Justin Varble

Throughout these courses I have learned of the importance of fun in the classroom. The material being a fun interactive thing for the students is great for them to learn. The relationship of instructor student must still be respected but there is no reason we cannot have fun together.  

I feel as though something I do well is to see the lab from the students' eyes. I in the past few years was in trade school as well, so I know how it feels to be in their shoes. I learned that it is important to encourage and motivate your student, but also to recognize they have expectations that they expect to be met. It is our responsibility to make sure those expectations are met and exceeded. My goal is for my students to go home feeling like they learned at least one thing every class.  

I learned about the importance of properly converting material from a classic face to face format into an online form that is ease for the student to comprehend. It is also important to make sure that you as an instructor tailor the format to match your teaching style.  

What really stuck out to me were the three different types of facilitation. I personally use the mixed form focusing on a blend of teacher and student discussions. The weekly discussions they complete are a great way for them to facilitate interaction and learning between peers. This blended with my teacher lead online classes seems to be a recipe for success for me. 

I learned about the advantages of asynchronous learning and the disadvantages, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of synchronous learning. I plan to use this when deciding where and when to cover material, and if the material is better delivered online or in person. 

I learned to be conscious of doing too much demonstrating in class and not allowing students to be as involved in the hands-on work. It is important to allow them to get involved so they can learn by trial and error, but it is also important to remember some people learn better by watching. You have to find a balance.

I learned of the importance of trying to connect with multiple learning styles of students. It is easy to focus on the way you learn best sometimes and neglect others' learning styles.

I learned of the importance of setting expectations for the course as well as getting to know about the students to ease tensions of the first day. 

I learned the importance of being early to class and being a model to our students. For some of the students that have not entered the trades yet, we are the first people in the industry they see. We need to take on that role and be the model of a proper professional in our field to allow them to see what they should aim for as a model tradesman.