Ted Forrand

Just as in “real life” there are employees who are “apple polishers,” and “center stagers.” And of course, there are employees that turn in assignments late, don’t adhere to deadlines as well as those employees that are inattentive. This training identifies what exists in the workplace only in different terms. These types of personalities and well-established and anticipated traits should be part of the class/course introduction. To that end, a continuous emphasis on these disruptive characteristics requires emphasis at scheduled and unscheduled intervals during the course. Although the approaches cited to curtailing these behaviors are well-established, it is also necessary… >>>

The class or course should begin with a robust sense of organization speckled with a light-hearted sense of purpose and expectations. During this introduction the issue of basic ground rules should be conveyed such as attendance, assignments being completed on time, class participation, individual participation, individual responsibilities and responsibilities to one another. This does not have to heavy – it can be done while changing gears and shifting into related course material while introducing yourself to the class and sharing your own experiences. This initial class meeting should not be concluded without discussing consequences. At the same time, emphasis should… >>>

Instructors have to have a grasp on what motivates their students at the core of their purpose as well as to stay enrolled in the program. Before any instructor is going to be successful in appealing to their student’s motivation, the instructor has to demonstrate their own motivation. This motivation should focus on their own enthusiasm for their being a leader and the facilitator of the course, class, and content. For an instructor to achieve retention it is necessary to apply motivational techniques that inspire learning the information and the skills the student originally sought to achieve. 
 
Too often… >>>

This segment is a terrific reminder that teachers must develop an internal mechanism that reminds them to do what is called in technical operations a, “health check.” This is a total operational check out of a particular system, specifically in aircraft maintenance, at a specifically planned interval, when a thorough operational check of the system and related components are checked out for continued service. Teachers/instructors need to build in a similar checklist of items to review so they can maintain their own personal – HEALTH. And as the leader of the class, or as I like to say, “Chief Executive… >>>

Student retention relies on so many factors. As the title states, “General Strategies.” Strategies, while specific, usually have general results. What remains is that student retention requires an instructor to at one time be as light-hearted as a late-night talk show host and at other times be as stoic as an airline captain during take-off or landing. Given that students come in all “shapes and sizes” the instructor must be a chameleon in that the leadership style they foster has to model their student’s expectations and their own strategies for succeeding in the course but also in life.

It isn’t… >>>

It is one thing to be an instructor and be the image of authority and the go-to for all answers. That is a tremendous feat to take on for one individual. However, it should not be so daunting. While students might have all the needs and wants, there is a finite amount an instructor can do. The most an instructor can do breaks down into two categories:

> Empathy:

An instructor can take the time to relate and recognize that behavior(s) might be sparked by events in a student’s life. For example, a student might live with other people they… >>>

The various testing methods can provide for objective and or subjective results. In each testing method the approach to developing questions relies on first establishing an answer that supports the question. What is certain is that people in general, namely students, will respond differently to testing methods. Just as there are different learning styles, there will be differences in retention by students.

Assessing general education skills is where the secondary and or vocational education begins. The so-called “soft skills” that should have been developed in high school are elements of necessary focus so students can maximize the desired benefits of a vocational school. As a vocational school instructor, the primary focus is on teaching a vocation. However, to be successful in reaching students so they will retain what they are to be learning, it is necessary for instructors to place increased emphasis on critical thinking, writing, communication, problem solving, and ethical reasoning skills. Assessing student values and attitudes consistent with general education… >>>

Questions and questioning between students and teachers provide an interactive path of communication that is or should be a respectful dialogue. Questions also solidify what students have learned and provide valuable insight for a teacher to recognize a student’s participation. Questions can be used as a tool for instructors to marshal greater interest in a particular subject or to spark interest that might be lagging in another subject. 

Of course…there is the answer component of the questioning. The response to questions can be used to reveal what students are learning or better said, what they have retained. 

Ideally, learning styles, assumptions, classifications and conditions should intertwine with an instructor’s technique(s). For example, an instructor that is teaching a class in an auditory fashion might not get the message through to a student that learns and retains information best from visual instruction. The same could be said as this relates to emotions and problem solving. When combing these variables the instructor has to be a sort of a chameleon when disseminating a lesson plan among a variety of students with as many varying learning styles.