Time Crunch
Every class does move at a different pace, therefore, instructors must have additional material available.
Hi Scott:
Yes, it does seem that most classes have a variety of student learning speeds. Sometimes, the challenge is to keep pace with your top performers while not leaving the slower learners in the dust. Similarly, engaging the faster learners while spending class time with slower learners is the task. Either way, having additional resources to assist all learning types with the lesson is helpful.
Regards, Barry
Very much agree, there is some slack time in my class so when students start getting off task, which may be reviewing previous material to prepare for a exam, I'll throw different things at them to get them re-focused, like troubleshooting problems.
Hi Karl:
Keeping interest is an art and a science. Keeping students busy is one thing, engaging them in the material is another. The latter will produce better students because they'll have retained more essential information.
Regards, Barry
I agree...very important that this information is shared with the other Instructors teaching the class so that all the students have the benifit of receiving addition info. Instructors should discuss this as well as this often happens on certain days throughout the course, so perhaps the course content needs to be adjusted.
Hi Andrea:
Super! Peer discussion, program reviews, class audits - lots of different names for the basic idea of communicating with each other for the common goal of improvement. Really can't go wrong if that's happening frequently.
Regards, Barry
I agree. Sometimes you do need to adjust material according to your class. Also, I find that I need to redirect busy classes more often!
Hi Kate:
I think it takes a few times teaching the same class to get a feel for where students usually require more time, or the opposite, have too much time alloted for the lesson. Back up plans, student-led work groups, and class discussions by students often are good time adjusters, because these can work the clock both directions.
Regards, Barry
I agree that instructors need the additional materials just in case anything occurrs. I have personally experienced one class moving super fast and the other super slow. It varies from time to time.
Hi Carmella:
Having enough material to cover the essential, and extra material if there is time is one way to addres this proble. IOver time, experience can teach how to gauge theamount of time a particular topic will take. The unknown variable is student questions,and unbexpected interruptions.
Regards, Barry
