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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.

Dyslexia

I have never understood fully the problems of dyslexia. I only knew that a few letters would be exchanged for others. After reading the sentence, and seeing how people with dyslexia see it I was shocked. I have learned a great deal from this.

learning disabilities

I did not realize that students with many learning disabilities, had the same intellegence of those of average or higher. I was amazed to read about this. I did not think that they were less smart, but was able to understand how they were seeing things in a much better way,

Life experiences

I didn't realize that life experiences would be so critical in helping the students in class. I do use them periodically, but I think after reading this module, I will use them much more.

Learning methods of ell students.

I have not experienced a great deal of this kind of a problem as yet. Most students that speak spanish, are very capable of understanding english. But it would seem to me that if you did have a great barrier, that it would continue to take away from the rest of the class. Is that true, or as you continue on, things would get easier?

using more gestures, and physical presense.

I sometimes don't use enough gentures while in the classroom. I know I have a physical presense. But the times I have used gestures, I recall that it got the attention of the students in a much better way.

Pausing during class instruction

I realize that I should take the time to pause more often, to keep track of what everyone is doing in the classroom. It would definately keep me on track, as well as the students. I could spend more time with those that seem a bit lost.

Instruction tools

I have found that the more instructional tools you give, the more the students will absorb. They are usually very excited with all of the different ways they can learn new topics.

Cold Start

I totally agree with this theory. It is important to get to your class early be organized, small talk with the students when they come in. This creates a calm atmoshpere.

Study Skills

I think it is very important to share some study skills that will help in each indiviual course.

Planning

It is very important to have a good course outline. It is easy to get side tracked with disscusion and having a strong course outline will help getting back on track.

Style

I totally agree with looking professtional. It is very important to the way your class will run. I also agree with being on time and making sure assignments are turned in exactly when they are suppose to be.

Learning Styles

When we (instructors) take a moment to learn and implement the various learning styles it shows our students that we are engaged in their learning

What makes you any effective instructor?

what makes you any effective instuctor?

Encouraging students to ask questions about lecture topics

Are there any rules of thumb regarding this? Oftentimes I'll lecture on a difficult concept and I'll ask if there are there any questions. I don't seem to get many or any at all. Thanks.

Questions

Should you always write a list of questions that you may think the students would like to ask?

Learning Styles

This is great information, once you learn the students learning styles it becomes easier for them to retain the needed information.

Putting students at ease

I find that some students start to sweat when I announce that everyone must share something personal. I know the feeling and there is no way around it for some students. What I'll do to ease tension for them is model a brief description of my favorite food, place, animal, color, etc. I may be more relevant to college and tell my major in college and what I did with my degree. Then I ask the students to turn to the person sitting next to them and introduce their name, and favorite??? Then I ask each student to introduce the person they just met. The exercise puts the timid student more at ease and personalizes the class.

Real life experiences

Has anyone else besides me used personal stories to get their point across in the classroom? I do all the time, I find that students like an instructor that they can relate to in some type of way.

Puzzles or paradoxes

A useful way to determine students' intuitions on a given topic is to present them with a paradox or a puzzle involving the concept at issue, and to have them figure out a solution. By forcing the students to work it out without some authority's solution, you increase the likelihood that they will be able to critically assess theories when they are presented later. In scientific fields you can present experimental data which seems to contradict parts of the theory just presented or use examples which seem to have features which support two opposing theories.

How you learned is not how everyone learns

I think that sometimes instructors teach to their own learning style. Remember, you were once a student and preferred a specific way of learning. Just because you like learning a certain way, this does not mean that you should teach to your own learning style. Get to know the learning styles of your students. There on websites where you can direct your students to take a learning style assessment, print it, and give it to you. How accurate are these online assessments? As an instructor, I use these just to help me get a hint of what their learning styles may be. The students seem to like knowing how they best learn as well.