Paula Welter

Blog Comment

The thing I enjoy most about teaching adult learners is that they have tangible reasons for wanting to progress and realign their job market skills. This often means that their motivation comes from within. Then they are more open to what I can offer them as someone who has worked in the specific profession they are studying.

What I find most daunting about teaching adults is that they have so many other demands for their time -- families, jobs, aging parents, for instance. Their energy level can sometimes be diluted by these stressors, and I find myself often needing to… >>>

Paula Welter

Discussion Comment

An acronym can be created for evaluate a student weekly

I like to give students an acronym -- so that each letter of the acronym stands for one of the key components of weekly focus in which the student needs to put forth excellent effort in order to achieve the coursework's goals. For instance, I use TRAM as an acronym. I tell the students to focus on weekly testing; repetitive practice of a language they are learning through a practice interface provided them; attendance as close to perfect as possible; and submission of weekly assignments that "must" be done to reinforce grammar and punctuation. I give them the acronym TRAM… >>>

Paula Welter

Blog Comment

Communicating without non-verbal behavior.

I totally agree with Walter's comments about using your voice to engage students. I am a naturally animated speaker, I've always been told, and that helps me when working online. I only have chatbox and audio as ways to communicate with the students. I do try to use the whiteboard when it is needed, as well, of course, to type in words the students need to see as well as hear, when practicing their work. Each day, I have an inspirational quote and an image correlated to the saying up on the whiteboard when students first arrive. When doable, I… >>>

Paula Welter

Discussion Comment

The medium is the message

Critical thinking is very much shaped by the medium by which the message is delivered... as I learned in college, years ago. The medium can limit or distort the information that makes up the message. What are some ways to counteract this reality?