Barry Westling

Katherine, Tactile senses are an often overlooked method to enhance learning, even when touch is not directly involved with the lesson. For instance, the feel of the pages of a text, the tactile handling of paper, the tapping on a keyboard or calculator. Students who associate the sensory stimulation of these and other examples can tansfer that information to whatever else the're doing to receive a unique feedback that can positively improve their performance. It's subtle, but effective. Barry Westling

Jim, Enthusiasm is a very difficult atmosphere not to be drawn into. Whenever that is the setting, students will likely be more responsive, attentive, and engaged. Barry Westling

Katherine, I agree about the powerful activity most field trips bring. Immersion into segments of the profession students will ultimately be working in often cannot be simulated or duplicated in the classroom or lab setting, setting up the external field trip as a platform for inquiry, exploration, and intersting activity that breaks up the routine. Barry Westling

Jim, Great. Reaching out to try to meet individual student needs is at the heart of student centered instruction, and also demonstrates care, concern, and interest in the students success. Barry Westling

Wendy, This sounds reasonable and fair. If someone is a good mutilpe choice test taker but a poor writer, then balancing these components helps assess the real learning a student has achieved. Barry Westling

Wendy, True, students tend to be more critical. I've had the most success by using rubrics which identify criteria and the conditions under which students will earn a grade. In this case, both instructor and student know in advance how they will be graded, and the student has an opportunity to conform to the preestablished guidelines that exist and that their classmates will be graded on. It's the most objective and fair method to use, at least for me. Barry Westling

Wendy, Students who expect EC credit (the kind that would boost thier grade) while doing less tha exemplary work with the required assignments is, in my opinion, sabotagging the existing grading system and interfering with the stated goals and methods to achieve goals the instructor has set up. To me, it's not fair to students who do their assignments and course work, and the grades earned on quizzes and tests, and accept the grade they receive. Barry Westling

Wendy, You point a difference in the challenges in OL vs on-ground classwork. True the the dynamics are different, even though the content may be identical. My solution is perspective. If we say student learning is the goal, then in both settings this can be accomplished, perhaps with different resources, delivery methods, or course work assignments. Both are valid (in my opinion), just different, and we need to learn to adapt to the delivery model being used. Barry Westling

Erica, Frequent breaks is good, as studies have shown the brain can seriously concentrate on only a few concepts at a time and will begin to lose effectiveness after about 30 minutes. If not able to take a break, we can "chunk", which simply is changing either the way we are presenting material, or changing the topic a little bit, with return to the former method later on (in the same period). These "chunks" of information help keep attention, variety, interest, and may make the class a little bit more enjoyable. Barry Westling

Carol, This sounds like a very organized approach to thionking and planning for future lessons, even if they are repeating in nature. I think haviving materials readied and easwily accessible when I need them is a key to effective time management, which of course, benifits the strudents as much as the the instructor. Smooth running classes are better classes, in the eyes of the students. Barry Westling