Craig Fletcher

I will lead by example. I will maintain rapport with my students. I will find out what motivates them so that I can use that information to keep them motived and focused them on their goals.

In a nutshell, I need to keep on top of my game keeping my students interested in learning, by not being boring. Providing a variety of learning styles and methods to keep them engaged in the learning process, I can provide them with the best learning experience to help them achieve success. If things slack off for any reason, I can always fall back on the REFOCUS strategy to get a handle on the situation. 

Establishing rapport, being caring, encouraging, respectful, and being a professional with a positive attitude will help me to be seen as an approachable and helpful authority figure to students. Making them as comfortable as possible from their point of view should help to keep them interested in attending my class because they want to be there. Ultimately, I'd like them to see me as someone who can help them to succeed in accomplishing goals. I remember being a student quite well and have a pretty good perspective on their point of view. As their instructor, I'll keep that in mind.

I was able to reflect on my own experience as a nontraditional student and relate to this material. I feel like I have a good perspective on the needs of students based on this experience. I will be mindful of what motivates my students, help them to see the big picture and encourage them to do what it takes be successful. 

Be adaptable. Be creative, competent and personable. Use a combination of teaching methods to cover all learning styles. Offer and receive feedback to judge what works. Always be prepared. Take notes to improve abilities. Take classes and seek advice from colleagues.

Day one sets the tone for the rest of the class. We don't get a second chance for a first impression. Help everyone to be comfortable and show them you care by getting to know them and sharing experiences. It is helpful to follow a checklist to cover everything needed. Get through as much as possible, but don't rush it. Do not overwhelm students with too much information on day one. Pick up where we left off if needed. 

I learned that I'm responsible for much more than I imaged an instructor would be, but it makes sense. Careful planning of every aspect of the learning process and controlling that process toward the end of student success is my goal. I will definitely use checklists as an instructor, just as I would in the field, and have a notepad close by. This should be fun!

Being who I am as a person, and being an excellent role model, manger and motivator is going to be a fun challenge. I will need to figure out my strengths and weaknesses in order to be successful as an instructor that engages and motivates students and creates a professional learning environment for them. I'm going to need feedback to reflect on what I know and how I can improve on for every aspect of my classroom duties in order to be as effective and efficient as possible. I'm going to have to be humble with weaknesses and learn to… >>>

My attention span is not as good as it used to be, but I did not know most of this material. Hopefully I retain 70%.

This is a long and detailed subject that is important to know about. I wish it was broken down into smaller sections.