Ryan, I have learned abvout the several methods that have proven effective in motivation of a variety of learners in the learning environment. In our me, me society it is sometimes easy to forget that in the teaching envoroment, the object of our thoughts and actions need to be directed outward towards our students. In that regard, I especially liked the aspect of the teacher acknowledgeing at some point that they may have missed the mark on some aspect of their teaching plan and accepting that it may be necessary to reset their presentations to mee course objectives.
Since I typically teach very intense, brief 3-day Boot Camp instruction, it is sometimes difficult to learn what I need to know about each of my students. At times I find that if I must confront unforseen circumstances at the varied venues where I conduct my workshops and if I neglect that aspect of my lesson plan, the classes are not as personally satisfying and I sense that the students do not form into that cohesive group that I find best supports learning.
While I am acutely aware of the need for variety, I plan to seek out more creative ways to present my subject matter. Heretofore, I have limited my presentations to PowerPoint, Lecture and Handouts. I will definately be expanding my bag of tricks. Joe
