In my self-analysis, I realized I coming to class five minutes early does not allow for all of the preparation required to set up for the day. I like to have my class topic and objectives written on the board before students arrive, and most days I am bombarded with questions before I get a chance to set my books down. There goes my five minute lead! I also take my 18-month old to daycare every morning, and it is not always a predictable process. I need to create more time in the morning, so I will try the 30-day… >>>

One approach I have had success with is to begin the class by introducing myself and talking a little bit about my own experience in relation to the course offered. This builds trust with the students that they are, in fact, learning from a professional in their field of study. Next, I ask them what their experiences have been so I learn where to set the class learning objectives, and we assess their initial comfort levels with the course on a scale of 1-10. Then we examine the syllabus together and I ask them to re-evaluate their comfort levels, which… >>>

I hate to see a glazed-over look on my audience's faces, so I try to prepare a lot and ahead of time, and always inject humor where applicable/appropriate. I love using the TED videos to inspire my classes to think about events and situations OUTSIDE of the classroom and away from our small, isolated little valley in Western Colorado. I keep my energy level high and use periodic group or independent processing and application assignments to renew my own energy and get them thinking about the topic. I have learned many tricks from others, and these seem to be the… >>>