I find one of the biggest challenges in the classroom is language. Many students are in the class with very basic English skills. Therefore when they take concept classes like Psychology they can really struggle because they do not understand what certain words me. As an instructor you have to break the concepts and examples down into basic form in order to help students understand the material. This can be frustrating to some students who understand the concepts. You have to find balance in doing this so all students are challenged.

In my experience, students do not like to work in groups because they feel one or two people end up doing most of the work while the others sit back and do not do much. Some students do not see the value in working together, they would rather work independently. For one of my classes, I have students take a group test. Often the students are reluctant about this at first. When they take the test with partners they are able to talk out their answers. Some students say they learned mmore from working together than they did from the lecture. Other students did not like the group could not consent on an answer. Once the students get their test scores back I have the write a paper together and they talk about the pros and cons of taking a test together. I think it is important to do this because it teaches students to work together.

I know sometimes as an instructor I can get really uncomfortable with silence. After a few minutes I want to provide the students with the answer, however, I have to remind myself that I need to give students time to think about the answers. If I am always providing the answers, how will I know if they really know the material. Does anyone else have trouble with this?

What type of music would most adult learners like to listen to?

What makes a student not confident and how do you reach them with out pushing to hard?

My institution provides all students' with learning disabilities an acommodation plan, when requested, to help them succeed. I am always in tune with my students, and offer tutoring to all, with or without special needs.

Keeping students motivated to learn is a skill instructors must apply always. If you are not motivated yourself about the subject you are attempting to teach or if you are not in "tune" with your students, you are cheating your students form attaining their full potential in your subject matter.

I employ the same methods described in this module with my students. The information is correct in that student's interact better with each other and with their instructor when using group dynamics.

Body language, speech, tone of voice, etc. all play a part in how well students receive subject matter information. As instructors, we must always be aware of these things, including our moods.

How much does the faculty observation an instructor receives from the chair contribute to that instructor's development? What do you consider to be the main metrics in a faculty observation for it to be an evaluation document as well as a tool to develop the observed instructor?

When teaching a computer related course, for example MS Office, especially when I reach the intermediate level of Word, Excel or Powerpoint, I found that 15-20 min of lecture, including an instructor demo of the excercise (like working with textboxes, customizing charts, using powerpoint animation) followed by a period of individual student lab might not be most effective. The technicalities (what button to click...) might be too many for the students to follow in the individual part. Many times I have used "Follow Me": I set the stage explaining with a schetch the desired outcome and the basic procedure, then I demo with the projector 1-2 steps at a time with 30-40 sec periods for my students to do like me, and so on to the end of the exercise. There are immediate advantages: all students get the exercise done. There are disadvantages: some students have to wait while I halp the 'slower' ones. Does, in this case, the lecture loose its value?

Being a new instructor, I have come to realize that (during my first few days of teaching) my initial approach to cover disciplinary measures and be clear with these measures were delivered ineffectively. There was lack of force in how I 'layed the rules' for discipline in terms of keeping silence during class hours. Approaching almost the end of the term, I have observed that 30% of my students would talk frequently during class lectures despite my attempts to get their attention, telling them in the politest manner and terms (language) that they could possibly understand to be 'students that need to pay attention and allow the rest in the class to focus and not be disrupted'. Personally, I believe that students are not perfect and get side tracked like anyone else, so I try not to embarass them with maybe a loud piercing voice and tone that would be just ready to reprimand them or pounce on them when I see them talking. Should I be firmer the next term and show myself less forgiving in this area? I want them to learn to respect the instructor and their fellow students without the implementation of fear of outright abrupt discipline. But I have qualms if that would be the right way to implement discipline. The rest of the students comprising 60-70% are focused, no issues with them. Would it be too late to implement stricter measures in the area of discipline right now? I would appreciate comments and suggestions. Thank you.

Any suggestions on how to handle the ones that have a hard time testing?

How do you help your studens become better professionals?

This information has made me understand more of what is expected from me, by not only my students but from myself

In the field of radiation oncology, since radiation beams are invisible by ordinary methods and potentially harmful.I try to implement the use of critical thinking, problem-solving, computation and written/oral communication skills in my class. Visual aids in teaching are recognized as important adjuncts to proper training in my humble opinion. As Ghandi stated: Be the CHANGE you want to see in the world.

Moving around the classroom keeps students engaged

does discussing your expectations on the first day really help?

is it ok to bring in material from other sources than what is provided by the school?

Most of the preparation methods discussed are well aligned with online Instruction. Each method minimizes the time spend in preparing for a course, regardless if online or onground. Instructors may sometimes compromise the time based on 'being at home'; thinking they are prepared because they know their environment. This is far from the truth because there are more distractions at home, versus student distractions (welcomed), in an onground environment. One, you can prepare for (onground), versus the unexpected (at home online). Again, applying these preparation methods in either learning environment is key to instructional success! Vera Davis