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

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Self-Doubt

Lisa, student to student interaction is a great technique. You will want to protect against a small group of students taking over a class but overall I feel this is a great technique and is highly encouraged. James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Self-Doubt

Jessica, you bring forward such a important topic with respect to each student being different. One size simply does not fit all when it comes to knowledge transfer. Remaining open to different ways of communicating with different students and staying focused on not allowing any of your students to not fall too far behind will greatly enhance your ability to reach all of your desired learning outcomes. James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Self-Doubt

Paul, I like how you redirected the student's attention away from their self-doubt and got them focusing more on the issue of clear communication. Sometime it only takes small redirections to help students refocus and get to the real meat of an issue. A little redirection can go a long way. It is also critical to discuss the final results with students so they can process what took place and use the feelings and understandings they have gained in that moment to reproduce such sessions in the future. James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Fear Factor with Tests

Curt, great use of in-class practice and association games to get students to realize they know more than they may realize. Using a written test to determine their understanding of materials is just a method that is easily quantified and allows you as an instructor to quickly evaluate what learning materials may need to be reviewed. Sometimes just letting students know the purpose behind different assessment tools helps them to better understand why such tools are needed and takes a lot of the confusion out which can lead to the fear factor they experience. James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Improving Classroom Management

Denise, try to not focus so much on their age and focus more on their learning habits and preferences. Have you engaged in any classroom discussions about your concerns with respect to their behavior in your class? What are the consequences for your students if they leave your class with little or no knowledge of your subject matter? May be a good time to make sure they understand that the disruptions caused by their lack of professionalism is taking away from their ability to receive the knowledge they need to move forward. If your subject matter will be required by… >>>

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Improving Classroom Management

Amanda, you bring forward a critical point. If you make the subject more interesting to the students than their distractions they will avoid the distractions and focus on your lesson and learning outcomes. If the distractions are more interesting than your materials and your presentation you stand a much higher chance to losing the attention of your students. James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Self-Doubt

Annette, many students have similar experiences. This is why we as professional educators need to always be mindful of the possible outside influences that may get in the way of knowledge transfer. If students hear more negative than positive then they tend to become the negative. According to Dr. Joe Pace of The Pacific Institute, it take 11 positives to make up for a single negative so consider that as you focus on your activities for knowledge transfer. The more you can find ways to focus on the positive the better your students will eventually react. James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Traits of Successful Instructors

Amy, well stated. This is why it is good to have your peers evaluate your overall effectiveness in a classroom. I know for myself, I have used video tapping of some of my classes and then requested my peers and supervisors to provide me with feedback on their observations. The focus here is continual improvement. No one knows it all and everyone no matter how many years of experience can improve on some aspects of their classroom management and teaching delivery. James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Improving Classroom Management

Jessica, think of this as a professional relationship. Nothing wrong with establishing a relationship with students as long as they understand the boundaries and the focus is the ability for them to receive the transfer of knowledge you are providing. James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Improving Classroom Management

Denise, the more you can establish expectations and then teach to those expectations the better time you will have with classroom management. Students will take most advantages of situations where they feel they can manipulate a situation to their favor. If students know from day one that you are fair but firm, you will experience less negative issues. James Jackson

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