Lewis O'Neal

Motivating through reinforcement is a great way to give feedback in a timely manner in order for the student to improve in whatever area they are focusing on.  I will try to make this a daily goal in order to ease the student's anxiety and frustration from the waiting to hear their results.

The REFOCUS method is perfect for keeping track of progress.  Keeping the goals aligned with different teaching methods will help keep me on track to reaching the desired level of understanding.  It will help me see if I need to adjust what information is needed to be included with detail or if can be relayed with visuals or a story to get the point across.

Bringing excitement to learning a subject that may not be as interesting is always a challenge.  I tend to tell a story of when I made a mistake and how I dealt with it when trying to make a connection with the subject and the importance of why it is important to us in our field.  Take a serious situation and point out the WHY and HOW it came to be along with the understanding mistakes WILL happen to us all but comfort them in knowing in this class/lab is where we are practicing.  Make mistakes now as to not… >>>

I find myself using the combination method more than a single style.  I can build upon a single idea or thought that leads into another style and format.  It gives students the chance to at least consider many different perspectives that you can steer into the main objective of what we are learning this day.  It opens the door for questions and problem-solving, and by the end of class they will have in some way performed a reflection on themselves. 

Greeting the class and putting names to faces is always a good way to start day one.  It shows you view them as more than just another student in the class.  It helps ease the tension of the first day and shows that we can address the class as a whole yet have teachable moments that the whole class can learn from.

Preparing for a class of any size is important.  Having the information and a detailed plan of the day's activities greatly improves the flow and tone of the day. I will do my best to prepare as it will keep track of what ideas need expressing, how to deliver the information to the audience, and enhance the level of proficiency overall.

What this module has shown me is that being professional is more than the uniform and conducting a lab.  It is the preparation before.  That encompasses many different things that are brought together for the enhancing of knowledge our students are looking for.  Being able to deliver a lecture or conduct a lab is very important, but being credible, committed, and clear is essential to bringing excitement to learning.  This will allow you to project our own personality into the instruction which will create ways to communicate years of experience to our students.