
it is important as a instructor to be prepared and know the material in order to present it in a matter that is FUN. Using examples and scenarios, real live examples provide creditability of the instructor. Enthusiasm is contagious. If you love what you are doing it is easy to be part of the class.
Students can read and evaluate instructors accurately, if an instructor shows up not prepared reading off slides and provides no other information students are not going to connect to learn.
When an instructor shows enthusiasm in the class and shares their experincesit also shows a human side of the instructor.
It allows students to maybe see in the future they may have some fun and exciting experience's to look forward to and not just the performance of skills.
David,
Thank you for your reflective analysis in terms of instructional delivery. I think you are right on the mark with how you see education benefiting our students. I think there is a difference between entertainment and enthusiasm. By mixing passion for one's field with enthusiasm for teaching it you have a combination for engaging students in the learning process so they to can become passionate about their career choice.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Virginia,
We need to bring our A game to class each and every time it meet. We are the learning leader so we need to reflect a level of excitement that engages students. It is catching!
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Bonnie,
Passion for one's field and enthusiasm for teaching about it are to essential elements needed for teaching success. Yes, enthusiasm is catching so it is fun as an instructor to spread it around. The results are tremendous.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I actually struggle with buying into this approach because I believe that, as a society, we are amusing ourselves to death (to quote Roger Waters! :)). The more we buy into the 'enterain me' concept, the more we will create students who will eventually be unable to learn in any meaningful way. What is entertainment? It's something to pass the time, enjoy it for a moment, then go home and forget all about it (concerts, sports, movies, etc.. come to mind). Why is entertainment now in our schools, houses or worship, etc..?
I believe, yes, we need to be enthusiastic about the material we teach. Yes, we need to show our students that what they are learning has value not only in their chosen career but in life (i.e. make life applications to the material). Enthusiasm is contagious! But I truly believe we are (in the long run) doing a disservice to students by producing a culture of 'entertain me'.
I feel that Instructor enthusiasm is a must. No-one wants to enter a classroom and instantly feel negativity and complacency. I greet each student by name and ask them how their night or weekend went. If they had a rough time while they were away from school, this gives them a time to vent and get rid of any negativity they are feeling. It also gives them an opportunity to share something good that may have happened. I try to keep a smile on my face at all times and be genuine. I make a big deal out of the good grades they are making and the progress I am seeing in each one of them every day. If they feel positive achievement toward their goals, they will be there for the next step. Class has to have a fun side or negativity and boredom take over.
It seems to me that enthusiasm is an ingredient that inspires interest on the students part. I agree with another person who stated that enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm. I believe ultimately I want my students to be interested enough to continue learning the topic outside of the class. I love it when people are self initiating their own learning in an area. Then they can share with each other. That helps them to stay inspired and makes the instructor a guide and facilitator rather than the person with all the answers.
Randall,
It is all about "selling" the content to the students and you are doing that through your enthusiasm, passion and excitement about helping them move forward with their careers.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I teach Electronic Technologies and it can be very dry. I find the more I show my own enthusiam in the use of mmy own experience and use examples of how this knowledge will have a direct affect on how good they are as Technicians, has a positive affect on my students.
Instructors determine the culture of the class environment. If students become excited about learning because of the enthusiasm the instructor is displaying, they may be more apt to attend class. They will not want to miss class.
Charles,
Yes, it is. This is an important part of the instructional improvement process. We need to review the feedback and then see how we can make adjustments, changes, etc. to make our instruction more effective.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
One way of keeping instructor enthusiasm up is taking student feedback and willing to accept it. Showing the class that the instructor is willing to take positive suggestions and implement them can bring excitement and enthusiasm not only to the instructor but also the class.
Karen,
Well said and right on the mark. We need to have passion for our field and enthusiasm about our teaching. This is the foundation for a winning formula in student success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Guy,
This is a foundation and common sense way to approach instruction. The more relevancy and application we can introduce to our students throughout the course the more value they will see in what is being taught.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Apathy breeds apathy and enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm...which is why having an upbeat attitude and instilling a desire to learn is so important when teaching. I have found the same to hold true about how "hard" something is percieved to be. If the teacher freaks students out about how difficult something is, most of the class will have fear. If the teacher states alound that the class will break up the segments so that it is easy to understand, the students tend to learn better.
Rich,
You make a good point because it is reflective of where education is at today. Students want us to offer edutainment. So we find we are doing a lot of things to engage the students and delivery technical content in interesting and alternative ways. This can be a challenge because in many technical fields (I was trained in one) it involves a lot of self discipline and effort to acquire all of the needed knowledge as well as the skill sets.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Anne,
You have listed two of the key words in learning. Instructors need to have passion about their field and enthusiasm for teaching it. Without either the students are going to disengage from the learning process.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find being down to earth and knowledgable about the subject can create a fun and engaging enviroment. Enthusiasm comes from being confident in your teaching subject.