Barry Westling

Kari, Right! We want our students prepared for their work setting and we want to give them all that we can to make that experience successful. Barry Westling

Rosemary, That's a good trait you've developed. The journal can serve a lot of purposes, including planning, noting student questions, documenting facts, recording observations, consolidating thoughts about what worked and what needs improvement, and as you point out, reflective thoughts. The last point is perhaps the most helpful especially over time. That's why jotting notes down for review later makes the teaching journal effective. Barry Westling

Jay, Rubrics are great for limiting most of the subjectivity in grading. I also like that both instructor and student know the grading guidelines beforehand, and smart students will rely on that information to craft their assignments. Barry Westling

Allen, Getting students to feel comfortable with a class can involve many techniques and activities, least among them is reassurance from the instructor about their status and encouragement to the student they have their instructors support, suggestions and advice, and the sense that their instructor cares about their success. Barry Westling

Allen, Perfect! This is exactly how pretesting can benefit instructors in helping their students. Barry Westling

Jay, Yeah, it's good to try not to repeat mistakes or less than effective activities. They say experience is someone with a history of mistakes...behind them! Barry Westling

Allen, This sounds great!. There is variety and segmented learning sessions. Students learn best with variety combined with structured organization of material. Barry Westling

Samuel, Yes! Relating new information to that which is already known is a great way to piggy-back new information. And when students see there's something in the lesson that's pertinent to their career or that will benefit them, they will be attentive and more focused on their studies. Barry Westling

Jay, I agree trust is important. By being authentic and genuine, students will sense we are being sincere, and that helps create trust and respect. Barry Westling

Jay, That's great preparation. Having a back up plan along with thorough preparation as byou do should provide for smooth class sessions. I'm sure your students appreciate the degree of preparation you provide. Barry Westling