Jack McCarty

I've learned a lot through this section however, REFOCUS, has been the method that I am most grateful for. I, like many other instructors, find that it is easy to become overburdened by the stressors inside and outside the classroom. Having a game plan like the one listed in the brief section, is exactly the remedy we need to stay ahead of the game. Crisis situations would be a fun exercise to have in the classroom and would certainly lift the mundanity of digging through the code. Furthermore, the triage tip is something I'll take with me to my grave.… >>>

A small part of this course, but one that made a lasting impact, was the inclusion of the one Harvard Business Review Video regarding lesson plans and their role in the lecture. I usually spend two hours prepping for class the day before and sometimes I obsess over hitting every single bullet point that I had wrote down. However, encouraging open discussion about the topic at hand, letting go of the reigns, is a great way to promote student engagement in the classroom.

This course has shown me a lot in only the first few of its many classes. Age has been something that, while I would like to neglect, has proven to be a force that requires acknowledgement in the classroom. The discrepancies between older and younger students are often too large to ignore and most importantly involve the student's own motivations for attending the course. The trick is to acknowledging and applying the needs to both in the classroom, which can include personal asides outside the class or even positive affirmation for those older students.

Although perfection is never attainable, it is a good idea to prep for that ideal. My best lecture's are ones that I have extensively prepped for, doing the research inside and outside the textbook, and it shows! By taking the time to prepare, you are assuring as smooth as a delivery as possible. In terms of learned materials, a lecture self critique is a brilliant idea in terms of learning what you need to work on. 

What I've found most helpful in terms of student development, and what this course mentions, is the elimination of a final exam at the end of the module. I've found that most students would call themselves "bad test takers," although their problem really lies in the fact that they are anxious of subjects only covered for a few hours a week. It is easy to have lost information through the cracks of a rapid placement program, and so having to recap the current problems on hand, instead of mountains of information, helps resolve a lot of the anxiety in testing,… >>>

The "Use-It-Wisely" tactic is brilliant! I'll be sure to incorporate it into my class in the days to come. For younger teachers, I recommend that you do not let age get the better hold of you. It is easy for students to want to see you as their peer rather than a figure of authority. In the event that student's begin to cross the line, I will pull them aside and talk to them personally. Never talk to a student in front of a class for this is likely to embarrass them.

It is always a great reminder to use the syllabus as a means of establishing class policies and expectations and not having it stand as just another document the student will experience. The syllabus is, by far, the most important document the student will handle. It establishes the expectations for the entire duration of time you spend with them.

In this module I learned the importance of story telling in any curriculum whether it is something along the lines of nursing or a skilled trade. Stories are the outlets for the world, allowing us to engage with it in a critical way rather than having a passive experience. It helps an individual put themselves into the story teller and learn from their own experience. 

Storytelling is often a double edged sword. If wielded incorrectly, it can often disrupt the lesson being taught and even turn students away from the learning material. It is important for instructors to continually remind themselves that, when telling a story, that they are instructors. Over sharing personal details (i.e. politics) or using inappropriate humor will dissuade students from wanting to come to class or taking the lesson as seriously as they should be. 

As a novelist in my free time, I understand the impact a well told story can have on the individual at question. A story can change the way we see the world and engage the world, and so it is important to integrate in the classroom. One method I use for story telling focuses on reminding students that the people in question who often made such great leaps in our trade, are people like themselves. They, like them, are human. By sharing their stories my students propel themselves in education.