Jacci Rizzo

One of the facets I most enjoy about teaching in a career college is the opportunity to interact with students and staff from other generational cohorts.  I wasborn near the end of the Baby Boomer generation; my own children are older Gen X'ers.  I find it is important to consider the ways in which technology has impacted my Gen Y students to be extremely important while also keeping in mind the fact that my Baby Boomer students may or may not have the same mindset.  I also need to remember to learn from all of my students:  i wanted to… >>>

It is critical to remember that students with disabilities are, first and foremost, students:  people involved in the pursuit of knowledge. We must also remember that very often the strategies and scaffolding we offer students wth disabilities can also support and offer assistance to our general educaion students as well.

One practice I use in my career college classroom that has helped me meeet the needs of all my students, perhaps especially those with disabilities, has been to ask all students to write me a letter during our very first class meeting.  In the letter, I ask students to tell me anything I might need to know to help them be successful in our course.  I have had many students tell me "I have dyslexia" or "I had an IEP in high school"; this cues me in to a need for scaffolding and support for which I might not otherwise have been aware. … >>>

As a former middle school teacher, I have used active learning strategies extensively in the past and have modified many of them for use in my current position teaching adult learners.  I have sometimes wondered if some of the activities and strantegies might be too juvenile for the adults I teach, but in genreal I have discovered that my students enjoy, appreciate, and learn from an active learning format.  Thank you for the many suggestions!