Since the attention span of most adults is in the 15-18 minute range and as adults we generally only remember about 25% of what we hear and as adults we normally only retain 40% of what we read, I have found that learning by doing works great, especially for a profession that uses motor/hand skills as part of their job. I have found that I can talk for an hour about the sequence of a procedure and many times I get this blank stare back from some students. But once I take them into the lab and do a demonstration… >>>

The course syllabus is an important part of understanding what will be expected of them and when things are expected to be completed. By following the syllabus and not deviating greatly from it, you will have a class that feels comfortable and they won't have to worry about things being thrown at them at the last minute. We had a situation at our school where the same class was taught in the day and also at night, but by two different instructors. It was expected that each instructor follow the syllabus and not deviate from it, however one instructor started… >>>

Objectives and goals should be a part of every department, class or course taught. Writing clear objectives and goals will ensure that the student learns all that is needed in the subject area. Without objectives and goals, there is no clear direction for the course to go. In addition the objectives have to be specific to support the goal. A broad and general goal will mean little without detailed objectives in place to ensure achieving the goal. Instructors who write broad goals are not doing their students any favors without specific objectives to support how the goal will be achieved.… >>>

Modeling behavior is an important part of the instructional style of an instructor. I have had students come on the first day of class in attire that was far from professional, speaking in slang, hygiene not acceptable and using profanity. The second day of class I came into class in ripped and dirty clothes, my hair all over, chomping on gum, dirty hands and face, and an overall appearance of "a mess". The students sat there in awe. As they say, "a picture, or in this case a visual, was worth more than a 1000 words". I then explained how… >>>