Lynnette Balentine

Understanding why a student has become inactive or disengaged is important. It is a skill to be an instructor who can read the room and adjust according to the tone. Watching for students that fall off and making sure that all students get the experience they need to learn. Life challenges can also affect the connections and attitudes a student will form about the course. 

Both active learning and passive learning are important. Passive learning is important to get direct information out quickly. Active learning can be used to further develop the student's understanding of the content that has been presented to them. It can further support repetition and memory of content. 

In this module active learning was the main topic. It is important to plan for active learning during your lesson planning. Involving the students in their learning requires their commitment and engagement. I often create activities each week for my students. Moving forward I will make sure that the activities give my students the opportunity to commit and become involved in the activity content.  For example, instead of asking the student to define a topic ask them how the topic affects them in the learning environment. 

Offering time management ideas and time management messages can help a procrastinating learner. 

Feedback is important when supporting the students learning experience. In the classroom body language and verbal comments help the students learn. In an asynchronous environment precise and encouraging feedback in important. 

It is important to establish relationships with each student in week 1. This can be accomplished by posting a biography or yourself and asking each student to also introduce themselves with a brief biography. In week one, as the instructor, you should post a response to each student. 

All instructors must become conscious of the needs of the learner. I once worked at a school where the instructors were students for a course before they could start teaching. It was a way to remind the instructor of what a student experiences.