My instructional personality sets the tone for student engagement & effective learning in the classroom. With continual self-assessment and willingness to change, I am more able to adapt/change my delivery methods to those methods required by my student audience at that particular time. The overall goal being to facilitate a more positive learning environment that feels "unique" to each student. I try to "personalize" lectures as much as possible to enable student "ownership" of material being presented.
Understanding who you are is part and parcel to being an effective instructor. Teaching within your area of expertise is extremely helpful. Spending years in a discipline that you're teaching allows you to teach that discipline with much more authority. Because you've "done it" as a professional, teaching it places you in a unique position. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses allow you to build on your strengths and develop strategies to improve in areas where you may be a little weaker.
Hi Michael:
I am more comforatable both about myself and the lesson when I feel good about who I am and what I can produce in and from students.
Regards, Barry
How can I get to know my students if I don’t know myself? How can a person know anybody if they don’t know the closest person to them= themselves.
It is never more important to know yourself than in the classroom full of people that have to see you as authority, subject matter expert and human above all. Knowing yourself helps you discover your strengths and your weaknesses as a teacher and as a leader, so you can be confidante and self-assured that your students are getting the best of you.
Hi Anna:
I think better instructors share some of these traits: confidence, competence, experience, educated, credentialed, helpful, creative, and honest. Great traits for teachers, and usually possessed by all to some degree. So we come into the classroom striving to be our best, but we bring with us much of what we already have.
Knowing that, and believing in ourselves creates great classroom dynamics and definitely facilitates better learning outcomes for the students.
Regards, Barry
Berry,
Of course, and I think that worst enemy to any teacher, instructor, trainer, and educator in general, is ego. We all learn constantly, whether we want to or not, and entering the classroom thinking that you’re the only one doing teaching is wrong approach to teaching from the start.
That’s why knowing myself as a person and as a teacher is so crucial. Tackle your ego, and leave it at the door of the room full of people waiting to see a human that happens to know a lot about something they want to learn.
Nobody wants to feel like they have nothing to offer or teach somebody, especially if we’re talking about learning adults.
Hi Lori:
I think a key statement you made is "willingness to change". We all have great attributes and we all have areas that could probably be improved upon. That willingness to recognize the need, then the conviction to be open to changing (for the benefit of students) is quite exemplary and all receive the merits of this action.
Regards, Barry
Hi Anna:
Yeah...that darn'd ego thing. You're right. I can say some of the strongest, smartest and most helpful teachers I've had were the most humble individuals. How amazing that they could put themselves aside and center their focus on the students. Awesome. Good comment, too.
Regards, Barry
I think it's important that I understand my strengths and weaknesses in order to be able to provide the best instruction possible. For example, sometimes my lectures can get long and although I am enthusiastic because I love what I teach, after an hour students start losing focus. I try to incorporate class activities in between in order to keep my students interested.
Hi Ariana:
Great self reflection and observation about yourself. I like that your recognition also has a solution accompanying it! A problem without a solution remains a problem.
Regards, Barry
It is important to understand myself because my personality plays a major role in my teaching style. I am by nature a extrovert, but I always need to keep that in check and allow the special moments of silence when I may have talked too fast and not allowed time for reflection.
By "knowing thyself" self as they say, I am better able to adjust my delivery style or strategy to the needs of students. In addition, I can identify some things I may need to change within myself.
Hi Cynthia:
Good self image does convey confidence. Students are astute to pick up on subtle deficiencies especially if the instructor is timid, lacks confidence, has a poor self image, or is not prepared for class. We need to be the antithesis to these undesirable aspects of character.
Regards, Barry
I agree totally. Positive Self image is vital as an instructor and in life. I see the importance of understanding the dymanics of building and manitaining confidence in ourselves as well as our students .
Hi William:
I think being willing to change is more than half of the process. Areas of improvement can always be a work in progress. For me, I've learned to seek excellence, not perfection (a hard lesson for me).
Regards, Barry
Understanding yourself, knowing your personality traits, your strengths and weaknesses allows you to make better decisions about your instructional styles. Not everyone can instruct in the same style but if your style fits you it can make you a more effective teacher.
It is important to understand yourself to know what your strong points and weaknesses are and use them to your advantage when instructing the class.
Hi Jesse:
Good points you made. I think personality is so varied, but almost all types can be effective in the classroom. The key is to be honest and sincere, well prepared and organized, listen with care, concern, and bewilling to offer advice and encouragement.
Regards, Barry
It seems to me that if you do not have an honest view of yourself, you can very well spend all or most of your time trying to be someone else. It is fine to have a mentor after whom you pattern yourself, but you must maintain your own identity. The effort of always trying to do things the way someone else does them can be both exhausting and fruitless.
This realization did not come easily to me. I had a teacher in college who I greatly admired and tried to pattern myself after him. I finally came to my senses and incorporated some of his traits into my own presentations, but I also gave myself a chance to be me. So far it has worked pretty well, but I have a long ways to go.
Hi Micael:
I would much rather have a true, honest and sincere version of a teacher than an artificial facade of someone else. We all have personalities that have good (and less than wonderful) traits, and it seems to me to build on working to the strengths an individual naturally posseses will ultimately produce the beetre teacher. We expect to grow as teachers (we can't grow someone else).
I do think peer review, positive input from others, evaluationss, etc. help frame our delivery style and performance. I think our uniquenesses make for more interesting and effective instructors.
Regards, Barry
