Teaching a class is like performing on stage, you have spent your entire life perfecting your craft, (art) and now it is time to put it in front of someone that is wanting to receive what you have to give. they are actually paying to watch you "perform". When you make eye contact with a student and you are perfectly confident in your ability to pass on the knowledge that you have, it is noticed right away by the student, the same as a performer on stage is noticed to be a master at their art from the audience. You can tell when they know you know what you are doing, and they tend to respond much more favorably.

On day one I always arrive earlier than normal, about a half hour to forty-five minutes. This additional time allows me to get myself situated since I am returning from vacation. This occurrence happens every three months. I then take the time to study and try to remember the new students names so that when they come into the class I will at least know the name and then I can attach a face to the name. For the students with unusual names I will ask how to pronounce it so I get it correctly. I employ an old memory trick which is to repeat it to myself three times. Generally this commits it to my memory. Many years ago I attended a Dale Carnegie course on human relations and public speaking. The instructor said something which has stuck with me ever since. He said "your name is the sweetest sound you will ever hear". Keeping that in mind I want to get the pronunciation right which I believe demonstrates that I care about them as an individual and not just another warm body to fill the chair. At the appointed time I stand in the doorway and greet the returning students and newbies. I keep it rather informal but do introduce myself as Mister. I feel this is important because I am not their peer and I am attempting to earn their respect right out of the gate. Next the newbies are separated from the continuing students so we can conduct our department orientation. They get a general orientation approximately one week before entry and this provides them specifics about what we do, how we do it and why. During this time I will also inject light humor. I read one time that this is an absolute no no but I find that it lightens the tension and relaxes them. I'd be interested in seeing how others conduct their first day of class as a comparison.

Is there any strategy to help & support adults that are returning to school after years of no studying?

I currently have a student that doesn't grasp concepts in my class. They do not pay attention and are very disorganized. This is my oldest student also. They have poor attendance. I have to constantly stop and repeat myself, which is frustrating for the rest of the class that want to move forward in the material. This student does not take good notes and seems to get lost easily also with simplest of concepts. When I do repeat myself, I feel that the student doesn't listen to me. I have offered proctoring to them, but nothing has come of it. What other type of approach can I try with a student like this?

I believe a syllabus is vital for the students to have, that way they are aware what is expected from them.

What type of questions are better to ask students? and why?

In making my first lesson plans, should I integrate areas within the lecture to stop and do an activity, throw out an idea, etc that would cater to each learning style? How much time should I allot for these types of breaks?

I am recently starting the new semester as a tech instructor, but I am concerned about the first day of course. I want to do some icebreakers with them to get acquainted, especially since I am the newcomer and they have known each other since the start of the program. My biggest concern is unfortunately my age. I am young and I look it, but have been in the field for several years and have the experience needed to teach others. The students in my classes are either in my age group or older! On the first day should I tell them my age or leave it out? Should I 'level' with them a little more and branch out in to more personal interests to make myself seem less foreign?

I'm very new to this teaching gambit and I (as I'm sure others who have been in my shoes) am extremely excited, nervous, dreading, and can't wait for my first class! I am getting everything prepared to the best of my ability and am running through every detail with a fine toothed comb. Of course I am still concerned with the thought of having forgotten something. Any tips and tid bits that may be of help?

I liked the suggestion to allow more time when deal with some learning disabilities. That one simple idea can work with a variety of learning issues, including ones brought about due to a medical condition.

Language barriers can be an unforeseen force that slows down class time and can be difficult to cope with in a career college environment. Many times while trying to deliver career course content the ability to teach above and beyond can be limiting. Some of the ideas presented here can certainly help, especially limiting the number of vocabulary words per class.

It is challenging when working with student groups. This usually presents itself when one member of the group is perceived as doing less work than the others. This can also show up in a smaller group when one member decides to avoid class or even a presentation but still wants the total points allotted for the project.

I generally like the idea of moving around the room to keep the students attention refocused. It does also help with keeping students off of cell phones and other such items.

I'm just starting out in the teaching field and I'm concerned about keeping the students' attention. They're going to be small groups and long class hours (3-4 hours) and keeping the positivity high and the conversation flowing is a big concern for me. Can anyone name some ideas that I could utilize?

By using as many learning styles as possible, there will be more students that can succeed.

It is important to have a well planned firs day in the classroom. Without a well planned outline and being over prepared the class could lose interest.

questions that facilitate my discussion

would like to see others examples to get an idea

I am having a problem with a group of students that entered into the program as friends. They, however have different learning levels. It was discovered that one has a weakness in reading/vocabulary around midterm, but I have not been able to keep her separated from her friend who does well (with little effort). As for their other friend she is somewhere in between. I may have to use the seating chart approach next time. As for this individual she may not successfully complete my course.

What are some ways to interact with different learning styles?