Worrying about "what ifs"
I can really relate to worrying about the "what ifs". I teach four hour long classes and starting out my biggest fear was, "what if I run out of material at the third hour?" I always tried to plan an extra hour's worth of material. However, now Im finding that I dont have enough time to get everything I have planned accomplished. Im starting to relax a little more and realize that it is "ok" to have a ten or twenty minute discussion that I did not include in my lesson plan.
Wil,
Course content, timing, and discussion become a "juggling act" for all instructors. Experience is the best and only teacher regarding this topic. Constructive criticism may help, but YOU'RE the one that has to jump into the deep end of the pool. If you notice that you're running ahead and will have "lag time" at the end, ask questions pertaining to what has already been covered. Be careful to stay on track, and don't let the students stray from the subject at hand. Take the helm again and continue with your lecture when necessary.
I came to a similar conclusion and it led to a great deal less anxiety. I find it best to develop a body of supplementary material that is useful but not essential to the course. You can use this material to fill up dead time when an activity takes less time than you anticipated. And it can be easily dropped to make room for interesting class discussions, which should be encouraged as much as they don't eat into core instruction time because they increase class rapport, camaraderie, and engagement.
Great advice. When it's not wasted, students tend to value this time to re-cap, re-evaluate, and share personal experiences related to the content.
I try not to worry about what ifs. what ifs will happen regardless of what you do. As a instructor it is not possible to know the answer to every question. You never know what your students may ask or do. What ifs will only stress you out. And as a instructor you have enough stress.
