I normally over-do the first day so then I can make adjustments in future days of the course.
Rehearse your class presentaion in front of a family memeber . Review your lesson plans . Know your subject.
Peggy Gunther\
What are some ways to overcome pre-class nerves and anxiety?
Preparation, asking those with experience for assistance can be helpful. A little extra time studying the material can help in developing possible questions that students may ask and then taking the time to have answers.
Jantez Taylor-Harrington
Hi Jantez,
Preparation is a must! Things run a lot smoother when the insructor is thoroughly prepared! Picking a veteran's brain is always helpful because experience truly is the best teacher.
Patricia Scales
you can get familiar with your powerpoint, and the material being presented. Start the class off by being confident that even though you might not know all the answers, you know the material, and honesty is the best policy, if you don't know the answer, let them know you don't know it, but will find out.
Hi Jonathon,
Preparation is key. Preparation brings about great confidence. No one knows it all; admit when you do not know, but do find out for the student.
Patricia Scales
I believe some ways to overcome pre-class nerves and anxiety are to know the material you are presenting and having confidence in your ability to deliver the material. Many times instructors do poorly because they do not believe in their ability and their experiences. They place themselves as the student, the novice, and not the expert.
Hi Aretha,
You are right! You must believe in yourself as an instructor! Confidence is key as well as preparation.
Patricia Scales
Besides being prepared for the course, is there any other way that the instructor can be less anxious when starting a new class? I have found getting to know their names a tremendous help, and sharing a bit of my professional backround to display credibility helps. Would welcome any more advice!
Any tips for speaking to your students at a slower pace?I tend to talk fast when I get nervous or get excited about a topic of discussion.
If I'm teaching a new class I make sure to read the materials and also try to research answers to questions that I come up with during my reading. I will also speak to other instructors to see what tips they can offer or other material I can utilize that will help me to teach.
Hi Kayla,
Tell your students if you are ever speaking too fast to let you know so that you can slow down.
Patricia Scales
Hi Kristina,
Veteran instructors can be very resourceful to you. You should pick their brain as much as possible. They are experienced, and they know the tricks of the trade. There is nothing like experience.
Patricia Scales
Experience will help overcome nerves but being over-prepared for class will keep your students from seeing the anxiety.
Hi Marketa,
You are right! The more experienced you are, the less nervous you are. Preparation is key, and preparation will help minimize nervousness.
Patricia Scales
Be prepared, well over prepared! Know your material and content. If you are confident in the fact that you know the material and you are organized , the anxiety will dissipate as soon as you hit your stride. I have found that your students will be more engaged if you are confident in what you are teaching and you are prepared.
Hi Jessica,
Make a strong presence by being prepared, confident, organized, knowledgeable, and professional. You will gain the respect of your students with these characteristics, and you anxiety will decrease/disappear.
Patricia Scales
I like to be there early if possible to get into the room before my students. It makes them feel welcome, and me more at ease.
All of my preparations are diminished if I feel rushed.
My experience with substitute teaching has been valuable to me as preparation for career schools in some unexpected ways. Often when I substitute it is at the last minute and the regular teacher has not had a chance to prepare a detailed lesson plan. On such occasions, I take what is available and make a coherent plan and put it into effect. What I realized is that the students don't know what was expected. To them it just looks like a lesson done at a different pace than usual.
When I teach at the career school, something may change my lesson in mid stream. Perhaps the students don't grasp a concept as quickly as I expected and I have to add more examples. Perhaps they already know a topic I thought would take 20 minutes. I quickly regroup and carry on. Through it all, my students don't need to know that anything changed from my original plan.
In a way, teaching is like "improv", stand-up comedy. You go in with a routine but you still have to play to the audience that comes that night. The audience doesn't know your script and they don't know that you are reading them for clues and cues before deciding on your next line.
To overcome my anxiety, I make sure that I have all of my materials and lesson plans prepped before day 1. I like to review my class roster so that the names are familiar to me. I also do a run through of any demonstrations that I will be doing to make sure that I remember each step and am comfortable performing the steps. I try to have far more activities than time will allow for so that if the students need additional methods of learning, I have them ready and don't need to scramble for something additional. Being well prepared definitely reduces my anxiety.
