New Instructor "stage fright"
Curiosity question...has anyone else had a new instructor, that took to the automotive education field like a duck takes to water? I mean, someone that was almost "turn-key" right from the start, only to have that great addition to your education team, get "cold feet"? It took a lot of work and "coaxing" to get this employee to believe that he would do just fine and be a valuable asset to the team and the organization. The instructor I'm referring to, actually thanked a few of us for the opportunity but was just scared to death and tried to quit. As this story turns out....this is one of my top performing instructors "across the board".
Back to my original question...is there something that any of you are doing to be proactive in preventing this type of "stage fright" in your new instructors?
This has happened many times in our schools history. Sometimes they have excused themselves from the class and left never returning. Others have gotten physically sick they were so scared. I combat this by having new instructors spend as much time as possible presenting in front of their group of peers then to a group they are not familiar with. This seems to make them more comfortable when the actual day comes. Many have commented that it was harder to present to their peers on a daily basis than the actual class. I have still had a few however that just can not get over speaking to a group and did not complete their training for this reason. Speaking to a group is a fear that many people can not overcome.
Hi Rob,
"Stage fright" is common for new instructors but you certainly give a different twist to this concern since you have a natural on your hands. Most of the "stage fright" instructors I encounter need some additional skills to help them move from being subject matter experts to instructional delivery experts.
One of the things we do is to assign new instructors to senior faculty. This way the senior faculty can help to support and mentor new faculty. In the case the case with this instructor it seemed that he needed encouragement that he was in fact doing a good job of teaching. This is true for many new instructors, plus they need to develop their planning and delivery skills as well. We also use personal development plans that give specific steps that will help the instructor to progress toward being a master teacher. These PDPs really help new instructors to focus on their needed development areas. Plus, they know that they have the college and other faculty behind them. Really helps with self confidence.
Good to hear that you have a great instructor on your faculty.
Gary
I do the same thing with new Instructors, put them with their peers and let them get a feel for the classroom and the students. This seems to help them alot
Hi Fredrick,
Good suggestion. Thanks for sharing your strategy with us.
Gary
I have a new Instructor in training at this time.
He was very nervous about being in front of people. I took him into several classrooms and let him do a Q&A with students. His fears were reduced with each interaction. The students were very interested in his past working experience and I can tell that his personality will fit well. I am going to have a few Instructors do a preview of his last presentation before he presents it to management. This was his suggestion. He too will make a great Instructor in the future.
I am a new instructor,And yes I am extreamly nervous in front of my peers,but not so much with students,I havent yet started with my own class , but when I was teaching in the field with apprentice techs,it was so easy,I really enjoy doing this, its alot of fun,Now standing at the white board while writing is a hole nother world,I think the white board is a brain magnet,I lose all thought.So we are going to do more overhead projector and slowly move to the board,I think this will help me alot.
Hi Tim,
Thanks for sharing this strategy for "breaking" in a new instructor. The method you used allowed him to find his own comfort level within the classroom setting.
Gary
Hi Sidney,
I agree about the white board. The board seems to take away the ability to spell and write for many instructors. Your idea with the overhead is a good one. I would suggest the use of PP as well. By having a PP presentation prepared you can concentrate on your delivery and class presence without having to focus on what you are writing on the board. Once you get comfortable with the class you then can move to the board and you will find writing on it much easier. I wish you much success in the classroom and lab. You are going to do fine.
Gary
As a new instructor, it's comforting to know that having "stage fright" as it were is not a rare occurence.
I have tried to prepare myself by making numerous presentations on material that I could have recited in my sleep. While I am thoroughly acquainted with the content, I find that the enthusiasm of the students ads to my comfort, despite the feeling of being in the spotlight.
I have since moved on to push my boundaries by learning new material and then presenting it to the same groups. While the material is no longer entirely comfortable, my comfort level is still quite high since I am familiar with the group.
This encourages me yet again to push my limits of comfort in front of a crowd and use more unfamiliar content and newer/larger groups.
Although it seems like 'baby steps', I find that if I am more comfortable, I communicate better and am able to teach with more efficacity and efficiency.
Hi Amy,
Thank you for sharing your personal experiences about your development as an educator. We all have been there. Also, we all are continuing to grow as presenters and educators. Welcome to the profession, you are going to be a great one.
Gary
One of the things that I do for many of the new instructors in my department (Gen. Ed.) and for all of those who have had no teaching experience is to have them sit in on one of my classes before they begin. If possible, I then have them teach one of the classes. In doing so, they are able to go into their own classes with at least some previous experience as to what teaching will be like. Also, it gives them some exposure to our students and how they interact with instructors and each other in the classroom.
Hi Richard,
Good ideas for breaking in new instructors. I am sure others will benefit from these suggestions.
Gary
Thanks for the advice. I am joining a class already 4 weeks into the quarter, and while I am completely confident about the material the idea of keeping their attention for 2 hours is really frightening. I too am a new instructor and fear I may crash and burn after the first 45 min. Wish me luck!
Hi Angela,
Welcome to the profession. You will do fine! Just use your common sense as you build your lesson plans. Present content for 15-20 minutes then have an activity that helps the students to apply the content. Group discussions, games, worksheets, demonstrations, etc. Anything to allow the student to pause and then apply content.
Be aware of how you present yourself. Are you in command of the classroom? Are you organized? All of these factors contribute to the model, manager, motivator model. By thinking of how you are fulfilling each of these 3 roles you will be successful as an instructor.
I will look forward to hearing about your experiences.
Good luck!
Gary
Rob, I worked in the field I now teach for over 30 years. Prior to becoming an instructor, I had no previous experience speaking to a group. My first day I had one of the worst cases of stage fright that this institution has ever witnessed. I could not even speak...I thought I was going to black out! I overcame this condition through practice and shear determination. I now train new instructors and face the stage fright issue everyday. It helps to have experienced this condition. I have my trainees address the class with brief comments several times a day during their training to gradually build their confidence. Are you requiring your new instructors to sit in on senior staff?
We are fortunate, we also have new instructor training. For the first three weeks when a new instructor is hired, the trainer slowly introduces the instructor to the course he/she will be instructing through observation; the new instructor sits in a variety of classes and sees different teaching styles. He also reports back to the trainer on his/her observations.
We also employ role play during training, where the new instructor has to develop a lesson plan and deliver it to the other new instructors and training staff. I think this is a great spring board as it some times harder to deliver material to your peers. After that experience, getting in front of the class is a little easier.
After the three weeks of training the new instructor sits in the class he/she will be teaching as a student. He/She receives the course material, takes notes, takes the tests and quizzes, and goes through the labs as an assistant.
I found this makes the transition from Tech to Trainer a smooth and easy one.
As a new instructor, the transition from technician to instructor has been an experience. But the new instructor training is and was a valuable asset to begin this career. The "stage fright" syndrome I think is something that can easily be wiped away if not reduced dramatically by the fact that depending on the profession, most of the "students" are just that, students. You will know more than they do, even if you have forgotten half of what you have learned. I think personally for me its the process of taking certain knowledge that you take for granted and be able to turn that into a understandable and adaptable flow of information for the student. That in its self in front of a group of students can cause that so called stage fright. But in the end, like they say, "Its all in you head"
Hi Juan,
Thanks for sharing your experience with becoming an instructor. You make a number of very good points about having the content knowledge and then working to translate that into an educational delivery format. That is the enjoyable part of teaching and should serve to keep you excited about being a part of the sharing profession.
Gary
