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Ask a question from your peers to help you in your professional work. Seek different points of view on a topic that interests you. Start a thought-provoking conversation about a hot, current topic. Encourage your peers to join you in the discussion, and feel free to facilitate the discussion. As a community of educators, all members of the Career Ed Lounge are empowered to act as a discussion facilitator to help us all learn from each other.

Learning Styles

I found the iImportance of learning styles interesting. It caused me to realize that now I can hopefully reach all of my students, and in turn improve my ability to be a more effective teacher.

What you do when your average students are below course standard?

I need the various standard ways to know how to handle this situation.

Learners who have a disability

I have spent much of my professional life working with people with disabilities. They may require some adaptations or more time to complete tasks, but they enrich your life and classroom.

locating myself in the classroom

Yes, I have found myself too static at times. Once I began to move around more I saw a marked improvement in the students attention.

the value of fast turn-a-round of grades for a test...

if grades are delayed then the students are not present in mind to absorbe the new teaching material ... I find getting the material back before the 2nd break to be ideal... the students know unless an earthquake happens they will have feed back to be discussed in private after class..

sequencal questions to improve knowledge retention

i like to us a tech. of rapid fire questions going backwards i.e. "what is water?" answer a combination of two atoms hydrogen and oxygen and then follow up with "and then what is oxygen etc etc... my students like the backwards traceing effect.

supporting the visual learner

information tech. makes supporting the visual learner a much eaiser job. you can use power point, to we mechines. to candy and tooth picks pick your poison.

eye contact

very important to capture your students attention.

Engaging students while teaching technical information

I've found that I can engage students best when teaching extremely technical by always beginning those lessons with an explaination of how the technical information will be useful to them in their future career. What are some other techniques we as teachers can use to engage students when teaching highly technical topics?

Delivery

Course content must be delivered in a manner that promotes learning

Self introduction

It is important for the instructor to introduce herself to the students.

Professional Presentation

Presenting yourself in a professional manner encourages respect from the students toward the instructor and toward the subject.

Professional Presentation

Presenting in a professional manner encourages respect from students toward you and the subject you are teaching.

Student with Diabilities

I think that students with disabilities deserve a change to prove that he or she can strive and success at whatever goal that have set in mind. Just because they may have a disability does not mean treat them any different than you would a normal student who is honor student or something. Equally for all must still be recongnized even when their is a disability present. Help them overcome the challenges they will face in todays society. We are are human at the end of the day and should be treated the same and respected .

Essay questions

Essay Questions Essay items, like short-answer, are constructed-response questions. However, essay answers are typically much longer than those of short-answer, ranging from a few paragraphs to several pages. Advantages: Essay questions are the only question type that can effectively assess all six levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. They allow students to express their thoughts and opinions in writing, granting a clearer picture of the level of student understanding. Finally, as open-ended questions, they assess recall over recognition. Disadvantages: There are two main disadvantages to essay questions: time requirements and grading consistency. Essays are time-consuming for students to complete, and require careful instructions on the part of the test writer. Scoring can be difficult because of the variety of answers, as well as the “halo effect” (students rewarded for strong writing skills as opposed to demonstrated mastery of the content). Most appropriate for: Assessment that cannot be accomplished with other question types. Because essays are the only question types that can effectively assess the highest levels of student mastery, they are the only option if the goal of testing is the assessment of synthesis and evaluation levels. Bloom’s Levels: Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

Life Experience

Sometimes student use life experience to help them resolving school theories or projects. Life experience is something you have been thru in reality not something being taught from the book. Its a reality situation you experienced

Student Groups

Student groups help them engage in conversation about the project given. It helps them be able to communicate among their peers for a better understanding soemtimes

Formative assesment

To improve achievement in student learning, teachers must be able to acknowledge when students are not progressing according to standards. A formative assessment is a process of using information to adapt or change teaching and learning in order to meet the learning needs of students. Such information is gathered from a series of formative assessment strategies that require student observations, analyzing students' assignments and analyzing classroom discussions. At the beginning of a lesson, teachers must present an outline that explains expectations--behaviors, course materials, topics, test dates and procedures for resolving issues, such as absence from class. The measures of success of success are grades, such as an "A" for scores ranging from 90 percent to 100 percent. A rubric--criteria for assessing work or activities--should be developed to provide guidance for students to achieve the highest scores possible, and samples of assignments are helpful when presenting a rubric. Check for Understanding After expectations are acknowledged and understood by all in concern, an issue arises. This issue is important because it relates to the purpose of teaching--understanding. A teacher must be able to determine if students really understand what is being taught. Traditional ways to make this assessment are questions and quizzes; however, based on Lincoln.k12.or.us, here are some formative assessment strategies to check for students' understanding: Periodically distribute an index card to students and instruct them to write what they understand about the topic on the front of the card. Then ask them to write what they do not understand on the back of the card. Have students show a "thumb up" when they understand concepts in class or a "thumb down" when they are unsure of concepts. Propose a question and instruct students to write the answer in a couple of minutes. This is known as "bell work" in k-12 environments but is also useful in higher education. Periodically incorporate analogies in a lesson to present principles or concepts. For example: (a concept) is like (blank) because (blank). Present students with misconceptions about concepts or topics and ask if they agree or disagree. Then follow responses with a group discussion. Conduct one-on-one student conferences. This can be done in class or over the phone, to determine their understanding of concepts presented in class. Have students assess their own learning, and identify their level of progress. This should be followed by planning what they should learn next, and this type of planning can occur during one-on-one conversation.

Asking questions to improve learning

When you prepare for class, office hours, and help sessions, compose specific questions that you will ask your students (or that you anticipate they will ask you). Doing so will help you increase student participation and encourage active learning. The strategies below will also help you formulate questions for exams and paper assignments. Active learning extends beyond the classroom. When you ask questions in the classroom, you are modeling a process that students can and should use themselves; encourage your students to use the following questioning strategies to assess what they have learned, to develop their thinking skills, and to study for exams. General Strategies for Asking Questions •When planning questions, keep in mind your course goals. For example, do you want students to master core concepts? To develop their critical thinking skills? The questions you ask should help them practice these skills, as well as communicate to them the facts, ideas, and ways of thinking that are important to their learning in your course. (For more information about course goals, see Planning a Course). •Avoid asking “leading questions.” A leading question is phrased in such a way that it suggests its own answer and therefore discourages students from thinking on their own. •Follow a “yes-or- no” question with an additional question. For example, follow up by asking students to explain why they answered the way they did, to provide evidence or an example, or to respond to a yes-or-no answer given by another student. •Aim for direct, clear, specific questions. During class discussions, rather than beginning with a single question that is multilayered and complex, use a sequence of questions to build depth and complexity. Essay questions on exams or paper assignments, on other hand, often provide an appropriate opportunity to ask multi-layered questions. If your exam will include multi-layered questions, use questions during class time to walk students through the process of answering multi-layered questions. •In class discussions, do not ask more than one question at once. When you ask more than one question, students often do not respond because they are unsure which question you want them to answer. •When you plan each class session, include notes of when you will pause to ask and answer questions. Asking questions throughout the class will not only make the class more interactive, but also help you measure and improve student learning. Do not save the last two minutes of class for questions. Students are unlikely to ask questions when they know that only a few minutes remain. (See Increasing Student Participation and Teaching with Lectures.) •Ask a mix of different types of questions. You should use “closed” questions, or questions that have a limited number of correct answers, to test students’ comprehension and retention of important information. You should also ask managerial questions to ensure, for example, that your students understand an assignment or have access to necessary materials. “Open” questions, which prompt multiple and sometimes conflicting answers, are often the most effective in encouraging discussion and active learning in the classroom. For examples of “open” questions and the purposes they can serve, see below. Responding Effectively •Wait for students to think and formulate responses. Waiting 5-10 seconds will increase the number of students who volunteer to answer and will lead to longer, more complex answers. If students do not volunteer before 5 seconds have passed, refrain from answering your own question, which will only communicate to students that if they do not answer, you will do their thinking for them. If the students are unable to answer after sufficient time for thinking has passed, rephrase the question. •Do not interrupt students’ answers. You may find yourself wanting to interrupt because you think you know what the student is going to say, or simply because you are passionate about the material. Resist this temptation. Hearing the students’ full responses will allow you to give them credit for their ideas and to determine when they have not yet understood the material. •Show that you are interested in students’ answers, whether right or wrong. Encourage students when they are offering answers by nodding, looking at them, and using facial expressions that show you are listening and engaged. Do not look down at your notes while they are speaking. •Develop responses that keep students thinking. For example, ask the rest of the class to respond to an idea that one student has just presented, or ask the student who answered to explain the thinking that led to her answer. •If a student gives an incorrect or weak answer, point out what is incorrect or weak about the answer, but ask the student a follow-up question that will lead that student, and the class, to the correct or stronger answer. For example, note that the student’s answer overlooks the most important conclusion of the study you are discussing, then ask that same student to try to recall what that conclusion is. If he or she does not recall the conclusion, open this question up to the class. Why Ask “Open” Questions? Twelve Objectives, with Sample Questions 1. To assess learning. •What is the most important idea that was generated in today’s discussion? •Can you explain this concept in your own words? •Can you draw a diagram to illustrate this idea? 2. To ask a student to clarify a vague comment. •Could you elaborate on that point? •Can you explain what you mean? 3. To prompt students to explore attitudes, values, or feelings (when appropriate). •What are the values or beliefs that inform this argument? •What is your initial reaction to this argument? 4. To prompt students to see a concept from another perspective. •How do you think that this issue is viewed by those with whom you disagree? •How does that concept apply to this new problem? 5. To ask a student to refine a statement or idea. •When does that principle apply? Always? Only under certain conditions? •Would you say, then, that you disagree with the author? 6. To prompt students to support their assertions and interpretations. •How do you know that? •Which part of the text led you to that conclusion? 7. To direct students to respond to one another. •What do you think about the idea just presented by your classmate? •Do you agree or do you see the issue differently? Explain. •Can you think of another way to solve that problem? 8. To prompt students to investigate a thought process. •What are the assumptions that informed the design of this experiment? •What are the assumptions that these two arguments share? 9. To ask students to predict possible outcomes. •What might happen if this practice were to be outlawed? •What would be the result if a different set of assumptions were used to set up this experiment? •Would you get a different result? 10. To prompt students to connect and organize information. •How does this article shed light on the concept we studied last week? •Can you develop a graph or table that organizes this information in a helpful way? 11. To ask students to apply a principle or formula. •How does this principle apply to the following situation? •Who can suggest how we might use this new formula to solve the problems we examined at the start of class today? •Under what conditions is this equation not valid? 12. To ask students to illustrate a concept with an example. •Can you think of an example of this phenomenon, drawn from your research? •Can you point us to a specific part of the novel that led you to that conclusion? •Can you identify a painting or design that exemplifies that idea?

Movement in Class

Its helps you focus on all your students attention to your lecture. making sure you have eye contact with them all keeps them alert inc ase you call upon them for their input on the topic or something.