Thank you Matthew McKinney for inspiring me to think about this particular topic. You mentioned the importance of being sensitive to older students as a young teacher (which happens to me my case). I would like to raise a similar point which involves young teachers teaching young students. I started teaching at the earliest possible legal age of 21. I was teaching secondary students who ranged in age from 15 to 19. Obviously, this was a bit awkward. On several occasions I had the guys inviting me to keg parties and the girls flirting with me. Furthermore, being 21 and still in college, sometimes I might be seen in public after a party in not-so-good condition. And you can only imagine the concerns that the parents had. So how do young teachers handle young learners? I found it to be very difficult, not only because of the age similarity, but also since it was my first year as a teacher. I felt the need to be an authority figure; I accomplished this by dumping tons of time into my lesson planning, thus making very authentic- and credible-looking lessons. I also tried to act more mature than I actually was, which turned out to be a failed tactic. In the end the strategy that worked best for me was to simply identify with the students. I was careful not to get to close with them, but at the same time, I let myself come down to their level to a certain extent. Most of them eventually started to see me more as an older-brother type of role model instead of a formal instructor. They thought, "Wow, if I study hard and focus, I can be in *COLLEGE* just like him in only three years!" Then there were the hecklers. "Hey, Mr. Richter, how old are you anyway?" I would calmly answer, "I'm older than fifteen and younger than thirty-five." That usually answered the question. Then they would ask, "Hey, Mr. R., do you have a GIRLFRIEND?" And I would calmly respond, "Maybe yes, maybe no." And that usually answered their question. The only really awkward question that got me was from a homosexual student who once openly hit on me in front of the entire class. That was a tough one! So the message here is that, as a proactive teacher, one can anticipate some of the likely questions that may come from students. In this sense you can think ahead about how you might handle the answers, thus poising yourself for a clam response instead of an embarrassing blunder. I'm now 29 years of age and still teaching. I currently have a wide age range of students and no longer see age as a factor in terms of my comfort level in teaching. Thoughts...?

This is an extremely interesting class, but I am thrown off by the confidence of the author. I have done a lot of research in these areas and all of the information is cutting edge science presented without references or research supporting the conclusions. I have a hard time interpreting statements that are known to be controversial without any supporting evidence. The author seems to know much more about the topic than researchers in Cognitive or Social Psych. As an academic, I am trained to reject statements that do not provide supporting evidence or at least a bibliography. I would like to feel like I learned something in this class, but I do not feel comfortable retaining or reciting any of the given information because I do not know how to back up any of the statements.

I ran into an article on the New York Times website (in the "Views" section, but still...), entitled "Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits" [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/health/views/07mind.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1]; it addressed many of the issues we've seen so far in these modules, including the effectiveness of changing the settings in which teaching/learning take place, as well as the importance of testing. Even more intriguing to me, however, was one of the studies cited in this article: originally published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest in December 2008, this review of previously published studies calls into question the existence of the learning styles of which we've heard so much. The abstract of the study: http://psi.sagepub.com/content/9/3/105.abstract The problem: finding scientific evidence for these different learning styles, as established through experiment. The conclusion: "Although the literature on learning styles is enormous, very few studies have even used an experimental methodology capable of testing the validity of learning styles applied to education. Moreover, of those that did use an appropriate method, several found results that flatly contradict the popular meshing hypothesis. We conclude therefore, that at present, there is no adequate evidence base to justify incorporating learning-styles assessments into general educational practice. Thus, limited education resources would better be devoted to adopting other educational practices that have a strong evidence base, of which there are an increasing number. However, given the lack of methodologically sound studies of learning styles, it would be an error to conclude that all possible versions of learning styles have been tested and found wanting; many have simply not been tested at all. Further research on the use of learning-styles assessment in instruction may in some cases be warranted, but such research needs to be performed appropriately." [Pashler, Harold, Mark McDaniel, Doug Rohrer, and Robert Bjork. "Learning Style: Concepts and Evidence." Psychological Science in the Public Interest 09.03 (December 2008): 105-119. Print.] Intriguing, no? If the evidence for these multiple learning styles is merely anectdotal, that does not necessarily mean that these learning styles do not exist? It does take a considerable leap of faith, however, to be structuring our courses based on them. As the study says, more rigorously scientific, experimental study is warranted. There is the possibility, however, that such studies would prove that these multiple learning styles, as we call them, are the outward expression of some other, as yet unknown phenomenon. Thoughts?

Like the last session, I liked the video clip. I think a short silence in class is good thing. I didn't think so before but I have through experience learned that students need time to digest the information and few pauses are healthy for them to be then ready for the next topic. They also respond and regain more information this way.

I begin each class reviewing material covered in prior session next, I outline my lecture material putting outline on board for students to take note of...I stop periodically to question if what I have said is understood by all...The next step is to hand out assignment that relates to lecture material a time is established as to when task is to be completed... when turned in, I can evaluate if my lectures have been understood..

I can remember vaguely from a psychology class that memorizing and language processing is different for children learning 26 letters to words in English, versus children who had to memorize hundreds of characters in Mandarin, for example. Do you know anything about how memory works with ESL adult students whose first languages may use characters instead of letters to form words, and any specific challenges they may face when trying to learn things in an English speaking classroom?

I really enjoyed the video clip. And yes there are students that like to raise hand and ask questions and comment. I have found that these students are usually very smart and eagar to get involved and gain most from the class content. Although they do slow you down and the class and keeps bring you back the topics you have covered already. Sometimes I feel that the class gains from it as we get to discuss previously covered topics and referesh everyone's memory. In addition to that I get a feel for how many students retained the information and to what extent as I tend to involve everyone when I am answering the overly curious student.

I had a teacher in C.I.A that taught french class she was crazy and rambled for 2 hours about french words and there meanings she linked stories to the words and spoke very quickly the first day of class I thought that I was going to learn nothing in her class never experiencing that type of teaching methology but found out going home and studying for her test I new everything she talked about and the stories that went with them and everybody in my class experienced the same outcome. Ive often wondered about here methology and what it was that she did was it the enviroment fast pace hold on to your seat teaching style or the interesting stories that connected the boring information into your long term memory are we ment to recieve information in a quicker fashion or our brains naturaly wonder off or was it the dramatic stories that made it stick? Its kind of like a car wreck its so fast in reality but after it happens you can recall and always will recall every little detail in slow motion.

Using mensa puzzles at the beginning of class expands thought processes in our work in forensics

Do you think that technology and learning styles has changed the definition of "pruning" or reducing the ways they explore the acquisition of new information. They create for themselves effective and efficient ways of learning new information. I feel like pruning should be taught after the whole process has been learned. today's young adults always want to get to the finish line and not understand the process it takes to get there. Technology is a pro and a con.

I like the idea that when a student has to memorize that they should memorize in sequences of only 3. When they have to learn the 9 steps for preparing a salad, I am sugest to my student this method

In the field of teaching Graphic Arts pre-testing is essential to understanding the level at which the majority of the class is at, basic understanding of color, value, and composition coupled with software knowledge is inherently connected in today's industry. Without these tools it is impossible for a student to move forward. Sometimes in the teaching of Graphic Arts the software knowledge is stressed to much and not enough awareness of concept and effectiveness in design. It is important that the student becomes aware that after leaving the institution they will be career learners in software changes. They must stay invested in self learning/directing as they are now with their education while in school. Teaching to each students strengths and constantly reminding them that of the challenges that they face when they graduate, while building their confidence is one of the keys. All the while giving them information in manageable parts suggested in the reading.

Meeting with students individually is time consuming. However, finding each students approach to learning and how they learn through their learning preference is attainable. What I do is assign a project that is open for interpretation. Then I will meet with each student individually and discuss the project with them. I gather valuable information and at the same time cater with them the final results of what and how they will complete the project. This helps me evaluate the class as a whole and how I present the rest of the information and cater specific projects to the class for the rest of the quarter.

To help assist the student to retain the information taught, I use visual examples and repetition. For example, when I am teaching a software class, I show them visually how something is done, repeat the process, then have them do the procedure on their own. Doing this in stages helps the student learn better without being overwhelmed.

While teaching students the same material and having them do the same projects, there is always a difference in how students learn. After demonstrating certain functions to the whole group, I then work one-on-one on certain students who may need that extra push, usually with the same outcome at the end of the term.

Being a visual learner myself, I find it effective to teach "visually". While doing my software demos, not only do I show the student how to do a particular function, the student also has to demonstrate the knowledge received back to me. This seems to get the student involved in the learning process instead of just sitting and watching.

I have noticed in computer/software classes, the older students have a more difficult time grasping the material. This by no means indicates they are not capable of learning, it just shows that younger people have been brought up using these new technologies that were not available to the older learners.

Seems in today's world technological sheating is more exciting then simple doing the work from button hole cameras to wrist scanners students appear to spend more time than if they jsut applied their brains

decoding and recoding is a processing aspect of holding and storing information that can only be realized through the attention of the subject and on how well he is willing to listen. a lot of time people want to listen to only what they want to hear. to change this behavour then we must teach them how to listen as well...

I can have a grade A in a school setting and still be a failure in my professional life How do we address the fact that sometime school expectations do not always reflect a success in real professional life expectation?