In planning course content, an instructor must also expect that not all students progress at the samne rate. Flexibility in course speed and presentations must be acceptable.

Moving your instructions outside of the classroom and out of the text book shows that an instructor is familiar with his/her course content. Simply following a syllabus and reciting the book can be performed by anyone.

I'm of the opinion that if I repeat key concepts all during the course of a semester, those concepts will be retained through some form of Recency, i.e. each new reference refreshes it in the "mental queue". Anyone have an opinion?

We all know how hard it is to get even the most basic supplies. It has been suggested that we "buy" a variety of tools such as colored markers and poster pads. What can we do as individual educators to transfer to our organizations the responsibility of investing in the right basic tools?

What are a few first day games.

How do you keep students interested in the subject.

Some teachers have music libraries of either stock music or loops that can be generated into longer pieces. The benefit of using this music is that it's no usually recognizable (and therefore, potentially distracting), and you can usually adjust the duration to any desired length.

While it may not be in the best interests of the teacher to "become one of the gang", nothing brings aloof students around faster than getting the impression that the teacher is one of them. What better way to do that than to acknowledge and celebrate when students have superior knowledge of a particular piece of subject matter. Of course, if the students are consistently more learned than the teacher, they will most definitely question the credentials of that teacher.

I am teaching a class for the first time. The instructor before me was supposed to provide previous material, but it has never arrived. I have put together the plan as best possible. Twice now additional information has been provided to me that puts additional expectations upon the students. At this point, I have approached the situation with a 'go with the flow' attitude and been honest about the changes as I become aware. I also want the students to not feel as though information was withheld. I presume honesty is the best policy, but I'd love to hear other ideas on managing changes as they arise.

Continue to develop your M's

This is my first time teaching a topic that I love and I feel verry confortable with the material.My only challenge is getting students with little patience to enjoy when it comes to practicing in the Lab.Is there any way to make it easy for them.

I like to tell my students that questions are always encouraged so that I know they either understand the material or need further explanation. Its also a good way to build a more positive relationship for the next few weeks that we are together.

I myself am a hand on learner but I also like to take in visuals in order to understand something new. I try to relay this to my students by creating powerpoints for most lectures that include sounds and videos. To re-enforce the learning for others, I take what they saw in the powerpoint lecture and put it to use during demo. It seems to help by allowing me to touch on key learning styles for the class.

We have several "needy" students in our classes. Any input on how to curtail the constant "neediness"?

A good portion of my class has limited computer experience but is required to perform a multitude of exercises using one in order to pass the class (there is no standard of student we will turn away). Using Blooms Taxonomy theory of addressing the different levels of learning is the cornerstone for my classroom presentation. Knowing I will probably not be able to move a good portion of my students past "Application" is a realistic understanding I go in with, however making sure they attain at least a step above simple "knowledge recall/recognition" and are at least capable of "comprehension" of the material is my goal. For a few shining stars "application" is possible with a touch of "analysis". Incorporating the four different learning styles seems to weed out some of the redundant questions up front. Adam

I am a new (and young) instructor, and I have a question about how to keep all of my students involved while in groups. Last week I gave my first in-class group assignment, but it wasn't as successful as I had hoped. I assigned them to groups of 5-6 (there were 5 groups, I have 28 students), and gave them a case study to analyze and questions to answer. I couldn't seem to keep all of the students focused on the assignment. Some of the students were involved in conversations unrelated to the material or simply did not participate in the activity at all. I made sure to walk around the room the entire time, and had multiple one on one discussions with each group as they worked through the activity. I made sure to involve everyone in the group and asked questions that required them to elaborate on previously given responses. I thought this would help keep them engaged and on track, but when I left the group to go to another, many of them lost their focus. I would really like to continue group work in the classroom, and do not want to teach a class that is completely lecture-based. Is there something that I can change about my own behavior or in the way I set up the activity that could help to increase the students' motivation for future group activities?

I have found that if you make contact with those students who will not stop talking amongst themselves, again and again, they finally get the point and do not want that attention.

This is one of the best lessons I learned from MaxKnowledge. The short check-in with each individual student as they arrive into the classroom really sets the tone for the rest of the day. I challenge all teachers to test this theory, check in with them and let them you are delighted that they are there. Wow, they power of a simple task. James Morgan

Respect from the student is not just given to you because of your title or perceived power over the students. It's earned over time once the students see genuine passion and credibility for the subject. It's oaky to have fun and be humorous, but I know that there must be a continual flow of information applicable to their career goal. There is an art to finding the balance. I remember when I first starting teaching 14 years ago I had a hard time saying I don't know. I thought I had to always know the answers because I was the teacher. However, the students see me as more authentic if I tell them I don't know but will look it up and let you know. My students are truly my instructors. James Morgan

I like this method and I will try it in the class