What are some of the back up plans that you have used in the past that seems to be the most successful?

I am an adjunct instructor with fellow colleague who "created" the course of instruction we deliver. Basically, he is the lead b/c he has seniority and has been in the institution for a very long time and I am the new guy off the bench. He created the material and since I am the backup/Plan B, he expects me to deliver the same material in the exact same manner (to include the cheesy props he uses). Framkly, the way most of it is laid out does not really flow nor does the embedded media draw relevance to the lesson. I have seen him deliver this material, but for me, a lot of it just doesn't work. What should I do to "personalize" the material without taking any main points away and not upsetting the "silverback?"

I use power Point Presentation as one way of media, it is important to have a well build PP to ensure that it will draw attention from the students. I have seen too many boring PP's in my career! What are some of the ideas that you can provide to enhance a PP?

I find that using guest speaker is a good way to provide the students with someone who is currently working in the field and discuss some important topics that will assist in the learning level of the students. It is extremely important to choose only guest speaker who are comfortable in the setting of addressing a large group and confident about their skills. What other techniques could be used to pick a valuable guest speaker?

It's very important to have differnt exams for makeup exams.

Being able to break material into smaller pieces makes it easier to assess student knowledge.

Field trips are a great way to keep student retention...

I thought it was a very interesting question in my interview process when my would be boss asked me "How to you think the students are going to react to your dry sense of humor?" At the time I remember thinking "Who the hell cares what they think?" Well, I learned pretty quickly that while "staying true to yourself" seems to be the motto that everyone wants to put on a shirt - Sometimes you need to adjust that. When your personality has the potential to be prohibitive to the learning experience, you need to consider how to change it.

I found this particularly interesting as it relates to my teaching for one particular reason. As a Chef I have to slightly adjust "Who I am" when I am teaching compared to when I am leading a kitchen. I found out pretty quickly that students really start to balk if you try to be their "Boss" instead of the mentor. This has meant learning a little bit about myself and also, measuring my responses before giving them.

When I make up a test I do not try to fool the students. I test to be sure they understand the material I consider to be important to know. I also grade my tests so that I can find out how well I traught. If I find certain areas that all the students do poorly on I must take some of the blame for not doing better in those areas.

A back up plan is necessary and it should not be inferior to your original plan. It has been my experience that my back up plan ended up being my main plan for the next cycle.

I can always get a students attention when I am able to demonstrate why I am the instructor. It gives a sense of to the student of why I am the instructor. It confirms your alpha status.

sytem evaluation is very helpful to ensure that student/ teacher satisfaction

troubleshooting education strategies can help ensure that each student comprehends and understands content being taught

using media is a great idea because it enhancess students learning ability

teachers need to evaluate themselves to ensure proper learning is taking place.

I use guest speakers only when applicable. I use them for several reasons 1. They have a different perspective on a subject than many, 2. They often bring a new sense of excitment to the subject that makes that topic more meaningful for my students.

How will you use Learning Taxonomy to create lesson plans for your class? What factors or assessments will you use to predict when your students are ready to handle “higher-level” assignments?

Do you allow your students to provide input for lesson plan revisions? If so, how do you regulate their suggestions?

What time management strategies do you use to ensure that you are “keeping pace” with your lesson plans?