Barry Westling

Jennifer, Besides breaking the routine, a guest speaker really does help energize a class who may be a little vague about some aspects of the profession they're training for. Barry Westling

Nazi, We need to measure learning, really, that's the bottom line. How we go about it can vary, and there are many types of evaluations and methods to use to achive our purpose. Barry Westling

Nazi, Good back-up plans can come in handy. Sometimes an activity planned "just in case" turns out to be a good, regularly planned activity, created for one purpose but coincentently turns out to be useful as part of the regular curriculum. Barry Westling

Nazi, Skills and knowledge, absolutely. If we can also provide critical thinking and other soft skills that deal with professionalism on the job, we'll be doing the students good service. Barry Westling

Nazi, We help our students the most by being the best we can with our experience, training and education, and as in this post, solid preparation. Barry Westling

Len, Right, we have an obligation to conveying course and performance status in addition to facilitating their classes. Without that road map, the student could easily drift way off course, and if not caught and corrected in time, could prove disastrous for students if there's not enough time remaining to make improvements. This is especially true for low performing or marginal students. Barry Westling

Len, Previewing content is actually a sound instructional technique and is used by many instructors. I use pretesting mostly when I have no clue as to prior learning. Barry Westling

Nichole , Of course we want to help struggling students do their best. I agree EC is NOT the way to do that. I teach medical students, there can be no room for artificailly raising grades. Perhaps in some settings there is a place for EC, but as you say, it's still not fair to the students (in any program) who diligently complete all assignments and do the work expected. I just don't give EC, and I make it clear from the beginning. Students know not even to ask. Barry Westling

Nichole , During lecture, I will ask questions. This keeps interest. During discussion, I involve as many students as possible. I also interject demonstrations, illustrations, and personal examples that compliment the topic at hand. Sometimes a brief break (5-minutes) can help reset the class tone. In general, if students are interested in the topic, they will pay attention. Barry Westling

Nichole , Good deal.I too like to keep things lively, interesting, and memorable. I think enthusiasm and passion for the profession is one way to easily keep it lively. Also, periodically adding stories of (good and bad) past experiences is always a good way to bring the attention and focus to task. I think referencing the work setting nearly alwways gets students attention, as this is something most all students will always be interested in hearing about. Barry Westling