To keep the students engaged, I use several techniques. I may have the students read a case study to discuss it. I may have the students take the pros and cons of a current related issue and divide them into debate teams. I may lecture for 20 minutes and then involve them in group activities such as creating a chart to support their opinions. I may even have the students role play to demonstrate their decision-making and/or leadership skills.
I believe that a good personality is essential when I hire my instructor's. I need instructors that do not 'talk down' to the students or make them feel that there are 'good' and 'bad' questions. In our classes any and all questions are good questions. I need to see that the instructor has a true interest in what he/she is teaching and that it is a priority to the instructor that the student is 'getting it'. It is our goal to turn out educated and confident future dental assitants and that must be the bottom line with an instructor that I hire.
Thanks, Charles.
What are some of things you ask during an interview to identify whether or not an applicant for a teaching position has the "personality" you are looking for?
Personality is a deal-breaker for me. Any instructor can hold the proper credentials for teaching - the correct degrees and experience in the field. The important part is their passion for sharing this knowledge with others. If an instructor is not excited about teaching, then everyone suffers, from the students to the administrators on campus.
Yes, a mix of personalities in faculty is very important, but there should be some common traits, and a passion for teaching is definitely one of them.
Thanks, Theodora.
What do you do during the interview process to determine if a candidate for a teaching position has the correct "personality" for the position?
It varies on the person. I ask open-ended questions about their teaching experiences, or about their own schooling if they have no teaching experience. We recently opened up a new trades program, and the majority of our instructor candidates had no teaching experience. So we really had to dig deep to make sure that they were seeking to be instructors for the right reasons.
I believe that personality is an important factor in teacher hiring, assuming that we are defining personality as the core qualities of how this person approaches the world. I look for a steady, open-hearted maturity and generosity in a teacher. Most of the skills involved in teaching can be learned and/or developed, but this core of the teacher's heart has to be inherent and intact. Our teachers go through a 30-hour teacher training program and do two terms of mentoring in the classroom with an experienced, lead teacher, so we have a good amount of opportunity to observe the candidate in a wide variety of situations. I take many other colleagues' perspectives on a candidate into account when making a final decision if they have what it takes.
Linda,
Your training program sounds really interesting. What types of things does the 30 hour program include?
Jeffrey Schillinger
There are 8 modules:
Foundations & Philosophy of Wholistic Education
Relationships in Teaching
Creating a Learning Environment
Teaching & Learning Methodology (learning styles)
Curriculum Overview (assessment,lesson planning)
Classroom management & working with resistance
Supporting students at risk
Transformation through learning
It provides aspiring teachers a real time look at what is involved, an opportunity to learn with and from others also interested in becoming a teacher and gives us lots of moments to observe them in the learning setting and within group dynamics.
Linda,
Thank you for the details. It is a very interesting outline.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I agree. I believe that having proper knowledge along with passion for the subject matter being taught will be inspirational as well as motivational. Students will be more likely to want to attend class with an instructor that has a good personality and who makes classes fun and unpredictable.
I put a big emphasis on personality. I look for a person that can engage a class. Situations can change quickly in a class room setting. I want instructors that have fluid adaptability and remain objective.
Calvin,
How do you identify these traits during an interview?
Jeffrey Schillinger
In hiring for instructor positions I feel that personality is an integral aspect. You can teach someone to be a better instructor by implementing better teaching methods and so on but you cannot teach someone to have a personality...for me it is organic, you either have one or you don't. Having a personality allows your students to believe what you are teaching. If you are lecturing about dirt, as a student I want to be so engrossed and excited about what type of dirt you are talking about that I get lost in the lecture or class and part of that comes from your personality and delivery of material.
Personality is important, Ashlyn. How do you define the "personality" you for which you are looking? How do you determine if the candidate in front of you has that personality?
Jeffrey Schillinger
Personal Characteristics is a deal breaker for me. I really separate "personality" and personal characteristics. Some one can have a fantastic personality and a great therapist personality but I feel it takes that ability to flip a switch to "instructor MODE" characteristic that really catches my attention. Someone can be a great therapist in the field but they cant switch to instructor mode in the classroom. Students are at the low end of the knowledge track and being able to guide student through the basics takes a special talent. Not everyone has the ability to do so. For example: just because someone is a fantastic lawyer doesn't mean they can go teach a law class.
I agree. People who teach have to be able to switch into what I call "instructor Mode". Its a totally different way of thinking.
It is a factor. We want to make sure the person will be a right "fit." This means they will engage positively with the other faculty and be the kind of person we believe the students will be attracted to.
Some teachers just have the "it factor" when it comes to being engaging. Others have to work at it much harder but I believe anyone can do it if they really want to and they are taught correctly how to do it.
