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Ask a question from your peers to help you in your professional work. Seek different points of view on a topic that interests you. Start a thought-provoking conversation about a hot, current topic. Encourage your peers to join you in the discussion, and feel free to facilitate the discussion. As a community of educators, all members of the Career Ed Lounge are empowered to act as a discussion facilitator to help us all learn from each other.

Using powerpoints for test prep

Is it appropriate to provide students with copies of powerpoint presentations from previous lessons to use in test reviews? I feel that this conditions some students to forgo note-taking during the lesson, knowing that all they have to do is wait for the handouts at the end of the lecture.

Prepared IDE

Being prepared for your students is an awesome feeling! You prepared! ah, what a feeling, you planned the work, and worked the plan! As you stand aside for 20 seconds observing your students working in the lab, you take pride in the lesson, and their application of the lesson during lab. Nothing better than having handouts ready, guest speakers engaged and a field trip to solidify the students engagement to their instruction.

Grades and students being kept up to date

I use a free online teacher's tool called ENGRADE. The students can see everything and follow there progress in the course. It also has a messaging system built into it so I can send emails out to the entire class. I love it.

to much information for one class

I am a new instructor at a school. I am teaching AP I and have found that some of the information included in there book is to intense for the type of students I am teaching. I am very well organized and do read all my lecture notes and chapter material before I present it. I have been able to pick out the information that pertains to all three types of students in my class and try to relate the topics to my Surgical Tech students, my Medical Assistant students and my Massage therapy students.

Learning styles with traditional formats

Do you think the older students do better in their learning styles as visual because of the traditional method of presenting the lecture material?

Guest Speakers and Field Trips

I am a huge believer in field trips and guest speakers. I feel that both give the students an opportunity to see what their career choice has in store for them. In my 7 years of teaching I have had several Medical Assistant students observe an open heart surgery and come out and say this field is not for me and chose a different career path.

Practice your presentation before teaching the class

It is very important that you practice your lecture before presenting the subject to the class. It's helpful to practice in front of the mirror so you have a better idea how you are going to present the subject to the class. When you catch the mistakes during your practice sessions, you will not make the same mistakes again when you are teaching the materials to the students. And most definitely, you will feel more confident teaching the subject.

Extra Credit

Extra credit is a good method to help stuents earn back some points to raise their grade.

Pre-test

Is a good method to reveal what a student knows and doesn't know.

Change of mind

Has any of your students after taking a field trip ever changed their mind about wanted to continue in their career

Grade Book

Where I teach we have to use Grade book. I am not fond of this system for one reason only; there is no real way to helps students. Grades are locked in. Example 89.7 – is a B where I know this student was here every day, worked hard if not harder than rest of the class. I found work around, but that is not the way grading should go. Another issue is when a student knows that there grade is say “lock in” even if they get a 0 on the next test or last assignment; their grade will not be effected, then that also is not a great way to get students motivated.

Field Trips and Guest Speakers

Teaching accounting courses can be tough, yes I know not the most exciting subject. Well I think it is! I plan several field trips and guest speakers. Prior to teaching I was in the field working for many years, so I have a pull of guest speakers. I also recommend joining networking groups and local chambers of Commerce to pull guest speakers and possible field trips. I take my students on two different field trips per year. One I take to a local amusement park, where they learn about customer service, I stress that accountants provide a great deal of customer service and they should understand how this works. They spend two hours with customer service department, getting a good bit of information; of course going to the park afterwards is a highlight. I then use those examples in lectures throughout that term. I take another group to a plant where they build air condition units for cruise ships and Navy ships. They can see when we talk about labor cost, WIP, overhead they can see it live as I would say instead of a text book. Guest speakers, I bring in people who have not only knowledge in the field but can tell great stories, showing the students that there are challenges however you can really enjoy your job and have some fun too.

Test Process Critique

What do you think about asking students how they feel about the type of test you give about halfway thru the class?

Instructional Methods request

Upon the first day of class,I have often wondered, Would it be a good practice just to ask the students on the first day of class, which method do they learn the best? audible,graphic,lecture etc. This way the instructor will know up front how to present his material.

Conflict of information

I teach one course in which I have multiple disagreements with the text provided by the school. I have found it useful to have citations ready when this pops up, and am usually able to point out in advance when something I am presenting varies from the text's version. It has complicated testing somewhat, however. Any thoughts?

Testing

The majority of my students work nights (3-5am). I find myself working around their schedule instead of them working around my shcool schedule, assignments do not get done ect, what do you suggest I do?

Getting the attention of students

What is the best way to gain and keep the attention of your students? How do you determine how much time to spend on a topic?

Insightful information

I thought this section of the course was great. Being a new institution I read books on instruction & teaching but found this information to be more insightful and simple.

Creating An Evaulation System

Instructors need to make sure the unit of grading that they are useing is one that is in line with the college that they are teaching.

Trouble Shooting Instructional Stratigies

As instructors we need to make sure that our students is understanding the subject that we are teaching.