As I went charging into my new lecture class, History of Art: The Renaissance to the 20th Century, I was handed all the course materials. Syllabus, PowerPoint presentations, book, quizzes, worksheets...everything. Well, almost everything. As I was prepping, I looked at the course calendar, and it indicated that Day 1 was a review of Middle Ages and the Late Gothic Period. Looking for the slideshow so I could get acquainted with the lesson, I discovered that I had every class covered EXCEPT for the first day's lesson! I made a rather mad scramble to create a lesson that seemed to fit in with the other lessons. I used the book as a guide, and hopefully my presentation wasn't too much of a snooze fest. I initially felt rather hung out, but I rather liked what I put together much more than the other lessons I've done. They pre made lessons seem to leave out a lot and are full of information that seems suspect at times, often containing more opinion that fact. Looking back, I'm glad I had to come with Day 1 at the last minute. Anybody else get handed their course materials only to go in and start revising it?

My prior teaching experience is in studio art. I've taught mostly at the college level, and last year I took a stab at public school teaching junior high students. I'm generally a popular instructor, and I'm always proud of my students and the results they get. This time around I'm getting handed my first lecture course. Literally. As an emergency hire, I was given all the previous slide presentations, quizzes, projects...everything. I thought that was going to be great, but it's turning out to be double the work as I adjust the course to my style. I've also been put off by of the worksheets and projects that seem to have abysmally low learning expectations. Weeding that stuff out has been tough, and is gutting the day-to-day class schedule. I'm also discovering that my lecture style needs a lot of work. I'm thinking maybe mini-projects based on the required reading might help me out a lot. Anybody else bring in-class projects into their classrooms? I'm lucky to have a really small class, so that my hope is that it aids in helping the success of the projects (and gives me some room to learn how to be a better lecturer!).

Deliver your presentation with energy and enthusiasm. As a display of your motivation your passion motivates your students. Make the course personal, showing why you are interested in the material

You will always know when the light bulb of comprehension goes on in your students. Until that happens you will need to try various approaches to your teaching style

Talking to your class about their goals and what they came to school for always ignites their brains to work harder to compete their goal.

Preparation will always determine how the flow of your class will be throughout that term.

My students respond better with enthusiasm. They feel more apt to give me input.

Professionalism is key the key to success in the field. I have hired staff in my field and always place as high or a higher value on the professionalism of the candidate. Knowledge is important but if an employee cannot represent the office in a manner condusive to success then their knowledge is of no help to them or their business.

In the past couple of years our teaching/learnning platform has gone to IPADs. Therefore, every student has an ipad in front of them to take notes in PDF, record lectures, and/or take pictures and videos of various tray set ups or applications of skills. I have found that instead of listening to the lecture, video or demostration that is taking place, students would rather use their ipad for other things such as games. Although, walking through the class, students are very clever at "closing out" of the game and "swiping" back to the lecture before correction can be made by the instructor. What if any recommendations do you have for such an issue?

Any material we come across can be delivered in different ways. The different ways may be effective for some individuals and may not for others. When you get a feel for your classroom and environment there are many effective styles and ways to present the material for the course.

Having a syllabus is a great way for introduction and expecatations for the course. It is a great time to ask questions and get a feel for the classroom environment from instructor to student.

With planning and to do lists you can stay focused in an effective way for both students and your self.

When you are knowledgable about what needs to be presented or taught, the teaching process can be easier. You show your students that you are reliable and prepared.

When giving an exam, I have found that students with learming disabilities perform better when thsy are given additional time in a separate classroom.

I have found that by having them attend after class tutoring sessions will help in their development.

I find it critically important to regularly pause to assess the classroom dynamic throughout the course of the day. With five hour classes it is easy to get wrapped up in the material and leave the students (and their attention) behind. Checking what they have retained so far, what they have found most interesting, and observing their engagement levels helps me to move forward or adjust more effectively through the lesson plans.

The instructor must be cognizant of those students who rely on others to do the assignment for them.

I feel fortunate that I am able to teach material in class that I really enjoy and am enthusiastic about. I think that it can be easy to forget how important it is to give students some highlights of what will be covered to get their minds going and get them excited about the topics to come. Enthnusiasm is contagious and sharing your enthusiasm with the students can help them retain the information by keeping them engaged in the subject matter.

I have found it helpful to distribute a course outline at the beginning of the course. This which gives the student an overview of what the course will cover.

I've recently started teaching a new group through the first science-based class of their course. As I haven't had much experience teaching this particular class, I adapted a syllabus from a previous instructor. What I did not realize when planning the class is the time between quizzes. We meet weekly, and the first two quizzes have been on the 2nd and 4th class period (2 weeks in between). Most of the students have struggled through these 2 quizzes. My question is: what is the best timeframe for quizzing students? Am I expecting too much from them with every-other-week quizzes? E. Young