I am new to teaching in a school but having been doing it in my profession for a while. I found that listening to what students have to say will solve many of the issues that may arrise in connecting with that student and any confusion they might have, may it be the content or even giving you insight on how to approach them better with the information.

The greatest motivator I have ever had was my high school football coaches. They had a very unique talent of crticizing lackluster performance, while at the same time encourqing us to always strive for excellence regardless of the environment or the opponent. If, as instructors, we can all become coaches in our classes, we will find a much greater effort from our students and they will strive for excellence.

It is important to keep our students motivated and set an example.

Due to the vast variety of ages in my classroom, I find that my biggest challenge is helping my older students understand the reasoning and the logic about the order in which quizzes and tests are presented. I find that my students complain because they want tests and quizzes to be in the exact order or with the exact terminology in which they read them from their text books. The majority of the time I find myself having to explain the tests questions to them and for the most part students know the answers as long as I take the time to explain it to them. What I find is that these older students do not want to fail and therefore their fears kick in when a test is presented. Has anyone else had this problem? I would like to hear your suggestions.

This sourse is very informative.

I know repeating similar kind of problems 30 times will make them understand the steps but it i too stressful for them so we need to find out practical application brought in to the class. I will need classroom activities if any one knows any

It gives an idea to the instructor about the understanding level of each student by having class discussions but what class discussions can you have for Mathematics class

I always have a hard time combining adult and young students the first month. Especially when I give them group assignments. I will appreciate any suggestion.

I really liked the idea of enthusiasm in the classroom. I teach a College Success course and enthusiasm and making connections are often key to communicating the information. I make sure to apply the information to my personal experiences as a student, their life experiences, and how it applies to school. I find that they are more engaged when they can see a connection between what they are learning and their educational goals. Moreover, I find that making the students laugh by pretending that I am "in the know" through tying the topic to pop culture is often successful. If nothing else, my students tend to remember my crazy examples and it sticks with them. Also, they have fun and feel more connected to me as an instructor.

To be a teacher that is what is giving you the power to change others life. it is great when you can see a student graduates and working, and it is a pleasure to remaind the first day when the student just walk thru the classroom whitout knowledge and kind of lost. that is like, you are his life maker.

TEACHING IS NOT DIFFERENT.TELL A STORY AND MAKE IT FUN.BE THE ROCK, BE THE FLAME AND THEY WILL FOLLOW.

What are some examples of effective motivation techniques that career college instructors can use in their classes? Before the midterm I have a review on the material covered on the exam. I use a game show style of review and issues point to each person that gets the right answer. The team with the most point at the end of the class gets the honor of pick out the pizza toping for the next class that I buy for the class. This provides recognition and reward for the entire class and makes the process fun for review for the midterm.

Why do instructors need to occasionally take time and “REFOCUS” themselves in order to be more effective with their students? It only natural that each of us gets caught up in the routine now and then especially when you get less and less prep time because your assigned other task to “cut cost” at your school during these hard economic times. REFOCUS allows you to set back and refocus on what is important (our students) and how to best reach them. This refocus time help me realize what is important (the student) and what isn’t important. It also helps me reflect on what works the best in the classroom and look at adopting that information in preparing for my other classes.

How can instructors become aware of effective retention strategies for use in their classes? I find that asking students what they like best about the class help me find out what they connected with the most and allows me to figure out how to better connect with the student in the future.

the key for students retention is the first week because if you can make good impact by pulling they're attention and make them to think on they're goals, set the classroom with an easy presentation, that will make them feel good and comfortable.

To be a teacher that is what is giving you the power to change others life. it is great when you can see a student graduates and working, and it is a pleasure to remaind the first day when the student just walk thru the classroom whitout knowledge and kind of lost. that is like, you are his life maker. If you can make them learn!!!!!!

How does an understanding of learner characteristics help in the instructional planning process? It is hard to teach if you don’t understand were the students are starting from. I remember sitting in a class and for an hour wondering what Personal computers had to do with the topic until I realized the teacher was not us PC to refer to personal computer but to politically correct and as an engineering student didn’t understand the teacher because he was speaking a different language from what I was use to.

Teaching, in general, is a very rewarding career. Teaching in Career Schools is both challenging and rewarding. Learners enroll in courses that will prepare them for entry-level jobs in six to 10 months. An an instructor, you have to prepare these learners acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that they will use on the job as soon as they complete their courses. I enjoy working with students who are motivated to learn, come to school everyday, and learn the trade/profession. The ultimate enjoyment comes when that student gets a job! For over 30 years now, learners enter my classroom/school, participate in classroom learning activities, graduate, and obtain gainful employment. The most rewarding is when you bring a student from "zero level" to a rewarding job. It has always been a very pleasant experience when a student returns to the school to say, "Thank you for your help, Teacher." Sometimes, the "process" is more difficult than others. The most painful is when you find out a student who has great potential to do well drops out of the class. I wish every student is a positive outcome. It motivates me to do better; it generates a lot of enthusiasm; and it builds the character of people. It validates the fact that TEACHING is the greatest profession!

A student may come into a school with one goal in mind but learning brings about new goals. Instructors should be able to help students move, or reset their goals at each step in the learning process. Josh

Seems like every class has students that either fall behind in the learning process or have external issues that are holding them back. I used to be very cut and dry... "No work on time, results in a bad grade." However, after years into teaching, I find there are so many intricate nuances governing every students' performance. Having empathy and being flexible is hard to allow yourself at first... but try it, it may pay off in the long run!