Barry Westling

Gail, Great experience for your students. This kind of experience is suredly memorable and likely stimulates a lot of discussion and interest for students, especially when the presenter is enthusiastic and passionate abuot what they do. Barry Westling

Carl, This is very true. With a game-plan, or a roadmap, the student is constantly aware how close to successful completion they are. Without feedback that's current, there may be lots of work with little contribution to the goal the instructor has in mind for their students. Barry Westling

Carl, This sounds great. Pretesting can make for a better learning outcomes when used in creative ways, such as you practice. Barry Westling

Carl, I envision what my expeactations are for students as successful workers in the profession who enjoy a better personal life, then commit to trying my best to do my part in making that a reality. Barry Westling

Anthony, Whenever I can tailor my preplanned curriculum to accomodate a students individual learning needs, I feel like I have contributed positively to my role as instructor. Although not always expressed, students appreciate supportive instructors who give assistance when struggling, or just need extra help. Barry Westling

Robert, Great sentiment! Students are and should be first; somehow our busy professional work sometimes gets in the way. How could that be? I often repeat, "If students aren't learning, then I'm not teaching". In reality it takes our whole system working together to make a good learning environment, and that includes the students as a key component. Barry Westling

Kyle, In our moderen era we are required to have a relative objective-based grading system that can be applied universally to all students. My discussions with students allow me to convey progress while also developing rapport and camaraderie with my students. Having a good connection with all students helps bridge potential barriers to reaching them in the instructional process. Barry Westling

Kyle, While formal evaluation may be limited, there's nothing adverse to assessing students informally, every day if that's desired or required. Juyst asking students questions is one way to improve critical thinking skills, and is aligned with Socractic Questioning, which strives for learning through the students own reasoning abilities. Nothing ever has to be documented necessarily, but contributes greatly to the instructors perspective of what learning has occurred. Barry Westling

Kyle, How a grading system is developed varies among institutions. My opinion is we want to measure learning, so those graded categories (projects, qiuz, exam, homework, discussion, etc) that relect the most towards what a student has learned should be given the greater weight. "What good is an 'A' students who can't perform basic skills or answer fundamental questions?" Barry Westling

Kyle, I really like personal, individualized discussions with students. Besides grade and performance, it gives me a chance to listen to concerns and to express my encouragement and support for the students success, which helps build trust and respect. Barry Westling