Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Carl, For the amount of time in one stretch your students are in session, variety has to be used to keep interest and students engaged. Ideas to help memory you've mentioned are great. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Carl, An organized plan and mind precedes an organized class. From there, all sorts of creative activities and instruction can occur. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Making field trips and guest speakers a part of instruction

Douglas, Right you are. I have sometimes asked "make sure you mention XYZ" or "this is what we've been covering", or it would great if could touch these topics". It's nice when a speaker will help reinforce a topic the instructor has been covering Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Making field trips and guest speakers a part of instruction

Dayton, You're fortunate and creative to have access to and utilize the variety of field trip experiences. My students always appreciate the time and effort that goes into planning these wonderful experiences. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Making field trips and guest speakers a part of instruction

Israel, Great. I also ask students to prepare questions to ask beforehand, and then ask to write a summary of their experience afterwards. I want them to experience all they can, but I also want them to appreciate it is not a passive activity, but one that they have to work at. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Informing students of status in course

Doretha, Right. Asking questions. This is why I think meeting with students one-on-one to discuss their progress is important. I grade and return all assignments, quizzes and tests immediately, and the grades are posted in an elctronic gradebook that all students have instantaneous access to. Nonetheless, I still find I like to meet often and regularly to discuss progress. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Awarding extra credit

Doretha, This is like the real world and the lilkey environment for the work setting we're preparing our students for. Quizzing, as a precursor to a major exam, can properly prepare students. Of course study and a positive mindset are still needed prior to approaching any major examination. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using pretests as planning tools

Doretha, Right. If time allows, doing a pretest that is not graded before conducting a test that is graded is one way to use the principle of pretesting. Even just questioning students at random is another version that canbe effective. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using pretests as planning tools

Edric, I believe the more we know about our students prior knowledge the better able we are able to assist them. And by having prior knowledge such as through pretesting, we can make adjustments in order to place the emphasis where it is (and not) needed. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

KAI, For sure, one thing we should be doing is serving as good role models. It's up to the students to decide if they want to follow our lead. Barry Westling