Barry Westling

Hi Timothy, I think teaching to our audience is what works in most settings. Being approachable, competent, caring, and offering assistance and encouragement can overcome most personality quirks that would otherwise distract of turn off students. But by being "there", students realize the teacher has their interest at heart. Barry Westling

Hi Billy, I think we need to be all things to all students. It's true that older students are accustomed to a more formal method of content delivery, while younger may feel the need for less formal, free expression that may or may not conform to existing instructional models. This is part of the student-centered learning that personalizes instruction to focus individual needs. Barry Westling

Hi Timothy, True - continuing education is a mark of a professional, a necessity for career-minded people, and essential to stay current with the trends of a particular trade. Barry Westling

Hi David, Sometimes seeing some peice of the career field can really turn the tide on a students motivation, drive, and desire to accomplish all the class has to offer. It is a very powerful learning activity. Barry Westling

Hi Laura, Good point. We need the student to be as active participant as the teacher whose trying to be focused in personalization. If these two vital component are in place, then good instructional delivery style that matches the students needs will likely occur. Barry Westling

Hi Billy, Learning to communicate is essential. I think using practical examples from whatever caeer field the class is studying helps make your class topics more effective. Of course the need to know a little about their field helps immensely. Asking knowledgeable teachers from these different disciplines to list the 10 most important topics from their field, or providing a narrative that describes their profession with specific tasks and/or skill sets required for the profession might help become more informed. Barry Westling

Hi Justin, It is rare a teacher can just walk into a class and expect to conduct with it with success. The saying "Fail to prepare and prepare to fail". If we have to fill in on short notice, activities that help are review of previous material, discussion, outling material from the text with the expectation for each student to present to the class. I'm sure there are many other equally effective techniques. Barry Westling

Hi Destiny, Right, early on, and frequent. Also, I think getting the student involved in responsibly tracking their progress in a collaboative way with their teacher works better than just one-way sharing of information. Barry Westling

Hi Victoria, My background is medical, and in most procedural activities, there is no room for EC. You either got it down or you don't. This is my bias and opinion - each has to determine what works for them in their specific environment. Barry Westling

Hi Sherry, Right. It is just numbers. I would just ask, "where is the learning amid all the number shuffling?" Barry Westling