Planning and preparation are essential parts of the teaching and learning process. They set the tone of the course as well as show your students how you are professionally,
Take a walk around your classroom/laboratory and try to get a feel for the setting from the students’ perspective.
Class starts well before students enter the room. The more prepared we are the better model we will be for our students. Come in the day before to prep your room and our last minute updates. For the instructor being on time is 30 minutes early. Great students, have music playing, laugh with them, get to know them.
preparation is the key. knowing what needs to be taught, what will be tested, and how far into the curriculum I am to go is essential for the teaching to be done at my school. I am also one of those teachers who goes through the entire classroom, asking each student why this particular career field. Once that is accomplished, I share my life story as to how I became to be a vocational instructor standing before them.
Hold yourself to the same standard you hold your students to. Always be prepared and on-time, if you are not prepared or on-time how can you expect your students to be?
Gives guidelines for the students to follow
Its is important to create a good syllabus as it is a contract between you and your students. Allows clarity and expectations of the class and displays its goals.
I agree that coming in early and talking with students sets a positive tone and helps both students and instructor feel comfortable.
Be prepared and develop outcomes for the students
In my past teaching, I did arrive at class early but did not greet each student as they came in. Generally, students would congregate around me wherever I was at beginning and end of class to ask questions. Often, due to a tight classroom schedule, the students and I would be outside the classroom waiting for the previous class to exit. I will experiment with this concept as I begin teaching at this workplace.
Comment on Lynne Gigliotti's post:
Lynne, I am a checklist person by nature. My class checklist is often my outline to be sure I cover everything. Then if I teach the same course the next semester, I have the outline to revise so I don't have to "reinvent the wheel". :-)
Very important to always keep in mind that the syllabus is needed. In addition to that, to be an effective instructor, make notes of all topics you would like to cover
I like the statement for my students and myself for both preparation and attendance: Early is on time and on time is late.
To come to class early and prepare ahead of time. To show yourself as a person then as an instructor
Prepare the check-list, think about what students expect from you, study, look for a new examples, study materials, get a feeling of a classroom before lecturing..
The perception of being a prepared and thus competent instructor takes many, consistent small efforts and quite a bit of forethought. To be perceived as disorganized and thus an instructor of lower quality is more easily attained in the eyes of the students, because they have their bar set low to begin with for the most part. Consistent planning well before your given class time, beginning class on time, having your materials ready, not fumbling about with your slides or attendance sheets goes a long way to gaining the trust of your students.
I learned that there is no such thing as over prepared.
a well written objective helps students understand what/how/when they will learn in the class.
Organization, planning and preparation are key to success.
