Deborah Rasmussen

Comment on Kathleen Watts's post: I too like the practice of nonverbal communication, it is so important not to worry the patient or increase the stress a student feels. I also like the event cards and other activities mentioned. Very helpful! 

Comment on Katina Knight's post: I'm looking forward to trying some of the activities in the didactic portion of class. I think the ideas are very creative and helpful, thank you! 

Comment on Tim Mitchell's post:  I have found that dividing the students into small groups and giving them an assignment to work on/problem solve and then share with the class has worked well. Sometimes the students don't discuss an important point, I've started summarizing the students report on the board and then adding additional information that they missed. 

Comment on Georgiana Bougher's post:

I have been using active learning including nursing case studies and group activities. This is an area that I want to further develop. I have found active learning to be very beneficial for the students and enjoyable for the instructor. 

Comment on Laura Hogins's post: I have found it very helpful to have plenty of backup resources and activities. Sometimes it seems that there isn't enough time to finish all the work and other times the goals and objectives were met sooner than I expected. Having backup activities and plans has been very helpful. 

Comment on Tikeama Buckingham's post:

I find it challenging to quickly learn the names of the individual students. I have given them large index cards and asked them to write their preferred name on it. Also, I've given them multiple colored markers so they can decorate the card if they want to. That has helped me learn their names sooner and some students have really enjoyed the artistic effort. 

Comment on Justin Markle's post: I also find a checklist very helpful in order to make sure that I cover the important tasks for the days. I encourage the students to use checklists for their study and review purposes. 

Comment on Michelle DeJong's post: As an instructor it is always important to remember that our students are watching us closely and learning from us. We want and need to project a professional image in all of our interactions with the students so that they will learn how to present themselves to others, as a professional. 

Comment on Shane Apperley's post: 

I have found that students with learning disabilities tend to be embarrassed about the difficulty. When I see a student struggling I will speak with them privately and ask them what challenges they are working with. If they tell me they need extra time or have difficulty reading I suggest that they speak with their doctor about the concern and possible diagnosis. 

I have had the experience of teaching 2 students in different classes with undiagnosed dyslexia. In both cases while watching them complete math tests and other work I noted that they took an exceptionally long time to complete the assignments. However, their answers were correct and they did well on the tests. I spoke with the students individually and both told me that they had always "struggled" in school. Thankfully our organization was able to assist both students. As instructors we need to be aware that there may be learning difficulties that the students are not aware of or don't… >>>