James Kerfin

Discussion Comment

@scmeaux :I am always tellings jokes or humorous stories that may relate to what I am teaching. The material I teach can sometimes be a little boring so I try to entertain as much as possible to try to make students want to come to class instead of just having to come to class.

James Kerfin

Discussion Comment

Challenging backgrounds

The vast majority of students that I teach come from impoverished areas and thus are disadvantaged monetarily, educationally, but socially as well. To be blunt about it the social skills of their home environment are often the exact opposite of what brings success in an academic or professional setting. I try to aid in their transition by attempting to model professional behaviors. I have also found success with adult learners when they have opportunities to demonstrate previous work knowledge and relate that to topics I am teaching in class.

James Kerfin

Blog Comment

Which type of student is most likely to succeed?

I believe that traditional intelligence is more a matter of how much effort one has to put into an academic task than an indicator for success. In my experience a motivated, yet average intelligence student will be as if not more successful than an intelligent student who can memorize factsd and understand concepts easily, because the motivated student will put in the necessary work. I try to pass this on to my students.

James Kerfin

Discussion Comment

Numerous small quizzes

I found some validation in my practices within this portion of the security topic. In my class students have quizzes every time class meets with the lowest two quizzes dropped. I review the material beforehand by going over the previous lesson's homework with the class, I allow time for additional questions, and then we take the quiz. I originally began this practice to "force" to work with the concepts taught in small doses as opposed to "cramming" before the exam, but I do believe it increases their security with their grasp of the material as well. I let my students… >>>