Sandra Aronoff

It is important to have the students build a connection between what they are learning and how it will apply to their future career. Building a career portfolio is important because students are able to see what they have accomplished. I also liked the idea of digital badges and will be looking into this further for myself and my students.

What I learned from this module is that student's need to get clear goals and expectations at the beginning of the course, and find ways to bring their life experiences into the classroom so that they are able to tie in the course expectations and their educational goals. This clarity should foster a learning environment where there is open communication between the student and the instructor.

I think building rapport with students is a key to a successful class. Being passionate about teaching, I find that being courteous, respecting the student's opinions are important to help the student feel empowered and invested in their educational journey.

Student's how recognize that their education is in investment in their futures will feel motivated and driven to apply what they learn. As an instructor, I can help them view this by using real world examples and exercises where they can apply the topics learned in class.

I think this is a great concept but the challenging part is getting the students to learn or read the material before coming to class. I believe the students would gain so much practical experience with the in class activities and the immediate feedback but I don't know if all of the students will actually put in the extra time needed, except for the ones that are motivated to learn the subject.

I learned tips on how to manage my classroom more effectively.

I learned about the different class management styles and what style I should strive to be.

I've learned that boundaries are important. That new instructors should prepare for class but if they make a mistake, use humor when pointing out the mistake to remind students they are human. I also learned that its important to reflect at the end of each lesson, what worked, and what didn't so that the next time they need to teach the same lesson they can remember and come up with a better strategy on how to teach the lesson.

I learned the different types of challenging students and strategies on how to manage them.

I learned about different types of students and strategies on how to manage each type. One common thread I noticed on how to manage each type of student was to have conversations with them. Many times the issue is that they either don't know what is expected of them, don't see the value of what they are learning or have not yet developed responsible skills.