Patricia Scales

About me

I've been a career educator for over 20 years. I currently serve as the Academic Coordinator for Brookstone College of Business and continue to be active in the classroom as a Business Instructor. My motto is "A student doesn't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." I was honored to receive the Career College Association National Teacher of the Year award in 2001. I just love teaching!

Activity

Patricia Scales

Discussion Comment

Dealing with Challenging Students

Hi Becky, Any time you have a student who comes in with a "real" attitude from the beginning. You need to approach the student immediately so that you can nip things in the bud from the start, otherwise, the student's negativity will spread to other students, and you will have total chaos in your room. You will have no control as you've stated. Do not allow students to control you, you control the students. Let the students know you will not tolerate their attitudes. Patricia

Patricia Scales

Discussion Comment

Getting Students Interested and Involved in Course Content

He Joseph, Students love to know how the course is going to apply to their career. Students often wonder how am I going to personally benefit from taking this course? You must be able to make a student believe that a particular course has a purpose in the workplace based on their chosen field of study. For every course that I teach, I always present a PowerPoint presentation on the first day of class based on the following: *Purpose of the Course *Skills gained from taking the course *Topics Covered *Possible career from having gained this skill Patricia

Patricia Scales

Discussion Comment

Dealing with Unfocused Students

Hi Jennifer, I have a remedy for those students who only come to class when they feel like it. The policy at my institution is as such, if a student misses more than 8 hours out of 40 hours in a grading period, the student will automatically be withdrawn from the course. With this policy an absence counts as 2 hours, and a tardy and early departure count as 1 hour. The policy really encourages students to attend on a regular basis. The student thinks twice before he or she misses. The student understands that if he or she does… >>>

Patricia Scales

Discussion Comment

Common Instructor Mistakes

Hello Jennifer, Absolutely, life's focus should be on learning from our mistakes as well as other people's mistakes. No one's perfect, and we all make mistakes. There is nothing like a lesson learned from making a mistake. Patricia

Patricia Scales

Discussion Comment

Dealing with Challenging Students

Hi Joseph, I agree listening is a key component to getting situations resolved. It is vitally important to allow students to vent, it seems as though once students vent, the situaton is resolved a lot easier. "Sugar coating" things do not allow for easy resolution; I tell my students to "shoot straight from the hip" with me so that I can better help them. We also have very strict rules, policies, and procedures at my institution. Honesty is always the best policy. Patricia

Patricia Scales

Discussion Comment

Getting Students Interested and Involved in Course Content

Hi Jennifer, As to whether a student enjoys a class or not, you have to make them understand how the class is going to help them professionally and at times personally. It is important for a student to understand the purpose of the course. Incorporating fun into learning always makes a course more interesting. Whenever students bond with their classmates they are more likely to share information because they are comfortable. Your tatic to come up with a writing topic is very clever; it makes it seem as though that thinking of a topic really is not hard. Patricia

Patricia Scales

Discussion Comment

Getting Students Interested and Involved in Course Content

Hello Karen, It really puts students at ease whenever they can see a completed example of an assignment. It gives them the confidence that they need to complete the assigment. It makes them believe--oh, I can do that. I see it, therefore, I fully understand what is expected of me. There is nothing like visuals; visuals really spark interest from students. As an instructor, I have witnessed if you can show a completed example, you will get better grades from students. Let's keep visuals alive. Patricia

Patricia Scales

Discussion Comment

Dealing with Unfocused Students

Hello Anne, Giving a student one-on-one attention is always a smart thing to do. I have seen unfocused students become really focused having the individualized attention. I generally work with a student one-on-one without any other students being present, however, I understand your perspective as well. Some of my unfocused students are easily distracted, therefore, I prefer to have one-on-one with the student without anyone else watching. I tend to stay late or come in early to work with students one-on-one. It is always challenging to get unfocused students caught up whenever they miss class. You are on point, you… >>>

Patricia Scales

Discussion Comment

Dealing with Challenging Students

Hello James, I follow a similar procedure on the firt day as well. It does not matter what the course is. The procedure is a great icebreaker. I go first--I introduce myself, I give some background information, such as my teaching experience and educational credentials, and I also add a little personal touch by talking about my wonderful family. Students feel more at ease whenever I go first, and then the students follow suit. Sometimes the students tell you more than you really want to know, but it is a good bonding exercise as well. You can learn alot about… >>>

Patricia Scales

Discussion Comment

Getting Students Interested and Involved in Course Content

Hi Michael, I teach a course, Professional Devlopment, and in this course student must create a portfoli. I also show examples of a completed portfolio. The students become so excited by seeing the visual, also I really blow up the importance of a dynamic portfolio during the job search process. Not only is the portfolio a great tool for interviewing, it is also a great confidence builder. The portfolio shows the student he or she has made some great accomplishments in life. I think it is a super idea for students to create a portfolio. The student has all his… >>>

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