Marco Ilaria

I see Gen Y learners as very interested in knowing why something works. They are more interested in the reasons than if it works or not. Giving students a voice is key to any sucessful learning experience.The most important element in this method is the confidence that students have and the ability of the instructor to allowing a student to be wrong but not foolish.

The way the world works today one has to be informed and savy about the techno age. I do use the modern methods, but I give my students alot of personal experiences and group discussions to teach my classes. I find that my students are so involved with their tech life that they appreciate the more personal touch. I certainly get more of their attention and thus greater retension of the material.

The presentation of material to Gen Y students seems to work well as a orchestrated dance. I now incorporate movement into my lectures. What I mean by that is that I move all over the classroom during a class session. Sometimes I'm in the back of the room, the side and the front of the classroom. While I'm moving around I find that I get more engaged with my students. They never know where I am going to be so they are more alert and attentive. Any thoughts on this?

Coming from the boomer generation it is often difficult to adapt my teaching style to this current generation. How do we change to meet the needs of our students? I certainly could use some thoughts in this area.

I was surprised to learn in this course that a harvard study has shown that soft people skills far outweigh hard skills. I answered that question as 50%- 50%. I teach at a vocational college where hard skills play a larger role in teaching.I have no problem with the soft skills as I have been teaching for 15 yrs.still if i am not a expert in the hard skills ( cooking ) than the soft skills don't matter as much. Do others in vocational colleges agree?

I find it very difficult to accomodate those students who missed work that was done in class. Practical assignments are no problem but the lecture material is what I'm having a hard time with. I offer my students a thumb drive of the lecture material but few take me up on that. Could use some ideas.

The style and technique by which you manage a class is the most important factor to students retaining information. The controller and guide combination has worked for me over the past fifteen years of teaching. I see myself more like a coach and I set the standards high and promote self expression and art in my students work.

I'd like to hear from some of you what are the most problematic areas in a teacher's life that cause stress. I feel that my company, and the way they do things is the most stressful thing that I have to deal with. The nature of big business today is the lack of personal connection, which leads to confusion and stress.

The amount of regular excercise I get is the best way I can manage my stress level. I enjoy swimming and it allows me to relax and get out of my head. The life of a instructor can be stressful due to all the factors that you have to manage.( students, administration, homelife )

I am concerned about the amount of retension with multiple choice exams.In my opinion these exams offer little more than good guess responses. I much prefer fill in the blank questions, as it allows me to really measure the retension of the material.