Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Hi John: Students are often likely to experience self doubt or uncertainty about their ability to fully grasp course material. Utilizing our expertise in relating to a variety of learners along with an understanding of their individual weaknesses will help them become more successful. Managing a class, in some ways, can be thought of as managing a family. In that sense, it's easy to see that individual attention to each member is needed and the approach may be quite different in the relationship. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Selecting media for your classes

Hi John: Yes John, all persons have their own learning style and as instructors, we can develop a variety of teaching styles that can be applied to learners of all types. Reliance on just what comes naturally is not likely to achieve the results most teachers desire. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Methods to develop backup plans

Hi John: Work sheets are a great back up tool because they allow the student to work at their own pace, use their texts and related resources to complete the worksheets, and offer an additional opportunity for the student to think critically about the subject matter. Anytime that happens, that's a good thing. The use worksheets are not just time filler when used in this manner. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Developing An Evaluation System

Dr. Harris-Ray: You've cited good questions teachers need to ask themselves when they are planning assessment of course materials. There are different methods to approach this important topic. However in all settings our purpose is to measure student progress in meeting a defined goal or course objective. So then, the question becomes "how can I best assess that the student has satisfactorily achieved the skill set or learning segment" for a given course or lesson objective. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Methods to develop backup plans

Dr. Harris-Ray: The use of hypothetical situations and case studies are good examples of methods to pique student's attention. Back up plans are lessons, activities, or a game plan that is introduced when, for whatever reason, the planned lesson or activity is interrupted. I think about the worst case scenario that could interfere with my daily plan, and then build a fool proof activity that I know I can depend on. Examples you stated above are a good foundation. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Selecting media for your classes

Dr. Harris-Ray: These are all good considerations. While we all want and hope the best media is being used we may need to take measures to assess and determine if that media is current, relevant, applicable, timely, and closely/directly related to the predefined student learning outcomes. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Methods to develop backup plans

Hi John: Can you give an example of a back-up plan that you use or that you plan to use based on your reading from the lessons? Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Preparing to Manage Your Class

Hi Lori: I'm glad you found this information interesting. Tell me, which preparation method did you find you could begin to use in your daily work, how will you use it, and why do you think it'll be beneficicial to your students? Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Preparing to Manage Your Class

Hi John: Desiring to know ones strengths and weaknesses is certainly a helpful aspiration. Using this â€œknowledgeâ€ and applying it in the classroom is the challenge for instructors who wish to help their students. This would be particularly true with areas an instructor has identified as â€œweakâ€. That vulnerable spot could make a difference in a student performing well or not. So, adapting to the student need is an important application of knowing something about you. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Developing An Evaluation System

Hi Steve: Boy, balance really is a key element, isn't it? It is unrealistic for instructors to believe that all of their students are striving to give that 110% all of the time (although there are instances in certain disciplines where that is probably close to being accurate). In consideration of the average student population while planning an evaluation system, it is important to assure higher performing students don't feel their work is not being recognized appropriately. A way to think about this goes back to the point about what is being measured. Again, although this varies among disciplines and… >>>