I think in order for the students to stay focus on your discussion is first you as a teacher have to assessed first their knowledge of the subject, some students might not be interested because they already know that subject matter. Is there anything else you might want to add on this topic?

During class room observations I have noticed a lack of white board usage, especially with question and answer. I now understand why I see this as an issue, I am a visual learner, white boards can be used as a visual tool as well as a support tool. Motivation towards participation for those students lacking, praising the student with a correct answer as well as confirming the correct answer, to "take notes". I also see the board as a tool for students to write their answers, discuss all answers, get involved. Sarah

I always wanted to know is it regional or is nationally accepted to address students by their first name or last name?

When working with a student that is a bit slow on catching on to the subject, I find that my focusing on their strenghts helps them to improve all around. They find the subject more interesting and ask more questions.

be prepared stay focused just try no excuses PG respect all think positive no hating or snithching rules are subect to change at any time!

I agree with everything this course covers. Motivation on the collegiate level is one of the most important factors today. Of course there are many outside factors, such as life, that can keep todays students down and unproductive. Touching out and providing relevant examples has always worked for me. Students can relate and see that they process many of the same problem solving skills to get over these hurdles. They just need a kick-start to get out of it.

I have students doing a project in groups of 3, they do research create a powerpoint and also 2 page report and they split the work between the 3 of them and also one leads the project and delegates to the other students. They practice teamwork and the information to present in class.

creating assessments befor, during, and after while teaching a unit is very effective. before the unit being taugh, assessment of the students allow the teacher to know what the student already know and therefore aids the teacher to focus their lesson plan around what the student needs to know, during the teaching of the unit it is also important to assess the student to insure the level of comprehension and understanding of the subject being taught and lastly, assessment after the unit allows the teacher to know how well the student learned the infomration.

The teacher and student work together to assess the student’s knowledge, what she/he needs to learn to improve and extend this knowledge, and how the student can best get to that point.

questioning students is a great method to assess the student's level of understanding, In many cases students shed new light on a subject with their questions/answers by approaching the subject from a totally unexpected angle. This can often result in new answers or creative thought, and this subsequently leads to expansion of everyone’s (especially the educator’s) knowledge of the subject. it's always encourgable to respond positively to all answers given.

there is no one "right" way to teach, so understanding both students’ learning preferences and one’s own teaching style can greatly enhance any course,

How do you get the students to understand you are there as a instructor and not look at your age?

I teach Algebra online, and many students [older ones, especially] think they just can't understand Algebra. They have been through it before. So I try to change that outlook. The online chat is recorded and archived for the students who don't attend the live chat. So I always listen to part of the archive to see how it sounds [no video - just mike]. I look for technical improvements needed such as changes in volume and distortion, and background noise. Then I listen to my speaking style, to monitor how effectively I am speaking. Students like to know I'm human, so every class [NOT intentionally!] I make at least one mistake while solving problems writing on the powerpoint slides. When this happens, I do not try to move on, but instead, make a big point of the error, how it happened and how to correct it. I especially like it if a student corrects me before I realize there is an error! I commend that student. I point out that its very easy to make mistakes [see, here is one!] and that they have to be careful as they solve a problem, and they have to check their work for correctness after the fact. Watching the archive helps me "tune" my speaking style so that students want to hear what I have to say, and want to learn. Attitude and drive are the prime motivators to learn. I try to make the classroom attitude positive and enjoyable. Then I can explain the Algebra and techniques to a student who thinks that maybe they can understand it finally!

This is a website that I picked up that has some very good videos concerning the topics in this course. http://hbsp.harvard.edu/multimedia/pcl/pcl_index.html

How do you deal with a student that is being difficult or disruptive in the classroom? I ask the student to step out of the classroom or to stay after class and discuss what was the problem.

Due to the various learning styles in each class or group it is important to use a variety of teaching tactics to keep all engaged. Often students from various learning styles are able to shre and help those from other groups making the learning a team effort

Learn the names as soon as possible is very important and make the students trust you because you care. It work for me as a way of building good rapport the first day of class

What would be a good way to deliver post-conference information to a group of students, who just spent 12 hours on the nursing unit and are exhausted, and keep them engaged?

The students need the Evaluation and Management prior to each day ,it is the Assessment that the students has each day to learned the ablility to comprehend the studies.

Is it also bases on how the students comprehence on what they are reading and how they comunicate with the teaching skills,each student have their own ablility to learned and the teaching methods on how the Instructor teaches a step by step.If the Instructor has the patience to teach and ask if anybody has a questions and teach the method of everybodys understanding.