Lisa,
Nice post! You are right about trust. This comes from consistency and expectations. We keep talking about holding students to certain expectations, we have to do that to ourselves and students have a right to have certain expectations of us!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
When establishing a pattern of teaching, I believe the two most important things to consider are communication and content delivery. It is necessary to effectively communicate the course objectives and expectations in the beginning of the course. During the course, thorough feedback must be provided in a timely fashion in order for students to be successful. Instructors need to be consistently active in the discussion forums and interacting with the students. Content delivery is equally as important because the way in which the material is delivered sometimes need to be adjusted to meet the needs of students with different learning styles.
Developing a pattern of teaching that will enhance learning for the class being taught.
Understanding the infividual needs of the students
I agree with some of the other posts that communication is a key to success but also the pattern of teaching may be dictated by the learning ability of the group and the re-evaluation process of the facilitator. The instructors can create the best dynamic and be consistent for student learning but if the pattern continues to create issues or obstacles it must be adjusted. So I would say communication and your own evaluation process are keys to in delivering a pattern of teaching
Keisha,
Great post! You make valid points regarding the importance of communication and content delivery. Both areas should work in concert with each other. You are also right, the instructor must be active in the online course.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson,
I believe the answer for me would be effectiveness of the teaching that I am providing and similarity in the style. With constancy the students can become familiar with the process and have a better understanding of the task. I will often ask during a live chat if the understand the process and if I need to repeat it for clarity. Most of the time the answer is no.
Jim,
That is true, you have to make sure your pattern of teaching is also consistent.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Bill,
That is something to think about. What you say is so important but can be very difficult in a short time period. I agree you should be always looking for students that fall through the cracks.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
William,
That is a great strategy for establishing teaching behavior redundancy is the key to engaging students and keeping them on track.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Hello All,
Yes, as we have established, communication is key in establishing a teaching pattern. Most importantly we should consider the pace or frequency of interaction, and quality vs quanity. Patterns in any interaction are developed through practice and habit, and at times circumstances mold pattern. There are many different patterns in nature that transform and morph and pulse at different intervals acting and reacting and by doing so establish recognized patterns.
Thank you.
Kelly
Kelly,
You make an important point. Asynchronous does not completely mean work on your own time in your own world. You have to establish expectation and hold students to them. Working with students to develop their own pattern of work can really benefit students.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Keeping the student's needs firmly in mind is critical to success in the teaching plan. We know what we must cover in the course. As instructors, we know what the objectives are. And we know what the assignments are and how the evaluations must be done.
However, we do not know our students as we start. We need to engage them immediately. We need to help them reach out for assistance early and to encourage them in their efforts. It is easy to ignore the student who just puts the head down and keeps working. It's easy to let nonperformers just fall through the cracks.
We need to move beyond the content and reach out to our students if we truly want them to be successful in the course.
Nancy
Nancy,
You are right and you have great strategies. It is up to you as the instructor to keep students engaged and you understand that!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I think that the two most important things to consider when establishing a pattern of teaching are establishing a presence in the class room with early communications and timely follow-up; and to develop a strong rapport with the student, encouraging their success.
Cynthia,
You are so right! Establishing a pattern means consistency and that must be done over and over. You must win their trust trough communications.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
In establishing a pattern of teaching, I think that communication and learning outcomes are the two most important things to consider. It does not matter how you centralize material, deliver the information, or receive assignments if the student is not advancing in their educational aspiration. I believe that the only way you will be able to know if the teaching approach is effective or adequate is through communication with the students and a focus on acheiving the learning objectives. If a student can meet the learning objectives, it is safe to say that there will be a level of retainment for the instruction that is given.
jcl
John,
I agree with you totally. Teaching is communication and it has to be done and done well and repetitively. There is nothing wrong in asking your students if their online learning needs are met.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I believe navigation and consistency. The student should be able to easily navigate the material so that technology frustrations do not impede learning. Consistency is very important so student do not spend additional time on locate information but can spend the time on learning the material.
I believe that it is very important for an instructor to pick up cues from the student as to the learning that is happening. The instructor needs to adjust to this feedback, thereby adjusting the teaching pattern. Perhaps the students are not having enough time to digest the material, or the students are bored due to the slow pace, etc.
I agree with some of the other posts, in the way I try and pattern my style to all students, which is not the easiest to do, but leaving students behind is not acceptable either. So we must be able to adapt to the learning styles.
Also I feel that open lines of communication, especially in the virtual learning environment is a must. You have to be available to the students when they need you, not when it is convenient for you.
