This was very a informational segment of the course. The importance of being prepared for class on day one is a maker or breaker. At our school we strive to make sure all instructors are prepared and ready to distribute syllabus on day one of class.

When you are a professional it is ok to talk about your family if you are making a point about a discussion that is going on in class, but do not dominate the discusson; leave time for other students to elaborate.

Very helpful strategies

identify your stresses

Find a way to get the students to help

Take care of things in a timely manner

Take time out to get some rest.

I try to engage the students in an activity each week, whether it be a small group activity or a large group activity. I find it creates a good energy in the classroom. I also encourage participation, because in my role, I am also networking with businesses and working to fill positions. And many times those students that I've had in class will come to mind as potential employees for companies. So the more I'm getting to know them, the more opportunities they may have.

In my classes I've had a few students in the past who have just had bad attitudes. It could have been the material, it could have been school in general, it could have been their personal lives, or it could have been me. Whatever the reason, I try to not let it affect how I teach because the majority of the students are participating and engaged. And I don't want one negative attitude to affect everyone else's experiences.

As a first year instructor with adult students I found that while reading this module, I have incountered a lot of these students. I have had the talkative, inattentive, blaming others and even the cry-babies! I've had to learn how much attention to give to the different varieties of students. But this module was really helpful!

The class I teach is two hours and 15 minutes long. I try to keep students engaged by spending no more than 30 minutes on each activity: powerpoint, group activity, video, lab activity, lecture, etc. It seems to work out well.

The first day of class I always go over the syllabus, which includes grading, course objectives, assignments etc. I teach Career Development, which each student is required to take towards the end of their program. Many of them come in with a negative perception of the course. Many do not think it should be required and will not be a useful class because they know how to make a resume, or they've interviewed before, etc. I begin the class by saying, I'm not assuming you know nothing about the job search. I know there are things we will do in this class that you've done before. But through this class you will gain additional resources on the job search, and ideas on how to improve your job search skills. I find that, addressing it the first day will take care of the complaints later on.

I must confess that I have practiced lectures before. I have done it to both serve as an education tool for me but also so that I can time the material that I am presenting. This can help out make sure that I am not cramming too much in the last 10 minutes of class!

I really benefited from the suggestion of using the "constant talker" to be the observer. I think that this will be very helpful and have a few I will try tonight. It is hard to provide an environment that encourages success but at the same time keeps the constant talker from dominating the class

How do you initally engage students in the learning process when the instructor is younger than the students, or the student and instructor are around the same age group(i.e. late 20's)?

I think that professionalism can be very subjective in our society and those of us in the career colleges need to understand the culture that each student will be entering into before laying out blanket dress code or behavior etc.

I have a student that was very inattentive during every term but with devotion and attentiveness on my part to her, she has done great with continuing out of my class. She used to come back from breaks late by 10 min or more. She was never engaged in any class activities on her own free will. I took the time to get to know her a little bit without showing any favoring. She is very young and has many things going on in her life outside of school. We came to an understanding and worked together with her to make it fun for her. Now she comes back now and then to talk to me about school even though she isn't in my class anymore. Very rewarding. These strategies work.

Sometimes, an instructor gets personally challenged by a student within their classroom. They feel this student's anger and consequently, return the anger by getting involved in a challenge with each other. How do you manage these types of instructors?

When you have roles other than as an instructor, you classroom "time" management seems to suffer, as in my case. I often get pulled from my own classe to deal with program issue as that is my main role. My course evaluations often reflect this as I get pulled in many different directions. I know that to eliminate this problem is to not teach any classes but that is one of my enjoyments that I do not wish to give up. How can I better manage my class? How can I not get pulled away or run late due to a program issue?

What types of ice breakers work best to get students acclimated to beginning a new course and getting to know their peers/instructor?