Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Hi Michael: One thing pretests can help to show you is what kind of learner your student is, which can help make lesson planning more effective. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Hi Joe: You're absolutely correct - and think about what message it may send when an instructor is disorganized - something like "I don't care enough about your learning to be prepared". Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Awarding extra credit

Hi Nancy: Keep in mind that extra credit, depending on how it is structured, may allow a student the chance to pass the course when they haven't been able to demonstrate an understanding of the main ideas. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Reasons for evaluating students

Hi Nancy: And, by giving students the chance to see where they are on a regular basis, they are given the chance to make changes in study habits to facilitate a stronger outcome at the end of the course. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Being a student-centered instructor

Hi Ramona: One of the things instructors should keep in mind to promote this attitude is the idea of being flexible - for example, if the learning environment allows, one way to be flexible is to have discussion sessions to allow the students to talk out the ideas in hopes of helping them gain better understanding. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Hi Nancy: As you wrote, student's may feel like an instructor is wasting time, and think about the loss of credibility this may result in, or the wrong message it may send to the student. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Making field trips and guest speakers a part of instruction

Hi Nancy: Field trips! What an idea - if only we could incorporate more of these into our learning modules, the chances of the information becoming real would definitely renew a person's interest in the topic at hand. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Being a student-centered instructor

Hi Nancy: To expand on a comment you made, to meet the student's needs, an instructor needs to embrace the concept of flexibility. Ideally, every learning environment would allow the use of different learning methods in support of this idea. Unfortunately, the reality is this is not plausible for every learning topic or situation. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Understanding yourself as an instructor

Hi Nancy: Something that might help with this process is to keep a teaching journal that describes both what works and what doesn't in a class session. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Hi Daniel: Also, being disorganized may inadvertently send the wrong message to the student - something like "I don't care enough about your learning to be organized for you". Regards, Barry