I find that in terms of time management it is difficult to schedule some of the coping mechanisms. For instance, after a day of teaching I'm too tired to go to a health club, and usually need a nap. Sometimes taking a nap interfere with my sleeping patterns. Any ideas for this double conflict?

How do I control the class learning environment during a time where as a class they are covering an assignment together and the Dominant student takes over with questions and also answers. Without being rude myself to this student how do I get a handle on that?

Often times you can get stressed out about stressing out! By creating a list of stressers and categorizing them into those that can be eliminated, reduced, and to cope with those that can't be eliminated / reduced it helps make the task at hand more achievable. Have you used this method yet? If so, what are some of the results? If not, how are you planning to implement or if not interested, why are you not going to use this method?

Living in a populated area and the school being in one too can lead to a stressful situation. If time allows, it would be ideal to come in early to beat "rush hour" traffic for a morning or evening class. I have found this useful and even if the school isn't open in the morning, being in the area and getting breakfast can help calm the situation. Have you experienced commute stress? Have you set-up guidelines with your students in case you are late? If so, or if you don't but might do in the future, what are your guidelines?

With the amount of adjunct instructors it is interesting that there is not a concerted effort to have a "how-to" guide for lecture prep and this has been a very interesting lesson. I plan on sharing these strategies with new hires. By trying to establish a cultures of sharing, using existing resources by publishers, using templates, creating sources that can be used over and over, etc. it will help streamline the lecture prep process. Have you ever use publisher resources before? If so, how do students enjoy them? Do they wish that they included more of your expertise then that from a book?

In this day and age it seems that we gravitate to immediacy. Outside of school, if we receive a text message it is expected to be responded to right away. This translates to students wanting to know their grades right away, responding to emails right away, etc. Then we as instructors often place the obstacle of immediacy as part of this culture. In addition to the ideas mentioned, to achieve a healthy balance it would be good to set the expectations of student by clearly explaining how fast you will respond to email (e.g. within 48 hours) and how fast you will grade assignments (e.g. within 1 week of turning in, unless a student hands it in late then it is up to my discretion). What are some suggestions that you have found useful? Are the two I suggested useful to your situation and why/why not?

It is very important that students engage with themselves as well as with the instructor.

I am a massage therapy instructor at a health care college. We are very in depth in the anatomy courses to meet the criteria that the college demands. How do I help the students realize the relevance of in depth anatomy training that might not actually help them reach their career goals?

It is interesting that you state that the majority of "angry" students are male...do you think there are also "angry" females but it is displayed in a different behavior?

Regarding first impressions, I agree that explaining the course and my expectations the frist day are a critical part of managing the class/lab. The students need to know there are rules that must be followed in the kitchen-how to safely walk with a knife in the kitchen for example. Even handwashing needs to be emphaized as they may becaome distracted with a time or temperature issue. It is important they understand how the grading system (Rubrics) works. And they need to know they have responsiblities: cleaning, homework, being respectful and professional as well as being on time. The fewer surprises the better the chances are for learning and productivity.

Some schools give certain number of hours of class preparation and departmental work.In that time, it is impossible for the instructor to prepare for the class- reference, making power points,preparing question banks, preparation for lab demonsrations,preparation for hospital clinicals, evaluations, item analysis,tutoring etc,. Ultimately the instructor has to do lots of home-work, losing his/her personal or family time.

Cheating can be avoided by by strict instructions,by placing the students far from each other and also by changing set of questions.

It is challenging task for the teacher. Some students are not co-operative in the class, they are the first persons to talk about teacher with others or complaining to higher authorities.

Well planned syllabus is very important, is useful for the teacher as a guide. Engaging the students with different type of activities is helpful, but it requires more time for the teacher.

I use comedy as a stress relief. I enjoy watching stand up comedy, it really has helped.

My way of coping with stress is comedy relief. I try to have a good laugh a few times a day.

This has been something I have struggled with. I can list the things that need to be done, then I find myself just completing the list in the order I have written.

These are the strategies I have learned from this module. 1. Create a positive learning environment where the students can trust that you have their best interests in mind. 2. Address all problems without hesitation. Problems are easier to control if they are small. 3. Monitor all situations efectively. Instructors should always be prepared to handle any situation quickly. 4. Let your students know you are available to assist them and that you are aware of the work they are doing. 5. Maintain a strong connection with every student.

I teach a subject that addresses a specialized area of practice (game audio development) within a broader professional field (audio production). By its nature, the specialization requires advanced development of challenging technical skill and higher-order thought. In all fairness, it is not a likely target for a majority of my students. Many of them pick up on this early on: they tune out and turn off. I am working to develop presentations and activities that offer learning objectives more easily generalized outside of the specialty. But I feel strongly that it would be a disservice to the students to entirely gloss over the most important, characteristic aspects of the subject. Do you have techniques that you can recommend for presenting very challenging lecture material in a way that allows students to feel comfortable knowing that they will not be held responsible for having fully absorbed or assimilated the information? Looking back at my favorite teachers, they have all offered "a finger pointing at the moon," showing me how far I have to travel, and suggesting that the reward is commensurate with the distance. This approach only worked because I was able to distinguish between the moon, and the material that was actually going to be on the test. How can I communicate to my students that it's okay to be a little overwhelmed, that sometimes they're actually supposed to feel that way? Thanks in advance! Stephen

Students need to know that the instructor has ethical boundaries. Trying to keep the conversation academic based will reinforce the instructors intentions to maintain a professional classroom experience. Some students may try to focus attention on personal situations, so I think it is up to the instructor to keep the conversation curriculum based and on topic. Some students need a bit more redirection from the instructor, but if the instructor knows the content well, it will be much easier to redirect students.