Barry Westling

Sandy, Great sentiment! I think whenever we personalize instruction, we are practicing student centered instruction. Barry Westling

Melanie, This is a common use for journalizing. Other uses include class observations, interesting student questions, reactions and personal responses to class situations, etc. It's like jotting things that when reviewed at a later date, we see aspects of ourselves, perhaps growth, and how we looked at things compared to present day. Barry Westling

Lori, This is great. A good change up is one that doesn't take the instructor too far off task. Sometimes, whole activity changes are needed in order to get everyone working "on the same page". But if simple activities (questioning, sharing, exploring) can do the trick, then that's the best for effective time management purposes. Barry Westling

Gisele, Rubrics are good in that they are about as objective as you can get (provided they are well written). Both instructor and student are bound by the measuremewnt of performance contained within the rubric. Little dispute over a grade can be reasonably argued by a student when the grading was based on criteria dervived from a rubric. Barry Westling

Gisele, Great. I have observed that students like stories. When we can share a particularly useful and pertinent story, all ears become focused on the story. Studewnts will remember it, and if it's pertinent, it'll add to the lesson and ultimately, improved student learning. Otherwise, stories shared just to fill time are not as useful, and I try to stay away from that. Barry Westling

Gleb, Great! Whatever we use, if its pertinent, instructional and adds to learning, I think it's worthwhile. It's nice that manaufacturers are willing to provide useful resources, especially if they are directly related to topics we are going to teach any way. Barry Westling

Saranna, Wonderful. Some experiences are just going to be better and more mememorable than others. It sounds like this one was particularly beneficial for your students. Barry Westling

Gleb, This situation can certainly interfere with desired student learning outcomes. I think whenever we place individual student needs first, we'll see the best results. Barry Westling

Vanessa, As instructors, we usually have a game plan for the day, and it may include some loose time for incidentals such as Q&A, and reengagement activities. For me, I try to get students back on task quickly so as to lose as little time as possible. Although sometimes its necessary to do a whole change up (different activity), I find by briefly asking students questions, or telling an interesting story that pertains to the profession, that is usually enough to capture attention so I can get back to my planned activity. Barry Westling

Gleb, For me, the best grading systems are those that prove to be accurate in actually measuring student learning. This seems like an obvious statement at firsty glance, but it's possible tha a great looking system could be developed and yet it would miss the goal. Careful planning, trial and error, and post course analysis are among the requirements that are involved in establishing an effective grading system. Barry Westling