready for anything. I began teaching strategies for success course approximately 1 year ago. I read the instructor book inside and out. I went over my power point slides and quizzes. I felt confident and I felt as if I was ready. No, I was wrong. I had the material down and I knew all the information being presented. However, what I didn’t get was the student interaction. I was losing the entire class. I sounded like a robot. One student stopped me and asked me to give a personal example of visualization… I had to stop and think of a time that I visualized something that would relate to the course. I had to laugh and tell them, “Okay, give me a minuetâ€. I realized life will throw you a curve ball at any time. We all laughed and I gave a great example. From that day on, I was open to being ready for anything. Instructors at times forget that their students are human too. We all need to take a break and laugh once and a while.
I love what your grandfather said. Thank you for sharing that with us.
I agree with him. If you don’t have a goal in life how do you know where you are going. Nice post..
It is amazing... Each class always brings something different. It is different students, attitudes, or learning experiences... it is great. I have to admit, it is never the same. Good luck to you in your teaching career.
Just being prepared for class makes a huge difference for me. Knowing ahead of time what we are covering that day gives me the confidence to present my lessons effectively. I like the new syllabus we have created because it makes you look ahead 6 weeks and to get yourself mentally prepared to cover the material in that term. I love the idea of over preparing and then loosing some of the time to the Bermuda Triangle of teaching, hilarious!!
By asking questions to assess the students understanding. Early on I used to assume that my class understood the lesson by their lack of questions, but it is more effective to assess their understanding by asking them pertinent questions.
I have been taking notes. This helps tremendously, both with the presentation of specific materials from class to class, and with class management from session to session. Unfortunately, the sequence will always be such that the mistake occurs before awareness and correction. :-)
Hi Stephen,
Note taking is an excellent way to determine what works and what does not work. Notes serves as a great reference tool when changes need to come about.
Patricia Scales
I think the segment with Harvard Professor DeLong really resonated with me. He pointed out that the goal of an instructor is to be respected and to do things well. But to reach that point, we need to make mistakes and do things poorly. Not deliberately, of course. But I've been teaching for over 20 years and have become a better instructor by being aware of the things students let me know I could have done better. Ultimately, it's important to be yourself yet be open to changing, if it helps you to connect better with your students.
Proper Preparation can help avoid instructor mistakes. You can never be prepared enough is what I have learned.
'Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performances' is a statement that I have grown to remember.
Hi Tamara,
I love this 5 Ps statement, and it is so true! Preparation is key!
Patricia Scales
Do not be afraid to pause while lecturing to gather your thoughts. Saying the words "and um" after every sentence tells students you possibly don't know what you are talking about or are not sure what you are talking about.
Hi Robert,
I agree! Silence is not always a bad thing when teaching. It is best to gather your thoughts then speak.
Patricia Scales
I do not if that is always possible. As an instructor we are all human. We all learn from each other. No two students are the same. So an approach that worked in one class may not work with class currently be taught.
I to learn from my students their questions and comments. Always learning.
I agree..... I always say no matter how well you have built a procees to be their is always room for improvement / advancement
I do my best to keep reading/keep learning/ keep asking questions and pushing myself to try new things both in my field and in other areas of my life.
I generally schedule an excess of time in my calendar for class preparation too. There is a small sense of comfort in knowing both that I have put in many hours of preparation before a class AND in knowing that I have blocked out dedicated time to get myself ready before the next session begins.
This time in preparation also lets me spot when we are getting to any part of the subject that I am rusty with- since I have time set aside I know I won't be rushed if I need to gather additional info for myself or call upon other resources to make sure the presentation of material for the students is complete :) and awesome whenever possible.
Kathy
Hi Danny,
I concur! I preach, I do not care how good you are, you can become better. I have been teaching for nearly 24 years, and I am still constantly evaluating myself so that I can become even better.
Patricia Scales
Making mistakes is a part of life in any thing we do. I made a mistake on a weld I did for a student today by sticking the tungsten in the weld!! a big no no!
Well I stopped and said this stuff happens and now I'm going to show you how to fix the mistake and make the repair on the weld.
The student said I thought that you didnt mess up on welds, we laughed and I said i'm not perfect but this is how you fix your weld.
I just remember no instructor is perfect, we are all human and we do make mistakes. Learn from your mistakes and strive to do better. You should be able to ask yourself at the end of the day or week, what did I learn today or this week and try to incorprate that into the next time you teach that module.
I have made all the mistakes. Learning from them and asking peers for support and help gives me the confidence I need
