Barry Westling

Bo, One awesome source that just about every instructor has access to is recent or former graduates. Graduates are familiar with the school and the program, are able to better relate to the current students, and nearly always bring an enthusiasm and passion that more experienced workers may have lost. Another source is salespeople. Either they can speak about their products or they may know of individuals in your community that would be willing to be a guest speaker. Barry Westling

Bo, As an author, I have an obligation to cover many topics within the scope of my subject matter. But as an instructor, there may be whole chapters, different sequence of information, or just a page or two that is used from a chapter. The instructor needs to be able to choose what resources (or portions thereof) they feel is necessary to teach the material. Barry Westling

Lacy, Very true, as its been said, "failure to plan is planning to fail!". And we do serve as role models of sorts, so good students will take our lead and rise up to the level of expectations we give them. Barry Westling

Brian, Yes, the field trip can be a wonderful source of information and inspiration, sometimes by providing a sense of reality to otherwise vague ideas about what the work setting appears like. Students are usually very motivated following a good, well structured field trip. Barry Westling

Anita, I do simple first, before changing to another activity. For instance, the stop and wait method, standing next to chatty students, asking pointed questions to select students. Most will eventually get the message. But if its the whole class that seems detached, then a change up to a different activity may be in order. Barry Westling

Anita, Both are good ideas. Assuring that students are active participants, especially with guest speakers enhances the learning experience. Passively listening or watching is not as beneficial as when students are fully engaged in the activity. Barry Westling

Michael, I like to provide opprtunity for and recognition of knowlege and skills learned. I try to do that within the structure of the grading system. Extra credit is a rare event. Barry Westling

Joseph, Great. When students can internalize information, it's more likely to be remembered, and applied to personal situations and the work setting. Barry Westling

Wenda, Good preparation also conveys assurance to students that competent instruction can be expected every day. I think students want and need direction. Good organization and planning creates comfort that all is well and under control. Barry Westling

Joseph, Evaluation actually implies a comparison of some sort, such as in what someone should know vs what they do know. Whereas assessment implies testing competence. Semantics, I know. But as you say, matching the appropriate objective to the assessment level required is essential if we want a true measure of learning. Barry Westling