I think that it is essential to be prepared for a class. The students are expecting everything to be in order and to fully understand what is expected of them. The syllabus should clearly outline what they will be working on and what they will need to know by the end of the course. Shelly Baker

I have found that student's love storie's about the subject matter,old racing storie's that relate to your lecture.

I am curious if any of you actually rehearse a class period from time to time. When we assign students to do speeches or presentations, we always emphasize how important it is to rehearse, but do we ever rehearse and evaluate our own performance as instructors? Obviously, this isn't something we would have time to do for every class period every day, but I do sometimes rehearse my lesson plan for the day to ensure preparedness and check on the accuracy of the times I've allotted for each activity/lecture.

I would say that I have diverse learners in my classes. I mainly teach computer classes, so there are younger students who have been using computers all of their lives, and then there are older students who have never seen or touched a computer before. It makes teaching very difficult. Some might suggest partnering the ones who know with the ones who don't, but I often find that the ones who know just get frustrated with those who don't (as if they should already know these things, or wondering why they don't understand their explanation...). Does anyone have any suggestions for me? (For example, in Keyboarding we did a brief unit in Word - basic things like changing the line spacing and font. The students who have been using Word forever were bored out of their minds, while others struggled to keep up. Exhausting for me!)

I've been adapting a method of lecture and hands-on assignments in all my classes. Showing an example on the projection screen, then allowing the students to perform the same task in class not only keeps them focused but gives them a sense of accomplishment of the task. I don't feel just talking about it effectively works, but let's do it together attitude shows the student they can do it as well.

My method introduces uploading a digital version of the course outline and syllabus to the students prior to the first day of class. On the first day of class, we go over the material on the projector and discuss it in class. I really don't see the necessity of printing thousands of pages of material to students possessing laptops with the ability of using technology and downloading digital files.

I rarely use group work in my classes. This is for several reasons, including one main reason - I never liked working in groups as a student myself. I teach technology classes (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and find that each student needs "hands-on" time to grasp the concepts. Other reasons I rarely assign group work include a very small number of students in classes (sometimes 2 in a class) and it seems that every time I assign a group project, there are more problems than it's worth. "So and so isn't helping, so and so wasn't here, and on and on." I would rather each student just be responsible for themselves.

I realize in every class there are a lot of different learning styles. Is it appropriate to survey the class to see who is what learning style? My thought is, if I find I have a lot more visual learners than hands-on learners I will cater the class more to visual. Also, do you think most students know what kind of learner they are?

I am teaching for the first time and I’m looking for suggestions on how to keep the attention of the class from start to finish? I want to have good participation and interaction with my students. I plan to do a lot of group work, but looking for others ways to make the classroom a fun learning experience and keep the attention of my students.

We all hand out syllabi and the like on the first day of class. I also include a course calendar (something recommended in the module) and all of the homework assignments that will be collected during the quarter. In addition, I email each student all of the homework documents. This has proven to be a GREAT help for students that need to miss a class when homework is being collected. In addition, I KNOW that students have received the assignments and have the means to turn them in on time.

I have had difficulties with one of my students that this quarter, she consistently misses class. I am having a hard time trying to not get too personal with the student but yet I feel I need to be semi-involved because of the level of absences is having her fall behind. However, I know that I am not a tutor and coming to class needs to be a priority for the student, which I don't think it is, but I don't want to see someone who could do well, not. Another issue I have is being fair to my other students. I feel I might be bending over backwards trying to help one student and does that hinder the rest?

It was wise to review what an instructor should do when meeting the class for the first time.

I understand the importance of planning. I have used the "making a list" and I find that it serves as a reminder to cover all the information that I wanted to.

I will use these tips to make a great first impression.

I will implement 10-15 mini-lectures in the future to keep my students' attention. I will also incorporate other learning styles to reach all students.

Do you find the soft skills training needs of traditional and non-traditional students to be different, and if so how do you manage their different needs in a mixed class?

As disscused in prior module, after the first couple of days in class you will learn which students could use what type of teaching can be assessed.

This type of individual learners may need some extra assistance. Depending on what type of student you have in class. That's why the first day or two is very important.

Tom have a class size where it is very important that all the students get involved, individual groups do make a considerable difference in what the students wiil come away with.

When introducing a new subject, using all the types of contact (eyes, verbal, body motion, etc)may assist you as an instructor of what types of different individuals you have to be invloved with during cl;ass.