Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

I feel it is important that all students ask questions. For those students who may be afraid to ask questions during a lecture or activity for fear of feeling "stupid" I would use notecards and a Q&A box much like a suggestion box. The process though was mandatory for all students in the class. Each student had to submit a card at the end of the class period and each question would be reviewed at the next session. This served as a method of review and allowed for the individual who thought they had a stupid question to ask the… >>>

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Learning Style

The importance of incorporating all learning styles into the classroom is essential for student and instructor success. A successful instructor will fully engage their students with a variety of instructional methods. The development of learning styles can be enhanced by doing so. I think that it is as equally important to encourage students to explore new ways of learning.

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Ummmm

I attended a training session on engaged learning quite a few years ago. We were assigned a task of creating a 15 minute engaged learning activity. The facilitator noted how many times during the presentation the "students" used the words um. It was amazing to me to see how many times we as presenters use this filler word. I started using this tool as part of my classroom observations and the faculty was well was surprised to see how many times they used this phrase and how it can impact their delivery.

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Instructor Burnout

Instructor burnout can easily occur, but also can be easily prevented. One piece of advice I would offer, would be to continuously look for new ways to deliver the same material. The best part of this process is you can more often than not, turn to your fellow instructors who have a different teaching approach. I have also found that implementing a variety of teaching methods and mixing things up can help prevent burnout.

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Student Retention

Student retention starts with the instructor. The simple act of taking the time on Day 1 to learn about your students can make a significant impact on a student's completion of their program. It is also important to understand that many of our student's lack outside support to be successful, so that is where we as the educational leaders, can step in and offer the support and motivation to complete.

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Prior Knowledge

Students with Prior Knowledge can be both beneficial and hazardous to your classroom. Students with prior knowledge can be helpful to classmates who may be struggling and to the instructor as a go to source. however, they can also easily become a disruption to the class as they try to hard to impart their experiences. In cases such as this, I would assign this student to be the "observer" as noted in earlier trainings.

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Classroom Management

Simply stated, the key to any instructor's success is good classroom management. I feel that it is essential to develop all instructional staff on the elements of classroom management. Often, an instructor can feel as though they have effective classroom management when in reality they don't. Expectations must be set for the instructional staff as expectations are set for the student population.

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Classroom Motivation

By effectively motivating your entire classroom, you can assess your students and their potential needs and personalities. It is also important to remember that we all are motivated by different factors. By taking 5 minutes to learn a small detail about your student, you can save yourself the potential for disaster.

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

The Best Teacher Ever

When reviewing student surveys, I am always a bit cautious of this statement, especially from students who have just started and have had limited contact with other instructors. While I don't want to sound negative, I have to wonder what makes this person the best teacher ever. I hope that it would be the instructor has effective classroom management, engaged learning and high professional qualities that the students will mirror. However, on the flip side, this could be the instructor who lacks all of these qualities and therefore, the students consider them a peer rather than a leader. Once a… >>>

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Better Late than Never

I have mixed feelings on accepting late assignments. As noted, we should be treating homework and projects as assignments given to the student by the future employer. If your boss gives you a hard deadline for a project, they are not going to accept it 5 days past the due date. However, collecting these assignments, can give the instructor an assessment of the student's learning and therefore are extremely important. This is why I feel it is essential to establish your expectations on Day 1 and stick with this policy. Also, to set the example, the instructor must also return… >>>