Chapter 1 Instructors and Their Jobs W. R. Miller and M. F. Miller Instructor’s Role Chapter 1 Instructors and Their Jobs W. R. Miller and M. F. Miller

Something to Consider I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized. ~Haim Ginott~ As a teacher, it is your responsibility to create an environment that helps students obtain meaningful learning experiences. Your primary task is to motivate your students to want to learn and perform effectively in various situations. You are the key to everything that occurs in the classroom.

Let’s Think About This List qualities of effective instructors List qualities of ineffective instructors Identify strengths you have that will contribute to your being effective Identify limitations you should eliminate or minimize in your development as an effective instructor

Effective Instruction Technical competency Professional competency Personal competency Technical – knowledge and skills to be taught Professional – knowledge of instructional planning, execution, and evaluation Personal – personal characteristics and behaviors that impact the teaching-learning process

Technical Competency Need for basic competence Work experiences increase credibility and provide examples Knowledge and experience creates confidence Not enough for instructional effectiveness You can’t teach something you don’t know Instructional effectiveness is a unique blend of scientific knowledge and artistic expression. No substitute for knowledge and skill in the subject. Work experience increases credibility and provides examples that can be used to make instruction interesting and meaningful. Experience must be backed with evident knowledge and skill or the advantage is lost. Knowledge and skill are of limited value if the instructor does not have the ability or patience to assist a beginner.—Sometimes it is difficult for a skilled person to recognize the basic performance elements. No instructor can know everything—don’t bluff, you will lose your students’ respect and they will be suspicious

Professional Competency Instructional planning Identify skills and knowledge to be acquired Make content decisions that give credibility Instructional delivery Facilitate student learning Instructional evaluation Assessing student achievement Assessing instructional process Delivery – after the instructor has planned the course of instruction and made detailed plans for specific lessons, the plan must be delivered. The fundamental task is facilitating learning. – general methods, labs, etc. Evaluation – variety of ways; some procedures are precise and objective, others are based on instructor’s observational and judgmental abilities; formal – exams determine whether or not students have met objectives; informal – instructions read facial expressions and listen to their questions to determine level of understanding PRIMARY PURPOSE – monitor amount or quality of learning, not to rate or grade student

Personal Competency Personal characteristics Behavior Attitudes Intellectual abilities Creativity Interpersonal skills Behavior Considerate Cooperative Complimentary Friendly Involved Professional organizations Professional Personal characteristics determine how person is perceived by others – Psychological and emotional characteristics influence instructional effectiveness. Attitudes – reflected through behavior, result from life experiences and interactions; positive attitudes generally more effective; positive attitude toward teaching and students is beneficial; Intellectual – good communication is essential; must have above-average cognitive abilities; must read, write, reason, synthesize, solve problems, compute, formulate and express ideas, and make decisions with a reasonably high level of competency Creativity – distinguish outstanding from average instructors; vary instructional approaches to aid in learning Interpersonal – ability to interact is vital; professional distinction between instructor and student is necessary, but this distance must not be viewed as uncaring or uninterested Considerate – consider feelings of others; think first and speak second; don’t demean students; sarcasm and ridicule have no place in the classroom Cooperative – be sensitive to total school program and keep your responsibilities in perspective Complimentary – positive reinforcement; avoid flattery and too frequent compliments are inconsequential matters Friendly – smile; Be fair, be firm, and be friendly; be approachable and pleasant Involved – in total school program, school functions develops rapport with students and colleagues Professional organizations – membership helps you stay abreast of latest developments, issues and trends; be active – share and learn from others Professional – take pride in role and are highly ethical; value education; clean, neat appearance;

Desirable Attributes of CTE Teachers Based on Research Cooperation, kindness, patience, understanding Varied interests, excellent communication skills, pleasant appearance Pleasing manners, humor, positive attitude, consistency without rigidity Interest in students, commitment to teaching, acceptable values system Outstanding occupational skills and knowledge Research has shown the following attributes to be desirable in CTE teachers: May not possess all nor be in a position to practice them every one of them on a daily basis Get a sense of your own strengths and limitations & adjust teaching strategies accordingly

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