James Jackson

James Jackson

Location: chicago, il

About me

James is the Senior Associate at JAJ & Associates, Adjunct Faculty and eLearning Consultant at MaxKnowledge and member of the Board of Advisors of Dream Catchers Global. James was the Associate Provost of Faculty Development, President of the Online Division at Harrison College and the Director for the Center of Technology Resources for Indiana Business College. Because of his extensive background in technology and his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for assisting aspiring business owners, James has provided his leadership/project management skills in many start-up operations mentoring dozens of young leaders over his career. All providing great growth opportunities for his stakeholders.

James has developed more than 50 courses and dozens of programs in the areas of technology, business, progress management and general education. James has been an instructor for more than 15 years during which time he provided training to over 500 trainers and more than 5000 students. His academic background includes a Masters of Education in Occupational Training and Development and is currently working on his doctoral dissertation in Higher Education Administration emphasis on Strategic Enrollment Management. James enjoys working with students and assisting them through complex concepts which he is able to turn into easy to understand and usable skills.

A full profile of my professional career is available on LinkedIn:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesajacksonjr

Connect with me on LinkedIn and here in the Lounge.

Interests

my family, golf, tennis, swimming, and participating in youth sports.

Skills

faculty development, elearning, program and curriculum development, project management, business analysis and technology integration

Activity

Discussion Comment
Great post Greg. I really like your use of analogies and breaking down more complex concepts into simple steps. The scaffolding technique you describe has been included in a number of research projects and I am providing just one example for anyone interested in learning more about this valuable technique. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, Vol. 7, No. 3. (July 2008), pp. 165-179 Regards, James Jackson
Lynae, I really like how you described the learning process in your classroom. All of the participants have responsibilities including the teacher and the students. By bringing these responsibilities forward and out in the open you provide a framework that everyone understands and can clearly follow. Regards, James Jackson
Randy, I agree that a little humor can go a long way. It should always be appropriate and within alignment of the subject matter but humor done the right way can be a great technique. Regards, James Jackson

Thanks for sharing Greg. Your comments brings back a great learning moment for me when I was participating in a training conference provided by Dr. Joe Pace of The Pacific Institute. Dr. Pace talked about how the teacher will appear when the student is ready. The meaning was to train instructors that their message may not always get through to a student at the moment is it given but the knowledge is still valuable as it will become more important to the student during a time of reflection by the student and the student is ready to take in the… >>>

Peter, I really like your comment about the importance and the power of silence. I have used this technique as well and it is incredibly effective. A simple look and a little silence can be a very powerful tool within an instructor's bag of tricks. Thanks for sharing. James Jackson
Discussion Comment
Kendall, great job using a simple approach to build more confidence in your students. Too often this simple approach can be overlooked by instructors. By building a few "pre-designed" success exercises, your students will feel more confident working on the more complex concepts. Regards, James Jackson
Discussion Comment
William you bring forward a very critical skill in teaching of complex systems. By breaking things down into simple and non-threatening tasks, students have more time to properly take in the bigger picture and be relieved of the stress that can come from looking at a larger and more complex task. Thanks for sharing. James Jackson
Stephanie I agree 100%. The instructor is the class leader and leading by example is such a key trait. If the students feel they are in an environment where the policy is do as I say and not as I do then more and more issues tend to arise. Students will given respect if given respect. This is not to say that students should be allowed to rule the environment, be fair but firm and when disciplinary actions are necessary, they are best managed in private. Regards, James Jackson
Discussion Comment
Michael, can you share some information about a time when you had to directly overcome a self-doubt issue with one of your students? What was the situation, what actions did you take, what outcomes resulted? Thanks for any information you can share. Regards, James Jackson

Great points Dorothea. Showing an obvious love for the subject matter is very noticeable by students. They also notice when an instructor is not into the materials but are forced to teach a subject that is not an area of high interest. Such situations can really demotivate a student. I tend to think of the teaching environment as a role in a play and I as the actor need to deliver a fantastic performance. This not to say to fake your enthusiasm but I do feel you need to check your ego at the door and leave your bad day… >>>

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