I found out some stundents like to help out after they have learn how to do something when i have one like that i put him with a stundent that is having trouble with a project this seem to have a great way for a stundent to feel he is doing a great job in class but is also helping out another stundent learn.

I teach electrical we use the code book to teach the stundents how it must be done than we do it in the class room so they see how it works. We also take them out on a field trip an use what they have learned in the classroom. I have a electrical inspecter come in and check out what they did this makes them feel great when he says it passed the inspection on the frist try.

I applaud the information I learned about moving through the room because I strive to do that myself, and know it works. The students must follow you by moving heads/eyes so it keeps them engaged, training aids can be pointed to, and people especially in the back of the room will not attempt to fall asleep or act up. Scott Humphrey

Test Taking and asking questions is a great strategy for the class.

Even though we have learned some valuable tools in this course, I believe in making your first day presentation your own mix. You should be very relaxed in the flow of your introduction to the course and flexible in case any questions arise and change your set checklist.

I believe one valuable concept related in this course so far was the idea behind not speaking down to students and not portraying oneself to be all knowing. Besides the fact that there is always someone with more intelligence with one subject or another, I believe it establishes an instant adversarial class room component. It can establish an “I’ll show him/her” state of mind that can resonate not only with one class but within an entire program. I for one strive to avoid this by recognizing that learning is a life-long process and students do have insight into subjects that I may have not considered.

In my classroom in order to keep the students active in class I introduce games. Brainteasers are always a big hit. Medical terminology is intimidating to new students but, by turning it into a game suchs as: Bingo or Medical Scrabble the students respond much better

Sometimes we just have to try something new. Yesterday I spent 3 hours in the dentist chair for a root canal redo. Today my face, jaw, neck and shoulder were in pain. How could I teach my managment class without lecturing today? The solution was to create a scavenger hunt to seeking answers through looking up, finding, acting out, analyzing and applying. The subject was motivation--it was perfect. The students had fun, learned a lot and I even heard during break them using the terminology in conversation!

This information is very interesting and helpful for me as I am a new instructor. I am already faced with the challenges of presenting information to all different learning types. I find it very rewarding when I see that light bulb come on and I have accomplished my goal of getting a point taught to my student. Most of what I am teaching is hands on skills. This is a great reference for me to have for knowing what different strategies for learning are out there and to help me think outside the box.

does it enhance or distract from learning

I find that random questioning helps to keep the students involved I tell my students on the first day that I expect them to answer when they are called on and that I won't ask question that they haven't had the information presented to them so they should know the answer.

As instructors it is important that we keep abreast of changes within our field and having a professional development plan is one way to insure we do stay on top of the changes in the field. We also must let our students know the importance of keeping up with the changes within their choosen field. In order for us to encourage them to stay fresh me must lead by example and be on top of our gameplan.

being too confortable on the first day can also ruin your authority and credibility very quickly and can backfire at a later time the new student generation has a very scary sence of ownership expecting everything to be served on a plate for free... shall we keep feeding these assumptions...

a standardize noncohesive syllabus that doesn't flow can be a detriment not only to the students but also to the instructors who has to deliver the content and losing credibility in the process. the question is.. should we take side

When going through other education classes I have heard even shorter time spans for attention. I do find that given the self interest to a particular topic, I can attend to it more or less than the 15-18 minutes. I like the idea of changing things up frequently. Even if you have a 50-minute lecture to give, there is no reason why you cannot break it up wit a question/answer time, or a relevant demonstration. Sometimes just a stretch-break can help to wake students up and get them re-engaged in the learning. What are some ways you have used in your classes to help break up long periods of instruction?

I always like to start my classes with an opening activity that gets the students involved. Often I will use a short writing assignment (a paragraph or less), and have the students stand and share in the class. I find this opens discussions and helps to gage student attitude for the session. This also helps students who are shy to overcome their fears of presentation. What are some of the things you do as opening activities in your classes that you have found to work well, or maybe something you would never try again?

In one of the Harvard Business video clips the professor mentioned trying to reach the head (intellectual learning), the heart (passion), and the gut (action) when instructing to students. As a student of brain research to some degree, I find this to be true. The more we can reach the students, especially emotionally, the more they are likely to engage and remember what is presented. What are some ways you can think of to engage learners at either the head, the heart, or the gut; or all three for that matter?

Our college is career focused. Although we have detailed curriculum materials it is very important that the materials remain up to date. This is one of the great advantages, as I see it, to our part of the educational industry. Staying abreast of currrent trends in industry and education helps and instructor to pass that knowledge on to his or her students. What are some ways you use to keep up to date in your subject areas?

I appreciated the breakdown of the five C's of instructors being: Credible Candid Compassionate Committed Clear To my mind, they are all important, but we could each probably believe one is the most important. If I had to pick one, I would probably go with "Credible." Once an instructor loses credibility with the students, it is a very difficult thing to gain back. What would you pick as the most important and why?

I have found that by moving around the room, and constantly keeping eye contact with my class. keeps them interested in the course material I am presenting during lecture. teaching at a technical school the students can't wait to get into lab and start working on thier lab tasks. So making lecture more interesting, get's the students more involved with lecture.