Barry Westling

Wynell, I believe we are in control of our class, so if students act up, it's our job to rein them in. If we don't then we are as accountable of the unsatisfactory behavior as they are. Being sincere, reasonable and patient usually conveys we are serious about instruction while at the same time being approachable. Barry Westling

Wayne, Right! Sharing performance is nearly as important as the instruction itself. It provides needed guidence and direction, and also provides an opportunity to personalize our connection with students, and the ability to offer encouragement, demonstrating that we care about our students successfulness. Barry Westling

Wayne, I don't always pretest - I do it when when my planned time in a class will be tight and I want see if there is any area I can put less emphasis, based on the students past learning. Less frequently, I've given a pretest at the beginning of a term just to redo it at the end of a term to show progress, and as a motivational tool. Barry Westling

Wayne, Sure, skills and knowledge pertinent to our students career area is our overarching goal as educators. Related "skills" that assist students in the work setting include dress and grooming, communication, punctuality and similar soft skills that employers expect. Critical thinking approaches to work situations are similarly important. Barry Westling

Wayne, Yes, our competence is wasted without the confidence to accompany it, and the ability to convey that confidence to the class. Students need to be able to trust and respect our role as facilitators of their education. Barry Westling

Rebecca, As much as most students generally don't like tests, I've found students will embrace doing a pretest because they can see their own performance without a consequence that affects their grade in class. Of course, as a planning tool, the instructor benefits by understanding where more (or less) emphasis is needed in a particular segment. Barry Westling

Shannon, Yes, in part, we can determine our effectiveness, especially if many students are doing poorly or worse than expected. But good or bad, students appreciate, want, and need to know where they are so that early intervention can occur. Barry Westling

Brittany, I try to meet with each student, in person, in part to establish a rapport and also to layout my expectations for the student. I want to convey a sense of respect and trust from these meetings. From there, if a student begins to fail to communicate I have a better reference point to base my support and encouragement, which is really all I have to "make" a student follow my guidelines. Barry Westling

Shannon, Right, and pretests can always be as little or as much as the instructor wants to put into it. Barry Westling

Brittany, I can tell you that passion is never out of style, and usually a very welcomed sentiment to be exhibited in the classroom. And, impassioned individuals usually find it easier to engage students too, because there is an upward flow that tends to draw in students to the discussion. Barry Westling