Teaching is a vocation, a calling, a passion. Teachers must be committed to learning and adapting to new, updated methods to find new strategies to overcome obstacles in academia. My first step in any classroom begins with gaining a better understanding of my students’ expectations. It is imperative that I connect with each of my students regardless of their various learning backgrounds and styles. I accomplish this by investing in personal relationships with my students and making sure I am available. Accommodating students’ schedules allows me the opportunity to work with those looking for extra help or extra work.
By personally designing my course I can tailor the material to the needs of my students. Be it through; adapting to students’ learning levels, incorporating several media channels, or tying the coursework to real-world applications in their fields. A great teacher reaches out to each student individually to identify his or her needs and uncover his or her highest potential.
Classes should be designed with clear objectives and courses’ content should be set up to prepare the students for success. I design class rubrics so that my students understand the course expectations. Before they start working on major assignments, I ask them to read the rubrics and work in groups to ask for clarification, edit, or critique the defined criteria. I have noticed that some students who struggle with their school work often don’t understand what is expected of them. A high level of organization and engagement with students makes an impact on the degree of retention even after the class has ended.
Students often graduate lacking adequate leadership and collaborative skills. Group work allows teachers to see students in action while identifying individual strengths and weaknesses. Identifying those blocks in group work and mitigating them together not only fosters a higher quality group project, but it also addresses a major problem in our workforce. Research shows that students retain 90% of what they learn when they have an opportunity to apply that learning. I utilize a flipped classroom model in most of my classes to allow for project-based learning. I found that this works very well once the students understand what is expected of them; I have a carefully designed course that assists them in preparing for each class.
I attribute my success as a teacher to being able to learn from every student I have had the honor to teach. From community colleges to universities and online schooling, my students have never ceased to keep me on my toes. When I hit a roadblock, it is the moment I have to pause, reflect, and innovate. The best part is when I can come up with an entirely new method to challenge my students and broaden their horizons. Understanding human behavior has always been my passion, and my career as a teacher and marketer has allowed me ample opportunities to explore human communication and relations further. It has armed me with the ability to understand people, research their habits and preferences, identify their needs, and present them with a final message. I have no doubt that my passion for teaching stems from my passion for marketing and communications. Teaching not only helps me stay current in my industry but prepares the next generation of marketers.
