I appreciated the suggestion of the instructor not being responsible to deal with external or upper company issues and being confident to just be a listener. It alleviates a lot of the pressures they are exposed to.

The feedback we give students is critical. The way it is delivered may matter more. When done properly the student can reflect, internalize what was shared, choose how they will take it, and then hopefully use as motivation to enhance their existing skillset.

I think motivation is a very personal journey because I believe it starts intrinsic by liking the instructor, the topic or the results. as a past Diabetes Educator, I see human behavior still a mystery. My goal is to be a coach to help navigate their journey by identifying their blind spots in their drive to ward success. They have to have the drive/ motivation to start them on the journey, and showing up is the first success for all of the students. I hope to lighten their load by being a coach in their corner to help them recognize… >>>

It is important to understand the background and diversity of the class as a whole. With the potential age differences the instructor has to remain cognizant of the life stages and challenges that go with those stages of life. The instructor also has to remain cognizant of the unique challenges associated with the different life stages.

Comment on Annie Tran's post: I agree with your comment, I too am a person of faith. We have a purpose and motivating others is vital especially when they know or need a reminder about their purpose. 

Reinforcement is effective when it’s customized and valued by the student. This is something I can learn to look for and find various ways of reinforcement.

Great reminder that some of learning is about motivating our students. A good idea mentioned in the course was to poll your students after an assignment. Sometimes I may not be accurate in thinking the assignment went good or bad. This will give me additional information

Liked to idea of helping students debrief from another class. I have helped students debrief on a few occasions – it really helped to build rapport with them. 

I like the idea of going into the classroom to look at the environment through the eye of my students to better understand their needs and build awareness of the classroom setting I have created. This is something I will be doing for all of my courses.