The Effective College Lecturer

Introduction:

Education is the gateway to better understanding, cultural refinement and financial means. School education offers basic information on various topics, whereas college education provides specialized instruction and information, making way for a person to follow and practice in a specific field.
The lecture was established formally centuries ago as a teaching process that began with reading of important passages from the text by the master, followed by the teacher’s interpretation of the text. Students were expected to sit at one place, listen and take notes. Over the times, a lecturer role has evolved from just teaching subject matter to a more comprehensive and universal role. The resources used have also progressed from hand-made charts to CD presentations and software programmes. In this essay we will discuss the qualities of a good lecturer, my personal philosophy and assessment and evaluation. Points on making the lecture effective and practical suggestions will also be discussed.

Chapter 1: Teaching Theories and Personal Philosophy of Teaching.

There are different types of teaching theories. The three main categories are: Behavioral theories, Cognitive theories and Constructive theories. No single theory can be followed by a lecturer for effective teaching. A good teacher, therefore, has to be flexible, creative, has a good personality, and has a personal growth plan.

Personal Philosophy of Teaching

My personal philosophy of teaching is the Progressive Teaching Philosophy – where the emphasis is on student experience. In this view of teaching, the lecturer is seen as more of a guide than an all-knowing sage. I agree with J.D. Wagner’s philosophy (2004) who talks about teaching and. focusing on the learner, not the teacher.
New to teaching, my teaching style is more influenced by my former baby massage lecturer who had a significant impact on my style of teaching and thinking of education. This inspired me to teach my subject. I teach Beauty Therapy at John Wheatley College, which is a community-based college set in a socially deprived area in the East End of Glasgow. Learners who come to the college very often arrive with an extremely complex array of social and emotional issues.
I focus on my learners’ individual needs and requirements. The age group that I mainly work with range from 14-16 years, who require constant motivation, especially in theory lessons, due to poor concentration. I use a blended approach to different methods of teaching. Beauty Therapy is a practical skill, therefore most of my teaching is carried out in a simulated salon environment.
When asked to reflect on my current teaching I did not think I was already incorporating the three main theoretical perspectives of Behaviourism, Constructivism, Humanism, throughout my teaching. After researching the theoretical perspectives, I would like to demonstrate how I use them within my practice. Learners work on each other, and practice what I have demonstrated in a practical class. This step by step learning is based on the Behaviourist Approach to learning. Behaviouralinstruction hinges on the use of observable, measurable and controllable objectives. A teacher determines what objectives are met when the learner responds in a certain way, based on controlled stimuli.
I encourage learners throughout the process, by continually monitoring them as they work, ensuring that they are following the correct facial sequence. Helping them and encouraging them through to the end result, which, when it is achieved, is their “reward”. This process also enables me to evaluate individual practical ability and give feedback. I agree with Reeceand Walker (Miller, 2004) when he suggests that feedback is of prime importance for the successful learning of a skill during student practice.
I use a Constructivist approach in my current creativity class with my learners. Having a student centred approach, I must “first consider the knowledge and experiences that my students bring along with them to the learning task (Huitt, 2003).
I like to have a talk to all students as a group, which helps me discover their knowledge and experiences. It is very varied as to students being more creative or more computer literate. In the creativity class it is good to have both students at either scale and to then pair my learners where one is ‘more able’ in one field, e.g. creative task or computer task. The work between peers can successfully lead to the construction of knowledge and experience. I agree with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Basic Needs which is based on ensuring that lower needs are met before you can move upwards. The needs that Maslow talks about are:
Physical (comfort requirements),
Safety and Shelter (safe from harm),
Love and Belonging (feeling accepted),
Self-esteem (Pride),
Self- actualisation.
I feel the above are very important factors in helping my learners to realize their potential as people as well as Beauty Therapists. (Simons ,1989)
I demonstrate an interest in my learners and I respect them all as individuals. I have a humanistic approach to teaching. I agree with A S Neill’s theory on “Summerhill” where “The education of thewhole person is considered more important than the subject matter” (Reece and Walker, 2003).
I use the Humanist theory with all my learners. I want to get to know my students and build up a working rapport with them. A lot has to be brought from this theory e.g. trust, needs, confidence, respect, and building on the individual’s motivation along with learning; providing the students with responsibility for their own learning, offering them guidance, support and encouragement. A warm, positive attitude within my classroom helps reduce all negativity amongst all learners. It is important that group settings are set up within my class which will enhance friendships, and reinforce the student’s learning; “Learners need to be treatedwith empathy; that is, to understand the learner’s reactions from the inside (Rodgers, 1993)’.

Chapter 2: The Aligned Curriculum.

The curriculum must be aligned well and have good base of standards. In the times of strong competition and fast progress, the curriculum planned must meet the demands of students, be challenging and practical and also involve use of latest educational technique (Davis, 1993). Since people are insisting on strong academic performance, and levels of expectations from a course are high; it becomes very important for institutions to have a well planned and balanced curriculum. Involving staff in planning curriculum and also setting standards for every subject and grade level helps to give a realistic approach to planning of curriculum. Collecting all data regarding curriculum from various sources of different institutions and their standards helps in planning a good curriculum. Using misaligned assessment techniques convey to students the wrong message about what we want them to take from the course (Anderson & Sosniak, 1994). Firstly, a survey must be taken of evaluation and the understanding of the set of standards followed by successful institutions, and trying to inculcate the same in your curriculum helps to raise awareness of lecturers regarding the standards of the state, national or local curriculum. There is a need to explore test preparation information and other teaching skills provided by testing agencies, and to learn about the latest software programmes available. Each lecturer may be given certain baseline standards, which have to be balanced with the state standards; keeping in mind practical syllabus and instruction materials. Highlighting the objectives to be achieved by a lecturer regarding their subject will help them to maintain a certain standard of teaching.
I consider myself accountable for the success of the curriculum designed; what I am teaching and what the students are learning must tally. I always consider planning a definite outline of the curriculum regarding topics, projects worksheets and time schedules for completing the same. For each project, identifying at least three to four major goals to achieve will help to keep them on the right track. Using different assessment strategies and creating a checklist for each assessment component is required for effective learning .Nowadays many new software are available to check academic progress. Checking whether these standards are being met accordingly with the help of tests and assessment worksheets is a method followed by many lecturers. Over the time, we as lecturers must always be aware of the latest data regarding curriculum and be adaptable as times change, to get a better success rate from the formed curriculum.
Reviewing and revising the curriculum regularly by the team of lecturers helps us to face the practical problems arising in implementing the formed curriculum. Sharing knowledge and suggestions from other colleagues is essential for the success of the chalked-out curriculum. It brings in the o
pen unnecessary topics which are included in the curriculum but are not directly related to the goals set up.(Bloom,1994) Constructive alignment encourages clarity of the curriculum design and more transparency in achieving the goal of good learning (John, 2003).

Chapter 3: Strategies for support and guidance of learners.

A lecturer has to deal with students from various backgrounds, age groups, religions and intelligence levels. The students coming in class have already set notions and ideas depending on their experiences. An intelligent lecturer has to erase the negative ideas and help them to re-learn positive ones.
Taking into consideration children with special needs or slow learners, the lecturer must have knowledge about their needs. Many colleges have special educators and counselors for extra guidance for diverse learners. A good lecturer must learn to be more patient and firm in helping students with different capabilities.
For slow learners I try to implement practical solutions like giving them notes beforehand or discussing class assignments before the students come in class. This helps them to gain confidence. Making teams of intelligent students with slow learners is a very effective way to help them feel one with the class. If possible, I try to teach some difficult concepts separately, with simple language and relevant examples according to the student’s level of understanding. Preparing more assignments and simpler worksheets than the rest of class helps them to use their brain in a more challenging way and also keeps their interest intact. Sometimes it becomes very difficult to handle these children separately without neglecting the rest of the class, and the co-operation of parents and counselors is of utmost importance. Being in regular conversation whenever possible with such students helps to understand their needs better. Interactive reading aloud and shared reading would help them gain confidence and gear their mind for instruction (Meyers C., 1993).
A major hurdle also comes up with very intelligent students who are bored soon. It is very important to recognize such students and give them leadership roles during activities and collecting class assignments, thus keeping them physically busy; at the same time giving them more challenging worksheets to help them to keep their level of interest intact.
Students from diverse fields, coming from different cultures, regional areas and also speaking different language are a major challenge for lecturers. The understanding of their background helps me to communicate effectively. Arrangements should be made for making available library books of different languages in the college library. Age is another factor; if there are senior students with young students the lecturer may have to handle them accordingly as they may have time limitations and also set patterns of ideas and thinking. Breaking the barrier and involving them more in leadership roles will make them more comfortable and also, young students can learn from the experiences the seniors have had.

Chapter 4: Assessment.

Assessment is a term commonly related to tests and exams. Nowadays the focus has shifted from examinations to more practical assignments; rather to self evaluation of worksheets and activity-based learning. By critically evaluating one’s work, students become aware of their grades and how they can work to improve them and also become active participants in the process of learning.
Assessment can be used to improve learning and teaching when treated as an integral component of the teaching. After teaching the students we need some evidence regarding how much they have understood. This usually is done by gathering students’ work and assessing this work using some kind of grading rubric that is based on lesson objectives and also by repeating some of the activities practiced as part of the lesson earlier, without providing the same level of guidance as during the lesson. Arranging quiz and question-answer sessions for students on various concepts and problems; also helps to get a clear picture of the knowledge gained.
Formative assessment is an approach which requires teachers to test pupils regularly to identify problems and other feedback to help overcome them. Here, emphasis is in encouraging more understanding in the students in relation to their strengths and weaknesses and gaps in skills and knowledge. Summative assessments are used to sum up a person’s achievements The former involves more interaction between teachers and students and their feedback, e.g. regular class assignments which are an ongoing process; whereas the latter is considered more as an end point e.g. final examinations; which are considered to be more important (Wiggins, 1998).
These are some of the time tested strategies used by teachers to assess students which have been found to give a good rate of success .I try to co-ordinate with the students by making them aware of what goal they aim at achieving at the end of the course and how they can go about it. This can be achieved by setting certain norms for behaviors in classroom and determining what should be included in criteria for success, e.g. class tests and students’ submissions can help students to understand where they stand now and what skills they need to learn to be where they desire to be, with help of teachers.
Observations assist us in getting information about students which helps them to plan lessons accordingly. Moving about in the classroom aids in observing the last benchers, and also helps in keeping them interested, and thus result in effective teaching.
Questioning and feedback strategies are most important as we may go on and on without realising the interest of students .Keeping the students interested involves a lot of planning and understanding beforehand on the part of the lecturer, and of the type of questions to be asked. Encouraging and helping students to ask better questions is very important for deeper thinking and provides teachers with insight into the degree of depth of understanding.
Changing the role of students will remove the invisible barriers that hinder the achievement of effective learning. When students have been involved right from planning goals to implementing them, self and peer assessment and evaluation helps a lot in understanding their role in the learning process. Student record-keeping helps them to accept their own grades, and are challenged to think beyond grades and realise where they should be in term of academic scores (Meyers, 1993).
Summative assessments are less frequent than formative ones. Many teachers do not have the required motivation to use formative method as it require lots of preparation and time which is a limited resource, for keeping the ongoing process of sharing information with students. Effectively using this method during lectures and in the form of student- presentations helps. I use the same assignments as a base for class tests or use information from similar topics to help save time and effort (Forrestor, 2003).
Using self assessing techniques as regards formative method, results in increased motivation and critical acceptance on part of students. Involvement from students as assessors does not undermine the role of the lecturer, since regular guidance and critically keeping them from losing focus during the course, is always required.
As the formative method brings about more active involvement from students’ side, we cannot undermine the summative which shows the final scores of where they stand, and which are more permanent. Hence both concepts overlap each other .One is an end to the goal of learning and the other has means of achieving it. The trick is in balancing the two types of assessments because assessment in many respects links the components of a course – its content, instructional methods, and skills development – with the student’s academic achievements (Forrester-Jones, 2003).

Chapter 5: Evaluation.

Self evaluation for lecturers is an on-going process and is very important to know whether they are achieving the goal of becoming a ‘good instructor’. Every lecturer would like to know whether the lectures were effective in transferring knowledge to students and how the students have learnt. Keeping in mind the attention level of students and their result outcomes, evaluation helps to improve quality of the lecture, assess the faults and plus points in a presentation and gives insight to the opinions and views of the lecturer.
Three formal techniques for evaluating are: getting feedback from students, self evaluation and the use of observer (Mcintosh, 1999).
Feedback from students can be got by asking them to fill evaluation forms. Here we can get the opinion of students on how they lecture and whether the students have understood the concept. Sometimes the time schedule does not permit evaluation exercises, and there is a compulsion to finish the concept in a given time slot. Also the students may or may not be interested in giving their opinions regarding the lecturer out of fear of a reprisal. We must be willing to take criticism in stride in order to get constructive feedback. This method is found to be the most constructive as, over time; the lecturer can develop a good rapport with the students and also mould self according to the students’ understanding and opinions.
For self evaluation, one can arrange to have the lecture video-taped (Ainsworth. 2003). This will help the lecturers to observe self-behaviour, language, mannerisms and how they conducted the lecture; keeping the attention of the students intact. They can also get insight to the relevance of their lecture to the topic, and when they lose track of it. Periodically recording lectures helps teachers to improve the quality of their lectures and develop appropriate skills for presenting a good lecture (Arrendo, 1994).
Another evaluation approach involves the use of an observer. This helps in critically getting to know how the lecture was conducted. Colleagues from the same institution or an experienced lecturer can observe lectures periodically and give critical feedback to the lecturer. One of the disadvantages of this method is that the observer may give a biased judgment relating to personal experiences with the lecturer.

Conclusion:

In recent times, more importance is given for innovative techniques in Education. There is a shift from ‘teacher-centred’ learning to ‘student-teacher-centred’ learning. A good lecturer has certain unique characteristics of planning the curriculum to the smallest detail, and making allowance for unexpected circumstances. They must choose teaching strategies that include variety, invite groups of diverse learners, and value varying opinions regarding the topic.
A good lecturer must show enthusiasm, have a dynamic personality, high motivation with a well balanced temperament. A well planned lecture with use of audio visual presentations and open discussions helps to make teaching a very lively and memorable profession. Finally the most memorable and loved teacher is approachable and always carries a smile on the face. A full package of good personality, combined with good values and appropriate qualifications; and a holistic approach toward teaching; all combine to make the ideal and effective college-lecturer.