Patricia Scales

About me

I've been a career educator for over 20 years. I currently serve as the Academic Coordinator for Brookstone College of Business and continue to be active in the classroom as a Business Instructor. My motto is "A student doesn't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." I was honored to receive the Career College Association National Teacher of the Year award in 2001. I just love teaching!

Activity

Patricia Scales

Discussion Comment

Reducing student cheating

Hi Dena, What do you typically do to minimize cheating in your classes? I make an annoucement to let my students know I will be watching them. Patricia

Patricia Scales

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Managing angry students

Hi Kim, This is certainly the best way to handle an angry student. I simply listen until they are done talking without any interruptions, and I normally find out once they have talked, they have calmed down. Patricia

Patricia Scales

Blog

Extra Credit or No Extra Credit

Are you a fan of extra credit? I am not. I believe in giving the student the grade he or she has earned based on the regular graded assignments. Extra credit in my opinion can really add too much cushion to a grade that is not indicative of the student's ability. A student needs to know from the very beginning that he or she must work extremely hard to get the grade he or she wants because NO EXTRA CREDIT will be granted. Some instructors give way too much extra credit, which can cause a student to not work to… >>>

Patricia Scales

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Avoiding common instructor mistakes

Hi Beverly, I love your list! How impressive! I can tell you love what you do! It sounds like you have it down to a science. Thanks for being a super educator! Patricia

Patricia Scales

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Showing examples of student work

Hi Candice, Great points mentioned. Students get a better understanding after being shown an example. Patricia

Patricia Scales

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Using guest speakers as resources

Hi Marge, Graduate guest speakers are the best. They can really relate to our type of students. They are a valuable resource to shed light on classroom based theory. Students love hearing the graduates as well. Patricia

Patricia Scales

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Class management for student success

Hi Jeremiah, Some classes have massive amounts of material to cover, and if the class is not managed well by the instructor a lot of time can be misused/wasted. I really like how you explain to your students the way to accomplish a large tasks by setting aside blocks of time. Patricia

Patricia Scales

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Maintaining a professional image

Hi Martha, What an awesome response! We really do set the stage for professionalism. Our students look up to us in many ways. I do not agree with instructors allowing their students to call them by their first name. I totally agree with you that instructors should be addressed by a courtesy title and their last name, this is just a sense of respect. The students see this as putting you on a higher level; there is a separation. Patricia

Patricia Scales

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Identifying challenging students

Hi John, Students with unacceptable behavior should be dealt with quickly and swiftly. Things can really get out of control if the student is not handled. Patriciia

Patricia Scales

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Showing relevancy of course content

Hi Ward, My favorites are graduate guest speakers. The have great testamonies to share with current students. Yhey can really speak from the perspective...been there done that. Patricia

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