Do you consider yourself an educator, teacher, or instructor when a class is assigned to you and students arrive? Do you see your job as merely fulfilling certain duties, or do you hope to achieve something more meaningful with your students? Do you think the methods of teaching you now employ are transformative, or would you prefer to see a change in your students?
One can become an educator by working either full-time in a university or college setting, or by teaching on the side. It's possible that a tenured professor in a traditional university would be expected to teach courses, conduct research, and write academic articles in addition to other duties. An adjunct professor could work for a university, a community institution, or even an online program. A facilitator, teacher, or professor is someone who educates students in the realm of higher education. The educator isn't a part of any employment titles, so this is crucial.
Does this imply that all faculty members, whether full-time or part-time, are educators? Working in higher education has taught me that no matter what level of education one is pursuing, everyone involved in the teaching and guiding of a learning process is doing their best. But an educator is someone who aspires to do more than just instruct others; they want to steer their students through a process of personal growth and development. The path to teaching is not a given, as I discovered to my dismay. Becoming a teacher from who students look forward to learning takes time, effort, and commitment.
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Usually, when people think about teaching, they picture a more formal setting like a pre primary cbse school. Children are instructed by their teachers on what and how to learn in these classrooms. The instructor guides the class and imparts knowledge. A teacher is someone who has had extensive training and actively seeks to stimulate their students' ideas. Traditional college classrooms continue to use this model of teacher-led instruction. Students have been exposed to this kind of classroom management since elementary school and expect the teacher to stand at the front of the room while delivering lectures. After hearing a lecture from their professor, students will go home and prepare for any tests or homework they have coming up.
Teachers in higher education are sometimes referred to as "instructors," and they are typically sought out because of their advanced knowledge in a particular field. Having a certain amount of degree hours in the field is often a prerequisite for teaching positions. When working in a more traditional university setting, educators are often referred to as professors, and they are typically required to have a terminal degree in addition to their teaching credentials. Teaching, in both of these contexts, refers to the activity of leading, telling, and instructing learners. Students are obligated to pay attention in class and do as they are told by the professor.
Something to think about: Is there a distinction between teaching and educating if this is at its core? When compared to the position of an educator, how closely does a teacher's job description align?
To help you conceptualize what it means to be a teacher, I'd like to start with a few definitions. Teaching is synonymous with explaining, as is "education," "educator," and "educator," respectively. I have broadened these categories so that an "educator" is someone who is both adept at teaching and knowledgeable in their subject area, as well as someone who understands the concepts of teaching adults.
• Proficient in the Art of Classroom Instruction: A teacher should be well-versed in the science and practice of teaching, with a firm grasp on both the most effective classroom teaching methods and the areas of facilitation where training is needed.
By providing students with contextual information and encouraging them to participate in class debates and other learning activities, a skilled educator may bring course materials to life. All types of communication with students are considered part of the instructional process, as each engagement affords a unique chance to impart knowledge.
Essential academic skills also include the ability to properly format work to the style requirements of the institution. For instance, many educational institutions have adopted the APA style for writing papers and citing references. If a teacher hasn't mastered the style, they can't assist their students or give them useful criticism.
Employment history is often prioritized over familiarity with adult education theory when selecting adjunct faculty at several universities. In my experience, faculty members who have studied adult education theory usually did so through some form of ongoing professional development. In choosing a field of study for my doctorate, I had this end objective in mind: to become a teacher by changing my approach to learning and teaching.
I don't think many teachers consciously think about how they could improve their role from teacher to the educator. If someone other than a college professor is recruited to teach a class, that person will typically learn, through experience and trial and error, how to best engage their students and achieve their desired learning outcomes. It is expected that classrooms would be evaluated and suggestions for teachers' professional growth will be offered.
As they look for ways to better their teaching, most teachers will eventually become educators themselves. However, I have worked with numerous online adjunct professors who think there is no need to develop as a teacher and who rely solely on their subject matter expertise.
Some methods can be used by anyone who wants to become an inspiring and life-changing professor.
One Method for Change is to Grow in Your Teaching Methods.
Any teacher can improve their craft via experience, but that improvement can also be guided by deliberate effort. You can discover new techniques, approaches, and standards through the plethora of online and print publications, workshops, webinars, and professional groups. Educators all over the world can connect and share ideas and materials using social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter.
One more way to evaluate your performance is by thinking about how you could do better. My experience has taught me that the time immediately following the end of class is optimal for reflecting on my methods of teaching. That's when I can look back on my efforts and decide whether or not they were worthwhile. Although not every student will give a glowing evaluation at the end of the course, reading through the responses to the final survey may still give me some insight into their opinions. Students are more likely to fill out a survey when they have strong feelings about the course, either positively or negatively. In either case, I stand to gain insight into the classroom experiences of my pupils.
Transform by bolstering your knowledge and training your brain
Working in the field of online faculty development has shown me that many teachers might benefit from training in this area. However, until it is highlighted in classroom audits, it is typically not seen as a high priority. Teachers who struggle with academic writing will be unable to give their pupils useful criticism.
This is especially true for online educators when students write communications that are poorly written or formatted. Workshops and online materials can be used to help students improve their academic abilities. In my experience, many of the online admission form of cbse school that offer faculty workshops also provide an excellent opportunity for professional growth and development.
Third, evolve by expanding your knowledge in your specialty.
Teachers can always benefit from each other's specialized knowledge. However, the difficulty lies in maintaining this knowledge up-to-date as you continue to teach for several years. Find places to study and learn about the most recent ideas, research, and best practices in your profession; this is the best piece of advice I can give.
Because students can immediately identify if you seem up-to-date in your expertise or out-of-touch, this is crucial to your teaching technique. As knowledge rapidly advances in many professions, even consulting essential texts or resources is no guarantee that you are using the most up-to-date material.
Approach 4: Change by expanding your understanding of adult education
Finally, I suggest reading up on adult learning ideas and strategies. Concepts like critical thinking, andragogy, self-directed learning, transformational learning, learning styles, motivation, and cognition can be researched if you are unfamiliar with the fundamentals.
What I would recommend is reading up on various internet resources dealing with universities and colleges, and then zeroing in on a specific area of interest to learn more about. Reading about things that interest me has helped me become more invested in my professional growth. What you discover is likely to have a constructive impact on your work as an educator and improve your teaching in every way.
One of the first steps in becoming an educator, or someone who is deeply invested in the process of assisting students in their learning, is to decide to make teaching their life's work. As a teacher, I have a specific plan for how I want to contribute to each of my classes, and I think you should do the same. The success you have in the classroom can be tied to the long-term goals you set for yourself as a teacher. Would you rather, for instance, put in the extra time required to create nurturing class conditions than finish the necessary facilitation tasks?
If you have a clear idea of where you want to go as a teacher and what you hope to accomplish, you can then build a professional development plan to help you grow in the ways I've mentioned. This tactic could be time-consuming, but it's important to keep in mind that we always find a way to prioritize what we value most.
Being an educator is not about keeping your mind on the tasks at hand; rather, it's about growing to love your work and becoming an expert at it for the sake of your students. If you determine that instructing kids is simply one step in the learning process and actively try to grow as a person and professional while interacting with students, you will find yourself in a position to become a teacher who is both engaging and transformative.
