First time teaching...
I first started teaching computer graphics in the early 90's, when I was barely older than my students. I knew the material so well I didn't think that planning for my very first class would be an issue. Turns out, my "material" for the first class was totally used up 1/2 hour into a 3 hour session, and there was about 10 seconds of silence as I tried to figure out what we should be doing. Longest 10 seconds of my life, and never again was I unprepared for a first (or any) class.
I can relate to this completely. However, my first experience in teaching was not 3hr. it was only 1 1/2 hrs. but equally confusing and embarrasing. One thing I never wanted my students to know is that I was a new instructor, fresh and new to the game. They seem to take advantage of you when they know this. I was, however, able to recover nicely.
Hi Joseph,
Great example of why planning is needed. I think all of us instructors have been there and done that. You are right about how 10 seconds can last forever.
Gary
I was just recently hired as a new teacher, and though I know the information very well, I am the same age as, if not younger, than most of my students. Also, my first class took place halfway through the semester as I was hired as a replacement, and to make matters worse it was a 5 hour class. Talk about trial by fire. That first day I struggled to stretch the information I had to provide, and I have learned a LOT from having that as my first teaching experience. Though I still struggle sometimes to make five hours dynamic and interesting, I am constantly learning, reviewing, and adding information to try and improve what I have to offer.
Hi Meghan,
Welcome to the profession. You really had a trial by fire since you had to cover 5 hrs of instruction. Sounds like you did a good job with it and now are ready to expand your professional expertise and offer high quality instruction to your students in an effective and efficient manner.
Gary
When I first started teaching I was worried about that exact scenario, so I always made sure I had too much content to cover. My problem became deciding what was critical information that needed to be taught, versus less important information I had available and wanted to teach.
I am new to teaching and have found that taking time to prepare makes me more confident in the classroom. Having students sign the syllabus is a excellent suggestion as students sometime claim no knowledge of certain requirements that have been discussed in detail.
Hi Glenda,
Welcome to the profession. You are going to have a great career as an educator. Keep up your planning efforts and work hard at developing rapport with your students. As a result you will earn their respect and their success will be your reward.
Gary
Hi Kenneth,
This is a common situation that all new instructors face. Once we get through the challenges of making the selection of content we then can start to get more comfortable with our delivery and activities. I am sure your content now flows as a result of your experience in the classroom and working with students. Plus, you get to enjoy teaching even more because you can concentrate more on the students.
Gary
to make matters worse for my situation - i talk fast! after hours of preparation the night before to create a 3 page "lecture"... it was over and done with in 15 minutes... *crickets*... needless to say, i write up stuff days in advance now... and try to include some video to beef up the lecture.
Hi Aileen,
We have all been there. It seems that all "first class" stories coming from instructors end with long hours of preparation and using that content in just a few minutes. Then comes the hard part of how to fill the other 2 hours of class time.
Always results in a laugh now that we have moved forward with our careers and we don't have to sweat bullets while trying to fill class time.
Gary
How would I hide the fact that this will be my first class. Won't the students pick up on this easily?
Hi Craig,
Don't worry about hiding it. Just go into the class well prepared and with confidence. Have an introduction and ice breaker that really gets the students talking and interacting. This will give you a chance to get settled into the flow of the class. You will notice that as you meet the students in future sessions through discussion and lecture they will respect your knowledge to the point that your being a first time instructor becomes a non issue. When something stumps you tell the students you will get back to them with the answer at the next class meeting, they will appreciate your effort. Do make sure you have good class management. This will really help to make your first teaching effort a success.
Any specific questions let me know. I will be glad to talk with you about them.
Gary
I had something simular happen to me. I was hired on to teach Eddy Current Testing after working in the field for 10 years.
During my first class, things were going well. We were covering the material and the vast majority of the student seemed to understand what was going on with the course so far. I was just following the school's outline for the class. It was put together well and it was setup by days. Our classes are 5 hours long. Most days it took about 4.5 hrs to go through the material plus the DVD to watch. No problem. So I thought.
I realized on day 5, that when I would get to the last day of lecture, that I had nothing to do. Talk about a panic moment. I quickly found another video on the subject matter and let the class watch it. History channel saved me there. I also went outside the normal course work and talked about different signals while drawing them on the board. I also discussed what to expect out in the field as far as working in the different industries. The day was cut a little short, but all went well.
Since then, I have reviewed with my director and added material to the course so I didn't have that issue again.
I am just finishing up my first quarter of teaching three classes. The quarter is only 10 weeks long, versus a normal quarter is 12. So I had to compress it down to fit the time table. now I will be teaching my second quarter in a couple of weeks and have to figure out how to uncompress the material to make it last the whole time and not feel like I am trying to come up with filler on the fly.
I guess I can just give them class time for doing their homework.
Hi Scott,
You might also look for additional application strategies you can use to let the students practice their newly acquired knowledge. Have them to case studies or problem solving projects once they complete a certain section of the course. This will quickly fill the additional two weeks plus it will give the students additional opportunities to develop proficiency.
Gary
Like many others, when I first started teaching I had trouble filling the time slot with content. I have found the best way for me to plan lessons is to plan several different activities and applications within each lesson. For example, I will plan a lecture, show a short film clip, plan a hands on activity, allow them to review a case study, and then an activity that forces them to use the software to practice the newly aquired skills. This type of lesson plan seems to keep students focused and on task because they are never sitting idle for very long.
Hi Kelly,
The development of instructional strategies is the sign of a dedicated professional educator. You are doing all of the right things in terms of meeting the learning needs of your students. I commend you for your efforts. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Everyone has a first day!
It's not about what happened but rather how you recovered. The students are human and know that at some point someone is going to be new, just like they were when they first started school. Use it as a learning tool and teach them the importance of being prepared.
Hi Tyler,
Good point.
Gary
