first day
what are some good ways to get over the fears of speaking in front of a group of young adults
Hi James,
Practice is the most common way to overcome the fear. Some things you might want to do is to break up the class into work groups. This way you are only talking to 5-8 students rather than 30 or so. Also, these sessions are less formal so you can relax a bit more while building your self confidence. If you are wanting to work on presentation skills I would suggest that you enroll in a speech class at your local community college.
If you are real nervous you can position yourself behind a barrier, like a lectern. Though it is a simple barrier it never the less gives you something to hand on to and a place to put your notes. It is your safety net. After some time behind it you can start to move away from it and work without a "net" meaning directly in front of the students. Once you get a good discussion going you will be surprised at how quickly you forget how nervous you are. Be yourself and use your personality to sell your teaching and you will be on your way as an instructor.
Gary
The First Day is a very important event between an instructor and his/her class. Here are some ideas in gaining confidence on the first day of class.
1. Dress to impress. We make judgments right away on how we look. If we come to the first class looking very professional the class all ready has a subconsious expectation. Your confidence is supported if you beleive you are "looking good". Further, you 'model' the professionalism you expect from your students right away.
2. Be prepared in your content presentation. Being prepared with your syllabus and very first information presentation will have students feeling confident in your abilities and knowledge base. This preparation may require practice with friends, family or even in a mirror. It is well worth it to come across to your students as confident, organized and knowledable.
3. Engage your students right away. If you get students to participate right away they will feel a part of the class and the educational process. An example of active participation might consist of having the class break up into groups and read the syllabus, develop any questions and picking the most significant aspects to share with the class.
tahnk u for your reply that is very valuable information
Prior to the first day I send an open letter to the class explaining my background, informally the direct of the class both in conduct and content. I relax them with some humor and explain the events of the first day. My expectations is to let the first day unfold as the script outlines. The letter also gives the students a focal point of discussion before class session. many of the students already know each other and they compare views of the class.
Hi Steve,
This is a great way to get the students comfortable with the course and come into the class with some knowledge about you and the course. All this helps them to get settled and be ready to enjoy a good first class meeting.
Gary
I realized that I needed to do all of what you mentioned, but what I wish I had done was to let my students know why I was there. Instead of them assuming I wanted money or a new career, I should have told them I wanted to teach to help them become a success in my field.
I was told my demeanor was intimidating, so I think that would have softened up my image.
Thanks for the great advice!
Juli
Hi Juli,
This is what professional development is all about. We instructors need to learn to listen and then make adjustments in our instructional delivery that will help us to be more effective with our students. Keep up the good work.
Gary
I do like breaking the class down to small groups that sounds like it would be helpful alot in the starting of my new Instructor classes I will us this if i need it to help me do a better job with my class. Thank you very much for your help.
Making direct eye contact,address the class initially at the front of the classroom then move around the room as you go through you're introduction.Stop breifly after initial introduction and list expectations in the front of the classroom,then ask if they are any questions,thoughts,or comments.
great advice! thank you! this will be my first time teaching and I have the fear with some of the students I will be teaching that they won't take me seriously as some of them are much older then me. any ideas how to mask this fear?
Hi Jessica,
Establish that you are in charge. Be prepared, organized and excited about the class. Start the course off with a ice breaker or activity that gets the students working together in groups. By talking with each other, introducing themselves and getting to know each other you are getting some time to get a "feel" of the class. You can see how the dynamics of the class will settle into a pattern. Then you can introduce yourself and share your expertise and experience with them. By this time you should feel very comfortable with the students and be ready to start sharing content.
Gary
I have started a new ice breaker game with my students to begin a new class. Most of the students don't know each other or you, so this game will -break the ice- with everyone.
Here's the game:
I have a stack of name tags with activities or foods of the season - summer - baseball, swimming, watermelon, etc.
fall - leaves changing, pumpkins, etc. so on so forth.
Place the name tag on each of the student's back so that they don't know the activity. You can play as well - have a student pick an activity and place it on your back.
Once everyone has a tag, then they must introduce themselves to a person and ask one yes or no question about the activity or food on their back, then they can try to answer the activity/food. If it is incorrect, they go and meet another student. Once they have figured out their tag, they can put the tag on the front side of their shirt, but still help other students figure out the activity. If the game get to be too long, then start to give more descriptive clues.
This has been a great ice breaker for everyone and calms fears of everyone and give for a few laughs. Usually this will calm down any anxiety you or the students may have for their first day.
Remember to breath, something will go wrong on the first day of class. It always does - at least with me. Just learn to adjust quickly and go with the punches. Be confident in yourself that you know your material and the student will be able to pick up on that.
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for sharing this ice breaker. It is a great way get everyone settled into the class and talking with each other.
I like your last statement. It is so true. It has happened to us all. The key is to be able to rise above the problem, reset ourselves and keep the class moving forward. This applies to both experienced and beginning teachers. It is a part of Murphy's law I guess.
Gary
