Barry Westling

Hi Julie: Great technique and variation of the pretest concept! I think when students hear the word "test", they automatically set up preconceptions, stress and anxiety, and maybe even fear. When they know a non-graded, open ended, no answer wrong activity is planned, that should eliminate most of the tension, other than the requirement to have to think, be tolerant of others viewpoints, and derive their own positions and viewpoints. An observant instructor should be able to pick up on themes, perceptions, and trends in though processes in order to use that information to increase the students participative and interactive… >>>

Hi Chris: Being involved in your particular profession, I can see why you might view PPT as a flat, dull, sterile presentation media. In many ways I agree. I think just becasue PPT exists and can do a lot of presentation tricks with little training, it tends to get over used, while the poor student has to endure these "masterpieces" of instructional delivery. What you describe (digg.com) is more progressive and suggestive of the teaching concept of facilitating instruction, rather than being the provider of it. The more participative and engaged we can get our students, getting them involved, the… >>>

Hi Eric: It makes sense that more individual contact can make for more meaningful learning. So how can we achieve similar results with larger groups? We just need to apply the same way of approching the class. Student centered is not complicated. In a way, it's just an attitude. Substituting our "teaching" vs the students "learning". If no learning occurs, we could argue that teaching has not occured. So, we get creative with individualizing lessons and activities as much as possible. We try to think how best can we convey the learning message? We might have to make adjustments, or… >>>

Hi Susanne: You are being quite kind and generous. I appreciate that attribute and wish it was more evident in our society. When it comes to grades, I would not be inclined to give EC points to push up a grade level. Some call that grade inflation, and in many schools, there are strong institutional policies guarding against this practice. I just think the question comes down to learning, not points or grades. A student who moves from a "C" to a "B" but has not mastered the material has not accomplished much. When I've done this in the past,… >>>

Hi Julie: Absoutely - engaging students, ivolving multiple senses and introducing variety into the lesson plan, and using multiple resources and media choices, these help keep the attention of student and reinforce their long term memory and retention of learned knowledge. Repetition and practice are key to this as well. I believe the more the student is involved in their own instruction, the better they will remember and perform in their work or profession. Ways to achieve this involve group discussions, individual presentation of material, conducting research, teaching others and being tested by their peers. Just a few examples. Regards,… >>>

Hi Julie: Good thoughts, Julie. I think we basically all have the better traits that make for good instructors or we wouldn't last long in the delivery of education business. Weaker areas are always present, but I believe their probably not as magnified to others as much as they are to the individual. Yet, I can argue that many times a teacher will possess or demonstrate undesirable traits that really need help, and the instructor is completely unaware. I believe correction comes in two parts. One is identifying the areas that need or require improvement. The second is the sincere… >>>

Hi Rennie: I have to agree with all of your comments. A lot of our forum posts speak about role models, with some suggesting it as as something forced, to ensure that it happens, or regarded as something special. While I agree with ese sentiments, I believe as educators, we have a responsibility to become this as way of professional life, where we're constantly demomstrating these important traits without even thinking about "trying to be a certain way". I think that thought merges with your comment about subsequent classes. Yes, I suppose you could say we're role models, but professional… >>>