Teaching IT, Is it better to be a Learn By Doing Instructor or would another Teaching Style be More Successful?? Is the CourseName a Descriptor for the type of Successful Instructor???

I have to admit i think power points can be a little boring at times. I don't use it. I use the white board, handouts and student interaction.

So funny..Since I started taken students on field trips, they use they that word as a way of saying we need a brain break.. and it works..! Field trips for us are really big. It takes at least 3 hours to do one from start to finish. To see their eyes and hear their questions makes it even more exciting for me.

I like all the pointers on the different medias we can use in a classroom. I am especially prone to the white board. I always make sure I have different colored pens to write, highlight, draw or emphasize any particular subject matter. One corner will be used for writing: Subject of the Day Date Timeline The rest of the board will be used during my lecture, to emphasize important topics and also to help out in student spelling, etc. I only write the bullets of what I will be lecturing on, while the class takes notes on what I teach. The white board allows me to draw pictures and illustrations as well. I think a mixture of media is also key to keeping the attention of the students.

I used to be a combination of Drill Sargent and Socratic when I was a trainer, about 20 years ago, in my other line of work. Then when I first started teaching at culinary, I was still somewhat of a Drill Sargent, but as the years went by, I honed myself to teach people in a classroom who were of different age groups, life-styles and with different past experiences. Now I am more of a combination of Socratic and Dead Poets. But at certain times, I think, depending on the situation and the needs, the Drill Sargent comes into play and is effective in situations that require it. Observing other instructors in their classrooms is a very interesting and valuable tool as you see what to do and what not to do. We never stop learning and recording yourself teaching is also a great learning tool.

I find that a lot of students really just hate taking tests? Can you conduct a class without them?

I have a few students who are just 10 times behind the other students. I think a lot of times they feel too dumb or behind to ask a questions. I have told them to come see me after class but have still heard nothing???

Do you have a max number of slides that you think are good for a powerpoint?

Does anyone ever think that a field trip to something outside of the students direct course of study is a good idea?

Extra credits are only allowed after all the regular progects are completed ahead of time and the student wants to do extra work.

Having a backup plan does not only happen in school. It can also happen at work. When I first started working for a doctor's office, it just so happened that the area would always be hit by a thunderstorm that would cause power surge or power fluctuations or worse, even a blackout. Having a backup plan would always prove handy in cases of emergency. The same thing in class. If the PowerPoint machine does not work, it is good to have a backup plan with making the students follow your lecture by having their textbook open and highlight or write notes as we go along. Sometimes we also will be transferred to a lecture room because there is an immediate need for the computer room. I explain to the students that we have to transfer to the lecture room and since we have no access with the computers, we will do the lectures instead and catch up tomorrow with the computer work. I always assure the students not to worry we will have time to catch up. With regards coding practices, I always have coding exercises available for the students to practice on if they are not clear with some coding guidelins. By having a backup plan, the student will not even notice that there was a chang of plan and that it is business as usual.

I like to use guest speaker from the field in which the student will be going into after they finish their degree, It helps engage them and helps them to understand the diversity in the health care field..

Since our school provides the grading system, I will not discuss the system but instead how I feel about the tests that are given to the students. I believe that tests and quizzes are given to the students not only to measure what they know but most importantly is to know where they might need help. Testing on their basic knowledge and then gving them a little bit more challenging questions will help students think and be challenged. It helps me also to evaluate myslef how I did in teaching them what they are suppose to know. I am not sure if I will agree with make up tests if they fail because the student might have a tendency of thinking she/he can always make up for it. I have never been in such a situation so I am not sure. All I knowis I just want to make sure that the students learn so they will be successful with their career.

One thing that spoils my day is walking in to a classroom with an unlceaned board. I like a clean board beacuse it signals to the class that we are ready to start a new day, a new lesson, a new challenge. The students know that I have a little corner on the board where I write the activities for that day. Also having the date on the board ensures that their homework and quizzes and tests are all dated correctly and also with them referring to their calendars they know what is due for that day. I try to place boarders so I don't accidentally erase or write too close to it. Colored markers help a lot in explaining topics to the students and it also helps student better what I am trying to explain to them. I write big enough so the students at the back will be able to see. I try to write in bullet points so students do not get overwhlemed and also they can go back to the book if they need to review the topic. I also try to stay on the side to make sure I do not block the writing on the board.

I like to come to school early just so I can relax and gather all the materials I will need for the class. I also make sure that I make copies of PowerPoints for the student and since we are in the computer class the students have access to the Powerpoints while I am lecturing and they may write their notes and also it is very easy for me to move around the class. When we are working with a medical software or the CMS 1500 application, I have the medical software or a claim form on the big screen so it is easy for the students to follow the lecture. I love teaching in the computer lab because I am able to use different methods and styles to make sure I keep the students interest high.

I enjoyed the video where grading should be setup with higher expectations but instructor's giving every students every opportunity to reach that high level. It is almost like playing some video games where you have to reach certain level to earn experience points to get perks for that level. It was a great key points I learned in this great video.

Since many of the career schools do not have entrance exam or any pre-test to measure students enrolled, it is critical to find out background level of the students. You get some general ideas during introduction by asking them the right questions. As an IT instructor, it is critical to know who is advanced students and who isn't since we have to manage the class and the flow of the classroom.

If you are using same power point presentation over and over again, it will lose the effectiveness. Students need many variety of the media and must use it sparingly. Just like using music as maybe 15 to 30 percent, You must incoroporate other aspects of teaching. I enjoyed Harvard business school video where Professor Gavin talked about 15, 30 minute block to mix and match to get the feel of the class.

I found that if I pretest the students, they have the opportunity to see the areas they are weak in and improve on this. It also encouorages the students to strive for more. If they received a grade 'B' on the pretest, students see just by encorporating better study habits can be worth the effort.

I have found the students retain more and are more willing to contribute to the learning by powerpoint. The feel less rushed and become excited about being able to express their point of view on the topic.