I believe it is very important about the atmosphere of the classroom. If I am tense the class room is going to feel it too. I feel the class room should be a place, of course learning, but also the class room should be fun, educating,exciting a place where the student can learn without pressures of the outside world. Also everywhere they look in the room should encouragement and learning aids.

Taking this course made me realize what I was having trouble dealing with. I can be an expert and still be learning. Now taking this course helps me to play that role. I can be your instructor and also learn. I have advised my students that there are different ways in learning you just need to keep an open mind. I had shut mine and now I can have an open mind and learn while I am teaching.

It is my understanding that the instructor should have some questions already prepared which will help with keeping the flow of the class going and will with getting the students involved.

I really enjoyed this course. I learned quite a bit about how I can improve my class participation. I particularly enjoyed the "tips" portion of this course. These are tactics I use everyday in class and, I now feel, that I can be more effective in the way I probe, redirect, and praise my students.

Making fun and interesting is help student retention.

Classroom activities is one best technique for students involvement.

Using eqipment and tools is very helpful to learn into hands-on process.

Without learning environment it is really impossible to proceeed in lecture.

Taking time to get to know what Students best need that helps them understand what to expect on their test assesments.

Getting the students to answer or solve problems on their own making it easdier to them.

When Students ask Questions You happen to Not know Refer to another Student to answer the Question if they might Know it.

Given the diversity of the backgrounds of adult learner's in the post secondary learning environment, I believe I will always give a small pretest that takes just a few minutes just to see where everyone is at. This helps them understand what knowledge and skills they need and if they will need additional instruction/help/practice to succeed in the course. Seems like a really good idea. Not everyone always comes with the appropriate prerequisite knowledge and skills.

I like to give students an acronym -- so that each letter of the acronym stands for one of the key components of weekly focus in which the student needs to put forth excellent effort in order to achieve the coursework's goals. For instance, I use TRAM as an acronym. I tell the students to focus on weekly testing; repetitive practice of a language they are learning through a practice interface provided them; attendance as close to perfect as possible; and submission of weekly assignments that "must" be done to reinforce grammar and punctuation. I give them the acronym TRAM as a mnemonic to help them visualize climbing a steep hill by doing these weekly tasks, telling them that once the TRAM reaches the top of the hill, a new horizon is available to them and a new level of challenge.

This was a bigger transition than I thought and was wondering if anyone was experiencing or had experienced similar issues. I am a former public school teacher; I taught one year at the middle school level followed by three years at the high school level. The transition from middle school teacher to high school teacher wasn't a big deal. It was actually pretty easy. However, now that I am a lab supervisor at the post-secondary level, I am amazed at how differently I am viewed by the students (adult learners). The majority of the students I have now are my age or older and interact with me in a way that leans much more toward the egalitarian, which is fine in most regards. They respect and acknowledge my knowledge, skills, and abilities for what those things are, but then some want to hang out, or have a couple of beers, or go to this party. Unlike the students I had when I was teaching in secondary level public schools, some of these "adult learners" seem to think there's a "ON/OFF" switch to the instructor/student role, but there isn't. My former high school students thought of me as a teacher, a responsible adult, and an approachable figure of authority; they knew where the line was. Now it seems in the post-secondary environment, given my age too, I am viewed by some students as a potential buddy or pal that they can "chill" with outside of the school. I take it as a compliment and that they like me, but I decline, thanking them for the offer and politely remind them of the instructor/student role in-so-many words. Most are really understanding about it, even if they are still "chatty" about "life in general" with me at times. Has anyone else experienced something similar to this?

Creating effective assignments allows the instructor to make sure the student is receiving the information that is needed in the course.

This is a very import tool to use in evaluating the students success and also on helping the instructor with making sure the student understands the material.

Asking questions is important when trying to evaluate your students knowledge of the subject matter.

Teaching to learning styles is important in understanding your students and how to get information to each student effectively.

Delivering course material should be done effectively and efficiently to ensure that the students are receiving the necessary material and skills required to graduate.

When meeting the class for the first time, it is important to prepare by having a copy of the syllabus for each student and give a over view of the class expectations so that each student understands what is expected of them.