Barry Westling

Hi David: Being proactive helps us get a leg up on important information where students performance levels are. Your experience ceratinly underscores that. As most of us are busy, we tend to depend and assume too much sometimes. What I've learned is if I'm the guy responsible for the class, I need to be accountable to my students, so I'm going to go out of my way to get information. I ask questions, verify, double check, avoid procrastination, and work hard at understanding what could wrong, then try to do what I can to prevent that from happening. Still, errors,… >>>

Hi Emma: I'm a fan of frequent status updates. It takes a liuttle bit of extra time, but really not that much extra. Students feel better about their class when they are in direct contact with the one who has control over their instruction and grades. And I think each time we converse with our students personally, we create a stronger relationship, providing a connection to the students being open to advice and suggestions for improvement. Just relating is always a good thing too. I think that tends to normalize the teacher and student, and flatten out the potential for… >>>

Hi Emma: These are good ways of approaching course content. I think a good basic foundation for any course would include a course description, Student Learning Outcomes (SLO's), learning objectives, daily lesson plans, and finally assignments, kind of in that order because each one requires the next higher one in order to be complete. Like planning a trip, I believe we can think about where we want to begin, and where we want to end up. Usually a course will have essential instruction that must be covered to be thorough. To me, these would be the SLO's, because they state… >>>

Hi Elizabeth: I agree. When students begin to appear on the first day of a new class, first impression can make a big difference. So when they see the instructor is present, waiting and prepared when class begins with a thorough plan for the day, resources gathered and ready to go, along with an enthusiastic attitude, that's going to convey important expectations for how the class is going to be conducted. Also, being approachable, friendly and patient, tolerent, and willing to offer encouragement and support at the outset, these traits state the teacher cares about their students and their success… >>>

Hi Tracy: Good thoughts, Tracy. Students often get very moved by the field trip experience. It may be that they realize that they will soon be actually working in that setting. Or, maybe the see the reality of holding down a job they're being trained for and the end of dood old school days. But guest speakers and field trips can be quite inspiring, even motivate some students to try harder as they get invigorated to ready themselves for the profession they're being trained for. And as you point out, the ability to ask questions can really stimulate thoughtful visions… >>>

Hi Kimberly: Good techniques, Kimberly. There are simple, and there are more involved techniques, but all should work to get the attention of students back on track. Sometimes something simple like telling a story that redirects their focus back to topic is all that is needed. Other times, swithcing to different activities, or using different media, or maybe a lab prcatice (if applicable) may be needed. Reasons could be the students are tired, bored, unprepared, material is over their head, or they don't feel the material is important. For whatever reasons, students get disengaged when the current activity looses interest… >>>

Hi Marty: I see your strategy. I've always tried to stay clear of using the grading or instructional process to penalize students, as they may adopt a poorer perspective about the class, and some may lose respect for their teacher for "tricking" them. Also, there may be legitimate reasons good students are unable to attend the class on a given day. A compromise might be to discuss some material in such a way that absent students will miss out when those questions are presented on a test or quiz when all are present. There's hardly any argument about "well, it… >>>

Hi Nicole: For me, if a student wants to do something special and is not asking for extra credit, that's terrific. I think you're right in that the students will probably be more motivated in class. And there are methods other than points to recognize extra effort, besides points. I think in most cases if there is information that is worthwhile, it ought to be included in the regular, required curriculum. Negatives such as grade inflation, fairness, subjectivity, and reqwarding marginal performance are among the cheif reasons I choose not to give extra credit. Ultimately, each teacher and institution has… >>>