Barry Westling

Edward, Hands on learning coupled with foundational theory usually results in the best outcomes (retention, application, successful employee!). Barry Westling

Edward, Nice! Tests are only a measure of learning (or the degree to which it has occurred). There are varieties of testing methods. To demonstrate learning, verbal questioning has been used for thousands of years, and is a satisfactory method, albeit time consuming (which is probably why many teachers avoid using it). Barry Westling

Edward, These days, there are literally more resources available than any single instructor could ever use in a class. So our purpose has to be to selectively decide what and how best to present the material given the myriad of resources that exist. One way is to think like a student: "How would I want to be instructed in this topic, and resources would work for me?". Barry Westling

Vickie, Perfect. This demonstrates the importance of individualizing instruction to keep students focused. Barry Westling

Edward, Hopefully every teacher a student has contact with is totally professional in all settings, all the times. The reality is...? It is true students look to their instructor perhaps as a role model, maybe more so as a mentor - someone they perceive they want to emulate. Barry Westling

Edward, So true.Practical application, teaching the material, and active discussion are methods I find students like to do and in the process are learning to think critically. Barry Westling

Edward, I ponder, observe, critique, wish, rant, and document - all this of course is recorded in my version of a journal. I learn about myself, grow and improve from it, and rely on it as a reference for stuff I want to recall later on. Barry Westling

Edward, Confidence comes from within, that inner feeling "I know my stuff". This is related to competence, which in some ways is a perception exhibited by students. Even in our weak areas, with competence and confidence, the student perception will be that of "I can learn something from this person". Barry Westling

Edward, Being on time (or before), greeting students, being approachable to ask questions. These convey the teacher cares, and they're simple to do and every teacher is capable of doing them. But in order to do these (simple) tasks, the teacher has to have all their stuff in order, copies made, materials and resources gathered, daily plan mapped out - in short, ready to rock and roll. This, coupled with student access to the teacher makes for good student/teacher relationships, and of course, that helps in the learning process. Barry Westling

Edward, Right. Real world. And it's interesting that students are often very bold in the frequency and pointed type of questions they'll ask (perhaps because it is sort of anonymous), and therefore, answers to probing questions can incite a motivation to do well in class, unlike almost any other activity. Barry Westling