I just taught a course on Insurance Billing and Collections and the biggest complaint was difficulty with retention. The textbook contained alot of information and that was frustrating to them. I suggested to my students to break the studies into sections. I told them to make sure to have good notes from the lecture and every night to review their notes and try to read the section in the text which corresponded to my lecture sot that they wouldn't find themselves reading the whole chapter the night before class. The could re-read their class notes and skim through the book. The class found this very helpful.

If a student always takes longer than everyone else to complete a timed exam, quiz,or assignment,what should we do? Is it fair to make the rest of the students wait for them to finish? Please help.

Not only is it important to be able to effectively motivate your students, but we have to remember to motivate ourselves, as teachers. Often times we can lose sight of what it is we are doing when difficult things come our way outside of work, but it is always important to keep looking up and remember you are there to enlighten someones life! If you are feeling less then motivated to continue, the students can see it and it makes them feel even more uncertain about continuing.

I know every teacher has experienced these types of students in class, and I am currently dealing with 3 students this quarter who can not seem to cut their side conversation. At times, they are discussing class material however, at other times they are chatting about things that have nothing to do with class, which to say the least can be very frustrating! I have tried different tactics, some working only temporarily, others not working at all, but after having read this module, I feel as though a new light has been shed on the situation and how I can best deal with it. I look forward to trying some of the techniques with my sutdents today in class!

I am constantly having to deal with Student Retention, as our program has the lowest in our college. The corporate office often is putting the blame on us, the instructors, as to why our retention is so low. I find something that works with every student no matter what their background, is to get to know them on a personal level and constantly show care and concern for what they are going through, in school and out. I know this was something mention in the module as well, and I can attest to it working. The students feel like they belong and they are not just in school but they are in an environment where we care about them succeeding and their education. I know some of the students deal with many different issues outside of school and they do not always receive the support they need to continue, so to receive this type of encouragement from their instructor is really motivating! It makes me happy to be doing what I am doing!

I often find myself having to struggle with the younger students and adult students being at odds with one another. The Adult students are always looking down on the 18-20 year olds as immature kids and the young students are always treating the adult students as they are too old to be in school. I am trying to come up with an activity for each of the groups to interact and see how much they really can learn from one another and how being in a class with such a diverse mix of students will only help them even more. Has anyone had any experience with anything like this? Any advice?

When I offer suggestions to fellow instructors, my main point is be happy and love your material. Students will not motivate themselves so it is up to the instructor. I also recommend the text by Jenson titled Active Learning which offers activites that will engage learners with lesson content. The days of standing in front of a room and spewing information are gone.. students want it real, relevant, and exciting. Talking heads go home!

An instructor needs to understand that once in the classroom "it is not about me". The focus must always be on the students - are they learning, are they paying attention, did they understand the concept? I have made a conscious effort throughout my career of leaving my personal feelings, pains, or concerns outside the door. Students pay a lot of money for courses so they deserve 100% - not a half-hearted 75% because I have a pain!

I share this sentiment with students the first week of classes... be here and do what we are doing. It reminds them of their responsibility in my classroom. If they can meet this challenge, I then must supply the reason for attending. If I create an exciting and interesting learning environment along with positive nurturing feedback, they will return each day. Retention is the sum total of many different steps and strategies with the instructor at the hub. I love being the hub!

My classes have been very culturally diverse , and on occasion , there may be a bit of a language barrier . These students definitely require some extra attention to ensure that they understand the material . Once they feel comfortable in class , however , they all have been very eager to share their cultural traditions or whatever is appropriate for the discussion . The extra time spent with them really pays off to enrich the class .

When you enter into your class room you should always be filled with excitement about what you are about to teach. Students feed off of our motivation to teach each lesson. They look forward to learning if learning is approached correctly.

I think when you take the opportunity to allow the student to share what they may have on their minds very early before class time begins, they will appreciate what the instructor allowed them to do and respect the instuctors authority in the classroom.

One way of retaining a student that may seem very bored with the classroom experience, is maybe have them assist the instructor in his/her lesson for the day and express to them that they did a wonderful job with assiting.

WE need to identify our students with ADHD in our classrooms. It's hard to teach this student when there are so many distractions such as windows in the classroom, a friend that sits next to them. We need to give this student room to move about; to release energy, provide assignments and instructions in writing and orally, and use high impact audio visual aids to keep their attention focused on the lessoned being taught at hand.

Coming into the classroom in the morning and being in a great mood and telling the class about something great that has happened to you and asking them to do the same starts the day off to a great start and gets everyone ready to learn.

Telling your students personal stories can be one of the best things that you can do.It helps the student to understand that youare knowledgable in regard to there feild and that you to can make mistakes.

Sudents vary in there need for attention, im my experience I have delt with students who needed you to tell them every step of the way that they were doing a good job, where I have had other students that don't even want you to come near you. It is a matter of finding a common ground between both and understandign both students needs.

When you are delaing with students that have such a large range of learning styles and needs, it is important to understand them all. When giving exams for example it is important t track the progress of the students so that you may be able to identify a learning need and take care of it before the student is to far gone.

I think allowing students to share their own experiences is a great way to motivate student and have them become more involved in the course and the other students in the course.

Once they enter my classroom, older students are the same as young ones. Why? Because everybody is different. Everybody has goals, needs, requirements. And they are all different. Every single person. A teacher must be able to reach all of the students. One can argue that each student has different needs; but in truth, despite those needs, the students will almost certainly be taught in a group setting. For instance, if the only diversity found in a class is age, the teacher will still be unable to focus on the individual needs of each student. If you direct your attention to the needs of the old, then you will be neglecting the young. The only time teachers have to address each student's individual needs and concerns are the few minutes before and after class. The main part of teaching is teaching. If you know your subject and if you know how to communicate, then you will be effective. If you want to be a competent teacher, then your method of teaching must be competent. **Post Edited by MaxKnowledge Administration for Educational Content**