Barry Westling

Aimee, Yes, I would imagine visitation is a big part of training, as is mine. We spend 1000 hours in clinical settings, the same type of setting my graduates will ultimately work in. But beyond that, there are supplemental field trips and guest speakers that can contribute to enhanced academic and/or lab classes that add relevance and make classes more interesting too. Barry Westling

Renee, Good comment. We all have past experiences to draw from and to share with students, and many students can relate to some of these experiences. Keeping the student perspective, among other instructional strategies just makes classes more successful. Barry Westling

Peter, I agree. Flexibility, personalization, and working with individual student needs can only contribute to improved student outcomes. Barry Westling

Dawn, Great! Variety alone just makes classes a bit more interesting. With so much media available these days, sometimes it becomes critical to choose the "best" method or resource among many "good" choices. One key to doing this is to look at what is planned for delivery to students from their perspective, given their level of prior learning and current performance. Then we can say, how best can I teach these students, this topic, in this class, at this time (which may be different from past classes). Barry Westling

Sonya, Balance and weight of various categories are important to evaluate. Sometimes it just takes some trial and error. The main thing is to be sure we are accurately and fairly measuring student learning. The best looking system is a waste if it misses the boat on it's intended purpose. Barry Westling

James, Good deal. I have found if I put the daily agenda on the borad along with any resources the students will need, it helps me and them be ready. In reality, it's only a plan, and more often than not, things go crazy or not as expected. So my plan is just a guide for "best intention's". Barry Westling

James, Awesome! This much variety is really key to keeping students engaged and actively participating. Barry Westling

James, Great! When students see this kind of preparation, they know you are ready (...and so should they). Barry Westling

Paul, Yes, I agree. Actually both are important, but knowledge without application is of little use, especially when we are preparing folks for the workplace. Getting students to think critically along with mastery of essential skills prepares them for lifelong success, both in work and in their personal lives. Barry Westling

Daniel, What a wonderful turnaround! This just reinforces the point that students need and want direction, competent instruction, and classroom management that is conducive to optimal student learning outcomes. Barry Westling