Barry Westling

Hi Kyla: Good examples of demonstrating an awareness of our senses. We can also employ senses in more subtle ways in our learning methods. The more senses used, the better the retention of information will be. I think stuednts will natually hum while they're reading if that's something they do anyway. Or fiddle with pencil, such as softly tapping. If we can encourage students to rewrite their notes, then read aloud their notes, then summarize them again, we're using sound, touch, vision, and repetiotion. Although repetion is not a sense, it is an extremely valuable tool for students to improve… >>>

Hi Mitchell: Personality like and dislikes shouldn't have too large of a place in effectively teaching a class, but I understand if students don't care for teacher, that can impact their willingness to fully participate. As in students, teacher personality that creates a energetic environment, engaging students, and making the class interesting and enjoyable is a basic standard all classes should provide. Added traits such as being honest and sincere, showing care and concern for students, and being tolerant and patient also help. We all can be enthusiastic, motivativational, and excited about the course topic and it's presentation. Students will… >>>

Hi Mitchell: For me, I think first and foremost, we want to have a grading system that accuretly measures learning. I see many traditional systems (templates) in place that, although they may be wonderful assessment tools, they may be misplaced or out of alignment with measuring learning. We want to decide what is the best way to measure learning? Using a variety of assessment tools is better than just a few. And if we are using many assessments, that means we are also using multiple media, instructional strategies, and learning activities as well. In the exstreme, we don't want to… >>>

Hi Kathleen: I don't give extra credit. I once did and over the years found that it really doesn't contribute to much benefit to the student, other than adding points, and less about learning. The old expression "The road to Hell is lined with good intentions" applies here. In an effort to help students, all kinds of problems can arise. A few bonus points on an exam, or maybe dropping the lowest quiz score if the class has a lot of quizzes - these seem reasonable and consistent with demonstrating knowledge attained vs simply added points to achieve a grade.… >>>