At our college we run on 12 week quarters which means some weeks are busier than others; therefore, some weeks have more stress than others. I have found that keeping a to-do list that I can save for each quarter to use again really has helped. This way I am reminded by my list of what needs to be done by a certain time each quarter. If the task is that I need to run a certain report and only do this four times a year, the chances of me remembering how to run the list is slim. Therefore, by writing the how-to down I can refer to it each quarter to ensure an accurate report and in a timely manner.

Is it possible to find yourself in fluctuation with a multitude of these categories? It seems that I am changing my obstacles for each quarter that I am teaching. Could it be possible that I adjust those needs to meet the needs of the students? I am in amazement of the shifting that I can do for each quarter.

One of the potential pitfalls of multiple choice questions is that students can confuse familiarity with mastery of a subject. In Vet Tech, students are expected to have detailed knowledge of the various areas, but many fall short of that expectation. If they have some general, non-specific knowledge but don't know the details, they may look at multiple choice answers and pick one that seems familiar to them. As we all know, for a well-written multiple choice question, all of the answers (or most) should look "reasonable", but only one is truly correct. I used to teach chemistry at several universities (as does my husband), and we have both observed the same thing with multiple choice questions. Student performance is often surprisingly poor on these questions. I am obligated to use the multiple choice format for portions of all my exams because that is the format they will see for the Vet Tech Board Exams, but I am often disappointed with the result.

I find that if you have a student who is having difficulty focusing, if you talk to him or her one on one and explain this is important to them and there career maybe throw a couple of real life examples out there they will start to be more attentive in class.

In one course I teach We have homework to prepare the students for that days task. the student can not clock in and start the job untill their homework is complete and graded. which affects their grade. once they find this out they usually make sure it is done BEFORE coming in the next day

Cheating is easy for a student to do if the opportunity is there! Take control of your testing environment. To start I give multiple versions of the test the students take A, B, C and D. I remind the student if caught they will fail the test and take a walk to see ED manager where it could lead to suspension; I walk the room when the testing is in progress.

This has been my first year as a teacher. In that time I've found that being straightforward is useful. Even more importantly, none of my students expect me to know everything, and answering "I don't know, but I'll find out" has lead to better results than trying to fake an answer and seem like I know everything. My biggest fear in teaching was that I was a 'phony' since I don't know everything/ every answer, but this simple answer shows students that I care, am learning just like they are and has aided in building their confidence in me (which is in contrast to what I thought it would do....)

What happens as your jobs are added to?

I think this is a arge factor. Thoughts?

How do you feel about tests with a variety of questions? Address all learning styles?

How do you deal with students that are only there because someone told them that they need to (i.e. their parents)?

When you have more than one boss how do you know whos work comes first?

It is important to remember that the classroom is not the forum for complaints. I will tell the student to meet with me during a break to talk about what's bothering them .

I find it is helpful to pair the "apple polishers" up with the students that are nervous or shy.

The module mentioned that students will basically find out just how far they can push and instructor. This is very true! It is impartant to take charge of your classroom and set expectations straight on the first day of class.

I keep my work to do list and my personal to do list seperate. I met someone that combines them and I was wondering if others do that also?

I teach military and civilian adult learners. I start each two week course with a lesson on critical thinking skills and tie that in to course participation and life-skills after the course. Due to the amount of material I must cover in my two eek course, I'm only able to teach a two hour block on this subject which barely scratches the surface of this valuable learning skill. Does anyone have experience with a good introductory critical thinking class?

There are times when I have distributed a learning activity when they return from break/lunch based on our discussion prior to going on break/lunch. I give them a specific time frame (10-15 minutes depending on the length) to complete the activity for some possible extra credit points depending on the difficulty of the activity. Those students who do not come back from break/lunch on time also can participate in the activity, however, they have lost minutes because they were not back from break on time. I have found since beginning this, the students tend to come back from break or lunch on time as they do not know when/if there may be an opportunity for extra credit.

Instructors should always do their very best

All cell phones shold be banned during test taking