Ceola Donald CRI, AAS

I've been teaching for at least 10 years, but I still get the jitters on the first meeting. I know if I feel this way, so will the students I always start by saying 'Welcome" and go from there with the icebreaker: introduction of myself with a little background and then I have my class introduce themselves with a little background. I make the seating chart as they introduce themselves, so at the end, I can call them by name. You are right on with having a list of things to do for that first meeting.

There's no doubt that good communication makes all the difference in the world. Communication is on the top of the list for most students with their instructor. In developing my ommunication skills, I look back at my expereience as a student and ask myself how can I best communicate with my students, what was missing for me and I use that as a quide-line. Keeping in touch with my Association, News papers, and any other source I can extract information from helps with my communication skills.

One must have patience. I find that many of the disabled learners are capable of learning if they are given the chance to comprehend the subject matter. Making sure to slow things down and not have it overwhelming is a must.

Instructing diverse learners is a challenge but I'm up for it. Many times I've asked other student for assistance in the class room and they have been glad to help. I always make it known, that if anyone is having a problem understanding anything, I am available to assist them. I post my office hours at the beginning of the quarter.

There must be a clear plan for the discussion, that's the instructor's job. Before selecting the groups, I have an observation session of my own. We have a "get to know you" discussion. Each student tells the class about his/her hobbies, favorit books they've read even likes or dislikes about attending school. The stronger, more outspoken students I will choose to seperate placing them in the groups last after making up the group itself. I feel it's important to have balance.

I think students appreciate an instructor that projects enthusiasm in the class room by using their voice to do it. I also use a seating chart so that I can get to know my students by name early. This is my way of communicating to them that I know who they are therefore their attention is required. These skills plus the use of eye contact helps keep the student attentive.

A good syllabus can offer the tools needed to create a good evaluation system. My syllabus provides the expectancies of the course, outlines the weight given for each area in percentages. Since the student also have the syllabus outline they also know the weight applied to each area. The syllabus tells the students how the final grade will be determined and the grading scale.

Thorough planning, meeting the objectives and reaching the student is my priority. I need to know that my instuctional methods are making the lesson easier so the student stay focused. Feed back from students and letting them know that if they are having problems understanding something in the lesson, I am available to help them resolve the problem. This might mean a change in the way I presented the lesson. After I find out what will help that student, I then ask if anyone is having a problem with the topic and use the new strategy for them also.

I teach court reporting students, so applying knowledge to skill is a very important part of their learning process. The message must be delivered through demonstration, total hands on. In the delivery, the steps must be organized and the presentation must be clean ( a clear understanding ). This is an area of learning where it's a tough call if the student will benefit from either instructional method mentioned. If I had to choose, I would probably choose the overhead.

In Career Colleges, a guest speaker is a very important factor for our students. Speakers that present their "testimony" of how they gained success, is like an " energy boost" for the student. I always like pros and cons from guest speakers . It outlines the whole picture of the career rather than just keeping it one sided. Two thumbs up for guest speakers.