This program has provided a wealth of knowledge to me as a new instructor. It is very well presented.

When working with students who have all different learning levels, hands on skills and experience the right style is tough at first. You need to quickly identify the students who need more motivation and the ones who need more help. Many students at night have been out of school 5+ years. Some much longer. Tests, quizzes and homework are a memory to them. For others it is their skill level in the labs with limited time with newer students. The biggest challenge is to give enough support to the students that struggle while keeping in touch with the more experienced. The partnerships made on that first day can show me the way to group students together.

How can we combine the flip classroom and technology to better the student's knowledge?

How eager will the students grasp the new concept?

Do you think teachers or students are more receptive to the flip classroom style?

I'm taking the coalition classes now.

I had worked in my field for over 30 years and decided to share my wisdom with others. When I began teaching I knew the answers. What I needed to learn is how to present the questions. What I mean is I could not just spit out information above the level of newer students. Also to keep the more advanced learners motivated. I have now been teaching for almost 7 years and I am still working on my teaching style as well as my presentation.

i tell them if i dont know i will find out

i always swith my style of teaching based on my population

I've personally found that, as touched upon in the course material, active learning methods are absolutely critical in teaching students in career based institutions. As not only a graduate from but now an instructor in a career based institution, I know first-hand how being involved as an instructor greatly benefits students. When working with specific equipment and software, giving students hands-on time and, especially with large class sizes, dividing classes into groups can greatly increase their knowledge and retention. In addition, allowing students who are comfortable with being in front of groups to assist in a lecture or demonstration not only enhances their knowledge of the material but also helps to increase attention from the rest of class. The key here is for students to get hands-on experience and engage in exercises that encourage them to develop what they have been learning.

i have a hard time dealing with discipline issues in adults because other people pay money to learn

In the past two years, I have noticed that the more comfortable the classroom is, the easier going the students are. When the students are not all stressed out and uncomfortable, I feel that they retain more of the instructional material that was taught to them.

Whats is a more effective way to communicate to the students any changes upon administration requirements. Im trying to be more understanding and make the students feel comfortable with concerns.

I find that group settings are always a good way to keep students and involved in the class topics and a great way to retain students to class. The competition of activities and games I have found to be very informational for students and an enjoyable experience for the students. Any other suggestions?

I have found that a blend of the learning styles seem to work the best teaching diesel technology classes. After explaining how a component operates, looking at pictures/video of the component, and after physically removing/reinstalling the part ties the lesson together for the students. I have had good results with this style. If I were to skip just one of the learning styles, the students would be completely lost and not fully understand the material.

I always have students who finish fast and first due to previous experience.. how do I keep them engaged with the lab after there done?

Being an instructor is a rewarding job. One of the biggest challenges I face is keeping the students motivated. I have learned in order to keep them motivated you must be persistent in keeping the classroom real. Bringing real life situations into the class keeps them motivated.

I have found that giving the students a list of true/false questions after a lecture and telling them they can use any resources in the room other than the answer sheet and the instructor (we can answer process questions but not answers to the questions) promotes a team environment. The instructor can check each student’s answers one time. At this point the instructor can indicate the number right with no indications of which ones are correct. Students who have a hard time participating are now drawn to the team as small groups turn into one large team of all class members. They soon realize that the whiteboard is a resource and control the flow of students having their answers checked comparing each student’ answers to the answers on the board. Make sure there are more questions than students. In addition to a great team building exercise this helps with evaluation of students.

I have found that blending different techniques to address various learning styles helps when dealing with large class sizes. It is always a challenge to deal with large class sizes because ability levels and learning styles can be vastly different. However, many times instructors are faced with the decision to teach specific topics addressing one or two learning styles because of time constraints and the shear number of students.

This was a really good learning experience. I ask a lot of questions now I see how to ask the questions better. Really good forum.