Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Sheena, I believe students offer their respect and trust based on their individual and personal reasons. Nonetheless, my job is to come to class filled with enthusiasm, interest, and creative activities that engage students. If respect accompanies that, all the better. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Making field trips and guest speakers a part of instruction

Sheena, Right! And sometimes students get so motivated they actually want to learn as much as they can and do well in class. Few activities produce that kind of motivation. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Informing students of status in course

Veneece, Yes, and unless there is a meaningful plan for ongoing discussion regarding progress, students may drift off in a non-productive direction. We need to be able to steer them back on course, give advice and suggestions, and in some cases, be the voice of reality to get students to see what they need to do to be successful. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Veneece, Right. Students look to their instructors to be the plumbline and mentor for their successfulness in the class. When prepared, that reaffirms their confidence and provides assurrance that they are getting the best instruction. Students need a daily dose of preparation by the instructor or a potential breakdown in student achievement could be the result. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Informing students of status in course

Nicole, Electronic is wonderful, instantaneous information. I still think it's important to have personal 1-on-1 discussions as often as possible, as that helps build a trusting relationship, and may contribute to better respect for each other. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Selecting instructional media

veneece, I always start out with the course objectives, then consider topics I want to emphasize, then think of creative presentation or delivery activities, in that order. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using a teaching journal

Lisa, That's what's nice about a journal - we can comment or add whatever feels good to write about. For more thoughtful comments, it's always interesting to look back after months or years to ponder the state of mind, attitude, and growth that probably has occurred. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Making field trips and guest speakers a part of instruction

Denise, Yeah, I believe students usually are very interested when they see the actual work setting they're preparing for. Sometimes, even marginal students can get motivated enough to buckle down and work on improving their studies. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Being a student-centered instructor

Danny, I think each instructor need to decide how far they want to take their students. Sometimes, I'm really inspired by the enthusiasm and extraordinary intelligence of one or more students and that makes me want to take them as far as I can. In a few cases, they met me every step of the way. Really, really amazing when that happens. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Role of instructor personality in delivery selection

Doretha, I think we all have adopted methods that work for us, with the intention of providing interesting, effective instruction to our students. We need to be sensitive to when students are not being served by our methods in order to make necessary adjustments so we don't perpetuate less than optimal class delivery and presentaion content. Barry Westling