Julie Ann,
You are correct! Both are so important to student success.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jessica,
I agree with you. How do you think we should capture their attention in an online environment? What role does the LMS play in all of this?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Peter,
What a great way to engage students. There is nothing wrong in asking students what they think works and doesn't work. I think it is a great strategy.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
As a unique individual with my own personal teaching style, my pattern of teaching will look completely different from another teacher.
I do believe that for each teacher, it in important to provide students with :(1) clear concise communication on discussions, assignments,and tests (2) all content information is organized and placed in a consistent centralized location to ease student navigation and learning
Lauree,
Great post. You can create your own style and personality within your pattern of teaching. It amazes me when I hear instructors say they don't feel students "get" them in the online environment. Well, find a way; your teaching style will work in different environments.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The two most important items:
1) Making sure that your presence is in the classroom.
2) Communicating with the student what needs to be learned.
I know when I was in school the worse feeling was when the instructor was not available for questions. That is why in my classroom I make sure they know that my presence is in the classroom and they should see my pattern of teaching with how consistent my outreach is. Also, making sure that you communicate thoroughly is important to establish a pattern of teaching. For each assignment I almost sound like a broken record with my expectations,as well as, within my feedback on their assignments. I find that repetition does help because each paper is better and better.
Joi ,
I love that you used the term presence in your answer. Yes, we can still have a presence in the online classroom, you just have to find a way through technology and old fashion communication. You have to secret of engagement and production in the online classroom and that is repetition. Nice job!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Two important things to consider when establishing your pattern of teaching is the learners and the content. It is important to understand how students learn best and tailor the presentation of the content to meet their needs. As I mentioned before, I teach math and many students need to "see" how to do the problems. Once I've established what students need, I am able to create the tools and then ensure that the students know how to find them, where to find, when to find them and how to use them. It is important for them to know that every week on Sunday their weekly content videos will be available for them to download, for example.
Sarah,
You are right; you do have to make changes based on the learners and how they interact or not interact with the content. With resources you may even have multiple ways of addressing the same content. That is something technology can provide.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I try to be open to different learning styles because each class is different and each student is different. I also try to grade fairly. I realize that there are some people who have better education than others so I try to grade fairly. As long as they meet the minimum requirement, I grade them based on that alone.
Telicia,
I respect your efforts to make sure each student is graded based on their efforts. You want to make sure you set minimum standards and evaluate students based on that. A rubric is a great tool to use.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I think that communication is probably the most important thing in a teaching pattern, regardless of online or F2F.
The second most important thing, in my opinion, concerns the course content and technology use. The course content needs to be correct. You need to provide the learners with correct information, yet also provide them with the correct technology to learn from. This may mean a mix of technology uses, i.e. PowerPoint, journal, blog, discussion boards.
Valerie,
You are right about the importance of communication. You have to be clear and repetitive in your communication and the mix of different types of technology can help you provide that type of communication.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The two most important things to consider when establishing a pattern of teaching are the students learning style and engagement and interaction. Ensuring that these patterns are reached across to all students. L. Allen
Loriann,
You are the first to really recognize engagement and interaction. That is not just with the instructor but with all in the course. Online learning should not even hint to isolation.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I believe organization and consistency are two of the most important things to consider when establishing a pattern of teaching. Students will feel comfortable in your classroom if everything is organized and straight forward. They will also appreciate consistency. This will give them self confidence and help them to succeed.
Gracie,
I agree with you. If you can give students little success in online learning there more apt to take risks in their learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I agree with the many posts that my colleagues have written. Specifically, I believe that communication and consistency are important. Communication is key in any relationship, whether it is student to professor, colleague to colleague, friend to friend, etc. We must communicate to our students initially the expectations of the class, how to maneuver through the class, and how to successfully complete the class. We certainly must communicate any changes or "hang ups" in the learning process so as to keep the students focused and moving forward. Consistency is also key because this determines predictability for the students. Students will know what to expect during any given week, and will not be concerned that a sudden shift will take place, thus disrupting the learning process. From this, we are able to make adjustments, additions, or deletions to improve the class, or stick with those processes that work well based on the test of time.
Aundrea,
Very nice post. Communication and the repetition of the communication is often the key to success for students. The strategy helps students find information. And yes, you can make adjustments during the year. You can change teaching pattern.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
In my opinion, the two most important things to consider when establishing a teaching pattern are communication and consistency. Communication is important, as you lay out your expectations and how students can be successful in the course. Consistency is necessary to establish what students can expect from you the instructor.
