Barry Westling

Victoria, Good idea. I agree that recognition (praise, encouragement, support, compliments) can be a very effective motivator. Sometimes just a little nudging can snap a student out of thier distraction and get them back on track. Barry Westling

Brenda, This sounds fun. It's good to provide for application in classes, especially if there is not a lab component to the course. Using a variety of activities to involve students helps to enhance their learning and reatin the information for use as the course progresses, and later on in the work setting. Barry Westling

Brenda, I can say that to the students, the instructor is the representative of the institution. Therefore, when good preparation and readiness are regularly displayed and demonstrated, students will see both their instructor and institution as an entity that cares and is interested in the success of each student. Barry Westling

Marcella, Praise, kind caring words, and encouragement can do much in terms of support students are likely to feel when it's given with sincerity. Barry Westling

Susan, Great. The cumulative benefits obtained from multiple posts of the many different participants often give thought and assist instructors striving to provide better classes for their students. I'm glad you found something useful. Barry Westling

Daniel, All good reasons to employ the field trip and guest speaker activities. Barry Westling

David, Right. Information about progress along with suggestions, encouragement and being willing to offer advice is really as necessary as providing daily lesson material. Barry Westling

David, Sure, and by doing so, we save valuable time that can be better spent on areas of instruction that the class as whole can benefit from. Barry Westling

David, My experience is there are basically two purposes for back-up plans. One is when for whatever reason we can't do as planned and need to having something that can be substituted so students and instructor time is not wasted. The other purpose is as a way to better engage students. I think a variety of activities each day helps keep interest and makes for a more enjoyable learning experience. Barry Westling

David, Right. That encompasses a lot of things (skill, knowledge, etc), but ultimately we want our graduates to be as near to job ready as possible when they finish up. Barry Westling