I teach for a career college and have very little ability to personalize instruction materials (the slides, etc. were put together by someone else). I do my best to personalize my lectures but it is difficult to go over the same material without being able to personalize it. Consequently, I find it difficult to "recharge my batteries." This feeling is exacerbated by the fact that the courses are six weeks long, so I go through the same lectures regularly. I realize that my situation may be unique, but has anyone experienced this or have any tips for me to get… >>>

One method that I use in teaching is anticipation. Some concepts that will be seen further on in the course will be introduced earlier through seperate exercises. Once the concepts have been introduced, when the student reaches the same concept in his/her text, the "ah ha" will come. For example, in teaching a reading course, it is important to know the topic/main idea of a passage. However, sometimes figurative language or inferences may interfere with the earlier comprehension. Before we explore figurative language, I use handouts and/or readings beforehand. When the students reach the particular area in the course, they… >>>

I recently taught Business Law I to a class of 20 including one deaf student. A sign language interpreter was provided for the student. She was very motivated to achieve and to succeed in the class. She participated by signing her questions and comments; the interpreter spoke for her and signed in response whatever was occurring in class. The most challenging part of her presence in class was the distraction of the interpreter to the other students although that lessened as the course went on. It was a challenging experience for me as an instructor. The student earned a B… >>>

I found that students, both active and passive learners, definitely want to be involved in the process; however, academic insecurity can prevent them from doing so. What works well in this case is to ensure the instructor ends each class with a list of items from the students that they feel they will need more help on tomorrow (written on the whiteboard for all to see). This accomplishes several things. First: It is an immediate indicator as to whether or not the instructor got through to the students. Second: The student knows that his/her questions will be answered as part… >>>