Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Role of instructor personality in delivery selection

Douglas, I think we all should facillitate more than lecture, whenever feasible. And being authentic and sincere in our approach can make minor personality differences not seem so important. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using a teaching journal

Douglas, Yes, and besides individual lessons, often I find I think of ideas (possible or not), resources I need, points I want add, or even observations about indivdual students. Occassionaly I've gone back to read and reflect on these student comments. Very interesting reading most of the time. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Awarding extra credit

VIRGILIO, We want to help students when we can. But I choose not to use EC, as I don't think it helps, but does promote entitlement and creates a false sense of performance in the mind of the student. EC is not a reality in the worforce, so it ought not be a part of a technical education. I find difficulty with objectively grading EC, there are nearly always issues or feelings of unfairness by some better performing students, and the biggest point is the questionable amount of learning that results. EC is about points and grades, I am interested… >>>

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Awarding extra credit

Angela, Well, I agree 100%, as would the majority of teachers, and many institutions even have policies that prohibit giving EC for the very reasons you site. Also, grading EC, issues of fairness, and determing how much real learning results from EC are also pertinent to reasons not to go down that road. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using pretests as planning tools

VIRGILIO, Great. Perfect use for the pretest. Sometimes I'll use the same test as a post test at the end to motivate students, showing them how far they've come. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using pretests as planning tools

Angela, This is the perfect use for pretesting. It helps the teachyer plan where and what to emphasize based the the individual class which, as you say, will vary from class to class. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using senses in learning

Angela, Mostly, I've found students like role playing. The downside is they know it's not real. But the thinking skills that can be emphasized are worth the effort. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Selecting instructional media

Candace, For me, a good PPT slide has just a few bullet points that allow me to teach and elaborate on the subject. I have gone an hour with 1-2 slides, but also have 40-slide presentations designed for a 30 minute time slot. Even so, my slides are as simple and brief, 7X7 rule (no more than 7 lines, and no more than 7 words per line). PPT should be a tool. Like a craftsman, it's their expertise that matters, not the tools they use. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Role of instructor personality in delivery selection

VIRGILIO, Good. When a teacher presents as a good role model, students will naturally want to imagine themselves in a similar light, especially trure in career or technical fields. The teacher plays an important role when bringing their personality of professionalism to the classroom. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Making field trips and guest speakers a part of instruction

Yvonne, Yes, and often students feel comfortable asking very pointed questions to off-site presenters, where perhaps because of familiarity, they might feel comfortable to ask in the classroom, or they arn't stimulated to ask based on the topics. In any case, field trips are a great experience. Barry Westling