Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Carol, Terrific! Keeping students informed will instill trust and respect by your students. Also, personalizing this by discussing in person, listening, encoraging, offering support and advice - all this will convey "my teacher cares about me and my success". Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Awarding extra credit

Gayle, There may be a responsible use for EC, and each teacher and institution has to decide where and under what circumstances they use it. My classes use a grading system that is comprised of usually about six main components (homework, quizzes, projects, professional development, mid-term, and final exam), each with a cluster of opportunities for a student to earn points. Giving a point in say, quizzes is no big thing. But a student who is a whole percentage point away from the next grade is not "just a point", but may represent many components - potential learning segments they… >>>

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Selecting sufficient course content

Gayle, Very true! Also, choosing the right content is important. For instance, if a teacher seems to always go off in an area they like, are comfortable with, or feel the students need to know, but miss covering some of the designated course objectives, they have not served their students well. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using senses in learning

Gayle, Yes, and the more senses we can involve the better. I guess that means the more variety the better our classes will be. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Role of instructor personality in delivery selection

Carol, Great! I think individuals who are naturally outgoing are very fortunate as they are the ones that easliy create conversations, are comfortable in social gatherings, and tend to be more vocal in their participation in class. And coupled with a good, clean sense of humor makes them enjoyable to be around. I'm not sure, but I would guess these folks often end up in supervisor roles more often as well. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using a teaching journal

Carol, Teachers who use journals swear by them. They help show something aboutr ourselves in a way that most any other activity cannot. And they they can be a great resource to refer to and to refelect on. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Carol, Many teachers do this - that's a great idea. In my experience, signing anything may help clarify expeactations but does little to change conformance by students. Also, it's always the ones who the expectation's addresses that seem to have difficulty following the directions. Yet, having a signed document is hard to dispute. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Making field trips and guest speakers a part of instruction

Gayle, Both these activities have the potential to add information, create new visions, and motivate students. They can inspire students to do better in class too. Being able to see or ask questions from someone other than their teacher can be a great opportunity. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Michael, You're right. Most students want to be led, to be directed, to get trained for a better future, and the hopes of a new career is often the route many take. Our role to provide competent instruction in an organized fashion is an assumption that most incoming students would make. Besides, it's our job. Also, I feel classes just flow better when we are organized, have all our resources, and we have taken the time to plan and prepare. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Selecting evaluation methods

Jana, Technology is advancing so rapidly, one sometimes wonders "how can I stay up-to-speed with all the technological adavnces?". That said, evaluation methods still have to align with this fact: Do they measure learning? Any system (fancy or plain) has to measure the degree (or lack of) learning if it is to be effective. Some of my teachers do mutiple choice exams via student laptops where each students test has the same questions but ramdomy rearranges the order of the questions, and even the order of the selections in a question! If the student leaves the page, the test ends.… >>>