I attended an educational seminar where a guest speaker was talking about common mistakes made in the classroom and the most significant one was the "classroom condo." He asked how many of us had the desk, with the file cabinet, with maybe a greeting card from a former student, or perhaps a plant. This is our personal space but when we move in, we tend to forget the key points of effective communicating such as moving around the classroom. As we work the day to day we all fall prey to creating habits, and we all have been there from time to time. Walking the room, accomplishes so many tasks to help the flow of the class. It essentially elmiates the sneaky students who like to text message under the desk, it changes the direction your voice comes from which breaks up the monotony of the lecture, and it shows the students that you are very comfortable with the material you are lecturing because you can speak "off the cuff" and not be 100% dependant on reading from their text book. I was taught at the beginning of my teaching career that the worse thing I could do was read the book to my students. That is an insult to their intelligence and it takes the responsibility away from them. So, pack up your old greeting cards, and take your plant home. Use your desk area to grade papers and as a place to organize durring your planning time, but dont rely on your condo when you should be teaching!

In one of my class i have a student wtih learning disability, at the beginnig of the course she inform me of her issue.I gave her tips on study guides,and how to re-write word contents at least five times, and use flash cards to help her. Any suggestions?

is it best to have variety types of question on tests?

When you're developing a syllabus for a completely new class, what resources do you recommend to draw from?

I am a new instructor at my institution. One of the classes I am teaching was previously taught by the department director. I have heard from our Dean how fabulous she was in the course and how much previous students loved her. Well having me teach the course came late in the planning as the dept. director was needed to teach another course related to certification issues. I did speak at length with the prior instructor about her talent and it turns our she has a natural talent and almost photo-graphic memory. Neither of which I have for this subject. To make matters worse, my first session of this class was a bomb! I had the worse AV & computer difficulties (not my fault but still-ugh). So rotten first impression. I was prepared for some disappointed students then I added to it with a bomb class. What I thought would be a fun class for all has been rather anxiety provoking for me. Any tips for recovering? BTW 2nd class was really good.

It is important to encourage students with learning disabilities

It is important to acknowledge the diverse learning styles of students

It is important to organize students into learning groups because it enhances their learning abilities

It is important to practice excellent communication skills as an insructor

what different and innovative methods can we use that will also allow us to follow the course rules and meet its objectives?

During an instruction how many styles can be merged together to get the students a better understanding of the course? Usually 2-3 styles are normally merged including lecture, powerpoint and diagrams.

I like to break the class up. I lecture for a while, then we take a break and do some hands on. I also give them a 10 min. break halfway through to stretch and walk around. This gets the blood flowing and wakes them up a bit. Usually about halfway through a 2 hour class you can see their eyes starting to lose focus and wonder.

I believe that the first class time will make or break you for the term of the class. You want to come across firm but yet approachable. You don't want to be taken as a push over but you don't want to come across as the teacher everyone fears. You want to make known that you expect the policies and rules to be followed but are understanding at the same time.

I have a difficult time coming up with enough to lecture on. I know the information but seem to have trouble relaying it to the students. How do you get more comfortable with lecture and putting everything you want to say into words?

is it best to use multiple formats when contructing a test or stick to one method?

Give me some examples on how?

I tell my students from day one, that I will be changing their work groups almost daily. I tell them that this is as it will be in the work force. Where each person must work with and attain to strive to an end with a group of people who are not all on the same page, but must still write the book

I find that one of the most trying things for the student is technical terms. Wordsthat are not found in their language. This is very troubling to them.

I wholeheartedly agree that a great teacher is a Model, a Manager and a Motivator. To me, this combination of traits makes a teacher, ultimately,a Mentor.

I am a first time instructor. I am pretty confident with everything that I do, but find myself doubting my ability to educate students. I know once I figure it out I'll be fine, but finding the confidence is turning out to be harder then I ever had thought. How do some of you find the confidence to teach others? It's their careers on the line.