Out school is struggling with the professional boundaries with some fo the faculty. They allow the students to call them by their first names, and send personal texts. I find this sets up a difficult dynamic as those instructors are then uncomfortable providing any sort of discipline or constructive feedback to those students. In addition, the other students pick up on who are the class favorites, and a culture is bred where students perceive unfairness. This has been difficult for me to navigate as a new faculty. Has anyone else dealt with this from a colleague? If so, how did you help change the culture?

Question: I teach courses that have both math equations and terminology exams; the math problems require a calculator. Most individuals these days have a calculator on their cell phones; however they also have web access to look up terms, effectively a free cheat. Does anyone have suggestions on how to handle this?

I find the best way to engage students is to do some small group work on a topic, and then bring it back to the lecture. Students tend to open up if they feel their peers know them on some level, and are less timid to speak up in class. It creates a bond in the classroom, and allows students to share and learn from each others mistakes and experiences. It also helps the students to feel part of the learning process, and that the instructor is indeed interested in hearing what they have to say. I always throw in a contest, as well, for review before any exams; students really push to win on this and review the material!

Gaining respect is not difficult if the teacher: Comes to class prepared Is knowlegable of the subject Speaks to each student while lecturing Dresses appropriately, and controls the class with a minimal amout of discipline, humor, and understanding. The teacher is the role model.

Stating in no uncertain terms that cheating in any form will not be tolerated should be made very clear in the syllabus. It should be the policy of the administration to back up the teacher in any confrontation resulting from a cheating accusation. This is especially important in professional schools where the lives of patients depend on the ability of the graduates of the program.

I find that the fellow students will often put a a stop to persistant talkers. On the other hand, I find it effective to lecture in that part of the class. I alway lecture by walking about the class.

Creating student confidence starts with a well designed syllabus. Knowing the course content and what is expected takes much of the suspense out of the requirements. Students (as do we all) need to recognize objectives and rules of conduct.

I have found that other interests outside of your career are great stress relievers. Some examples are hobbies, organized sport activities, or clubs. Explore an interest such as playing a musical instrument or a hobby such as woodworking. Examine how this could be worked into your schedule. Allow time each week to learn more and work with your choice. I find building interesting musical instruments both educational and relaxing.

I feel that it is important to be able to relate to your students, but a professional relationship needs to be maintained. It is also important to present yourself as a professional, but able to be approachable so students feel safe to learn and ask questions.

Students are going to take the opportunity to cheat if it is given to them, and they may not see any harm in cheating, but ultimately the person who does the cheating is hurting themselves. Students will not learn to be productive members of society if they cheat. All attempts to prevent cheating should be made in the management of your classroom.

Often, I have seen students that like to toot their own horn, and while they may have a great understanding of the material, others in the class may not have the same level of comprehension. I like that the course wants to make the student the observer, and I think it is important for that student to see other students in the role that the instructor sees them, and that may help the center stage student develop the skills to be a helpful member of the class, and a more valuable member of any office setting.

I feel that as an instructor, your expectations of your class need to be clear and easily understood. I have taken classes where the expectations of the class dis not follow along with the lessons in the syllabus. If the point of the class is to learn a certain topic, and the instructors skip over key points of the topic, it makes it that much more difficult for a student to understand the whole topic. Jamie Barnes

I'm sure we all have a little of each of these styles in our routine. I think it will be useful going forward to self identify and try to lead with the best practices.

Being human is the best quality our students can see of us.

Allowing students to cheat is not properly preparing them for their future.

Keeping the teaching styles varied will help with the varying learning styles of the students.

Giving students clear direction up front in most effective later on.

Making mistakes in the classroom setting is something that ever educator has done more than once. However it is important that you learn from them and reflect on them honestly, to become better educator. It is important to realize that mistakes are a natural part of learning. Never making mistakes generally means one is not trying hard enough or taking necessary risks to become the teacher that they deserve to be.

It is essential to the success of the student that the classroom environment is appropriately managed. Managing the classroom environment during an exam is also important. It is important that when “wandering eyes,” are noticed that students are reminded that all work must be individual and to keep their eyes on their own paper. It is also important if talking, whispering, or murmuring, in any language, is noticed during an exam to remind the class in general that no talking is permitted.

A key to effective classroom management is the development of a quality relationship between the students and the educator in the classroom. An important element of developing relationships is knowing and understanding the learner. As an educator it is important to initiate steps to learn and understand the unique qualities the student population. Teachers who adopt a relationship-building approach to classroom management by focusing on developing the whole person are more likely to help students develop positive, socially-appropriate behaviors.