Kayla Brewer

I enjoyed the solutions for the common new instructor fears. I always try to present as I know what I am lecturing over or what I am teaching, even if I feel like I am not prepared. I never want the students to feel that, so it was reassuring to hear I am doing that correctly. I wrote notes about my lessons last year and it has really helped me not make the same mistakes as I continue my second year teaching. 

I really like the takeaway to position yourself in the back of the class during exams. I have always walked around and didn't realize this could cause more stress to the students. I also found this section extremely applicable as I have found myself in similar situations. 

This was very helpful and applicable with the challenging students. I have experienced several of these situations/students and this information is going to be really helpful to implement. 

I liked the emphasis on the expectations we have of the students. I am having a lot of students who have only taken college courses online and they are not prepared for an in-person class. 

I loved the refresher course on the different teaching styles and how students learn. It is important to vary your teaching style to accommodate all of these different learning styles. As a new instructor, I tend to default to standard lecturing and this helped me see how I can improve. 

I learned that I need to make sure to take the time to thoroughly go through the syllabus on the first day. Sometimes, it is easy to assume the students will read through some of the policies themselves, but they usually do not. I also learned I need to add more personal information about myself and why I got into dental/teaching. 

I found the explanation of a goal being where the student will end up and objectives are how they will get there very helpful. I also liked the way the parts of a syllabus were broken down to help me understand why syllabi are written the way they are. 

I really enjoyed learning about the three roles: model, manager, and motivator. It is difficult to not cross the line of students feeling like you are their pal when you have such a small program like mine. I learned a lot about my role as their instructor and guidelines to follow. 

I learned new ways I can implement technology into the classroom and help reach all different types of learners. The question formulation technique is also a great resource to use to help me get away from more direct teaching. We have a dental clinic in our program that helps the students learn what it will be like to work in our industry and how to manage different types of patients. I am glad to know we are enhancing their education by doing that! 

I learned that curriculum maps take a lot of time to complete, but they are essential to make sure you can cover all of the material you need to.