As a 3rd year teacher, I have learned that the students, early on, are just as nervous as I am! I think that when I show my vulnerability but sharing things about me to them, it helps to ease the tension. I make sure to apologize if I make a mistake and the children are very forgiving. Because I teach two of the same classes in one day, I often make adjustments to my 2nd class of the day from the lessons learned from the first class of the day. The lesson mentioned being able to make connections with the students by learning their names. I must admit that when I worked corporately, I was HORRIBLE with remembering names. When I first started in the classroom, I thought there was NO WAY I was going to remember 140 student's names. Surprisingly, I do!
It is important to take people on the journey of seeing you at your most vulnerable as you work on doing things well and right. That will allow better rapport, support, and respect. Remember you are human and will always make mistakes; however, learning from them is the most important. Don't worry about the what ifs and double the amount of content "over-prepare" to avoid being ill-prepared. Command the classroom to avoid having a dominant student take control of the class.
The only way to do something right and do it well is to first do it poorly. Learning from mistakes and failures will only make us better.
As an instructor, you will improve each time yopu teach the same course. It's a good idea to make notes where improvements can be made throughout your lesson plan to better prepare for the next time.
Being prepared and overpreparing would be a technique that I would employ. It's better to have too much material then to be scrambling to fill empty time. Also, I currently get bounced around between different groups of students at times, and that makes it difficult to remember names.
I like to pull techniques and advice from other instructors. I have had a class of instructors teaching others methods of teaching. That class showed me different class presence and different ways to connect with students.
Reflecting on the relationship between external organization and perceived competence in the classroom reveals some important truths. It’s striking to recognize that students often equate a disorganized environment—such as a cluttered desk or chaotic work area—with a lack of mental clarity and structure. This perception can significantly impact their confidence in an instructor, regardless of the instructor's expertise or knowledge in their field.
When students observe disarray, it can lead them to question not just the instructor’s organizational skills, but also their ability to effectively teach and guide them. Even the most knowledgeable educators can unintentionally undermine their credibility if they don’t present themselves and their materials in a well-structured manner. This insight emphasizes the importance of maintaining an organized teaching space, as it not only reflects professionalism but also reassures students of the instructor's capability. In essence, cultivating an orderly environment is crucial not just for personal efficiency, but for fostering trust and confidence among students.
Mistakes happen as we are humans.
This module is very beneficial for the new instructor. They need to be prepared and have confidence in themselves
Knowing that even experienced instructors will make mistakes. Taking note of mistakes as they occur and how they were corrected and reviewing these mistakes to learn from them and improve.
Instructor mistakes will happen, but it does not have to be the final resting place. Using humor to identify a mistake you made, allow the students to understand you are human and relieve the idea that they must be perfect to succeed. One of the biggest benefits to avoiding mistakes are being prepared and organized.
Have a plan, be prepared and be able to adapt to fix mistakes.
That most fear obstacles.
Preparation before class is the best way to avoid some of the jitters before class. I am the last person who wants to stand in front of a class room full of students I don't know personally. I look at it as the first day of meeting a class room full of students wanting to learn how to work in an industry I happen to love. And so, I cant wait to meet and get to know them.
I like the explanation of using humor to address your mistakes as an instructor.
Comment on Shelley Freshman's post: I love this idea. I'm going to borrow it. Thank you.
It's great advice to focus on the long term job of doing a job well from the start and taking your time, rather than rushing to do that right away. It's better to do the job right but poorly, instead of doing a job poorly and wrong and then landing on doing a job right but poorly because you never set out to do it right from the start.
Be willing to make mistakes and learn from them.
Always be prepared to not be worrying about what ifs.
