Josh Miller

The human side of teaching is the most important part.  Be human and then the students will trust you and listen to what you say and apply it.  Use real world examples and do your best to prepare so it will count in there lives.  

I agree that you have to be careful how you handle the one or two students that want to ruin a class.  Having steps to do this is important.  No class should be interrupted by one student that wants to ruin the experience.  Sometimes they turn around and it all works out.  They want success too. 

I don't know if I necessarily agree with these tactics.  I think that students are smarter than you think and that they will figure out why you singled them out and gave them cards.  A better way is to work with them and ask others questions and get others involved.  This diffuses the situation and makes it easier to get everyone involved without singling out one individual with unusual treatment.  

I like the idea of setting the expectations early and having them in the syllabus.  There has to be a way for the students to know how to succeed in each class that they take.  Everyone wants to be successful and the instructor can make that possible with clear guidelines and expectations. 

Presenting to the students in a genuine way and using the various learning styles will bring about a classroom experience that has memories and application. 

I do like learning the names and think it's important.  Takes a few weeks and in larger classes it's much more challenging.  Overall, it eventually comes.  

Helping prepare the class with a check list is a great way to make sure nothing is missed. 

Preparation and getting to know the class are very important in a successful classroom environment. 

That it is important to be professional and also be approachable as it is the students experience.  Too often instructors try to be the smartest in the room and lose those they are trying to educate.  Tap into the students to get a real world educational experience that sticks and guides them to a successful future.