Definitely a very important part of setting up for the entire semester. As a young faculty member, and a female, often times students try and size me up but this if I lay a first impression that is authoratative and respectful, half the battle is won!

Sometimes the speed of the students affects the way I follow the syllabus because I might slow down if necessary. I think this course outlays the importance of sticking to the syllabus

I have honestly never thought about actually changing or helping the environment or setting of the class... something that I will pay attention to from now on

In my classroom there is a very different level of student's all seeking to achieve the same degree. Some classes are a lot faster paced than others. Morning classes require more exitement than noon classes in my experience even when the subject matter is exactly the same!

I have found that your experience grows as you teach more classes and deal with a diverse variety of students. The problem then occurs when you have that one student in the class who needs that extra attention or has a different way of working and learning about your students individually and collectively as a whole would help take care of how you teach. I definitely think that the instructional style section was helpful!

I think it is important to notice that the way we present ourselves and the subject are should be consistent throught the course. Although the style can change through the course, but it should be like a learning curve.

I have found that this comes up in the higher courses that I teach. A student may have a philosophical question for me that they want answered immediately. I have to let them know that I'm not 100% positive, but I promise I'll get back to them in a short amount of time. I feel that to be honest with them and get the right answer to them is better than trying to make something up as you go!!!

Once again because we are in a hands on environment, building retention can come from hands on activities. Memory building from having a student practice repeatedly what needs to be tested over and over, not only builds memory but also builds confidence.

How do you communicate across the curriculum the need to respect college level writing formats?

Is anyone willing to share models of CATs for Humantiies classes, such as College Composition?

Students who participate in discussions "get it." They arrive with some predisposition towards this dialogue. However, many, many of my kinesthetic learners have no life success in this. They are not amenable to questions, and many avoid, fear, or react to questions with some hostility. I am looking for a "cure."

Are there any suggestions about matching kinesthetic needs in Humanities Classes?

Only be knowing your students and your material and knowing how you are going to present the material will you the confidence to meet the teaching challenge.

Always make sure that the content you are writing is clear and makes sense to everyone. Spelling is vital as well

A class that knows the importance of networking and developing relationships will also give more effort to the class and its objectives

I have faced the problem where the only textbook available to support the software that is being taught is too advanced for students or the writing is sometimes confusing when trying to complete tutorials. What should I do?

As a young instructor, one of the biggest challenges that I have faced is bridging the gap between student age, learning styles, and ability. I work for a career college and teach Fundamental Writing. My student demographic ranges anywhere from the new high school graduate to the middle-aged career changer. One facet of the classroom consists of students that are young, lacking in life experience & maturity, yet needing to brush up on their writing skills, before proceeding with their academic career. The other facet would be the adult students who are mature, have much life experience, yet are at a loss to remember skills that they haven't used in years and might not have been proficient in to begin with. It is very challenging to develop cohesiveness and credibilty when there is such a vast dichotomy of differences. At times, there can be much tension between young students who take their educational experience for granted and adult learners who are very invested in their lessons. Does anyone have any advice in bridging these gaps and building a stonger sense of community within such an experientially diverse classroom?

I have pondered this question from activity in the classroom, calling students on an as-need basis and including group work whenever I can provide a good discussion and assignment platform. Any other suggestions to improve communications? Your thoughts please. Gary

Hi Everyone, After completed the second quiz in ED 101, some questions came to mind. For those of you who teach in for-profit institutions, what balance do you see between academic freedom of the professor and the preassigned syllabi? I have taught online at two for-profit institutions, and at both to my knowledge the professor is unable to add or alter any graded course material. I understood this going in, but I was just curious if anyone else had comments on the positives and negatives of this situation.

While all good ideas, it seems a bit extreme. By that I mean if all these practices are followed, it consumes the entire class. I always try to think back to when I was a student of the things my instructs did that I disliked. Those who spent the entire first class (esp those 1:40 minute sessions) doing "intro and overview" were incredibly boring. I wanted to get into some meat and potatoes sooner rather than later. I try to limit my introductions and overview of the course to the first 30 mins of the first class. Then I'll start digging into the beginning material. To accommodate that, I send out emails prior to the course with instructions to do a bit of reading prior to the first class. I make it a point not to overwhelm, too. /disclaimer: I teach in an online environment. We hold two one-hour chats per week.