Barry Westling

James, You got it! A prepared instructor knows what, when, and how, and the students are quick to pick up on it. Preparedness also allows for quick change ups, adjustments for Q&A or other interactive topics. Barry Westling

Janice, Handling objects is always a great way to create memory using multiple senses. The more senses involved will yield better recall and application outcomes for the students. And, as in your example, familiarity is complimentary to the use of senses too. Barry Westling

Maryl, There are probably dozens of methods or activities that can tried when your students begin to get off task. I think creating a climate in the classroom that reinforces the notion students are there for learning is one important principle. Thinking about how our students may feel about the topics, and then approaching the instruction from that perspective is also important. That's the "what's in it for me" principle (WIIFM). With these tenets your creative ideas for keeping students engaged should be very effective. Barry Westling

Maryl, Keeping things as simple as possible is always a better way to for students to remember important concepts. Simple experiments can also create a similar outcome. Barry Westling

Maryl, What a wonderful idea and terrific experience! I would expect many of your students to be moved to the point that single experience influences their whole future career (something like that happened to me about 45 years ago when I was just starting out). Barry Westling

Jamie, I feel strongly about the importance of sharing class performance and grade information. For me, it's nearly as important as the instruction itself. So I advocate for personal discussion frequently and early on. Assuming a student is capable to learn, with consistent discussion regarding progress the student is more likely to perform up to their expectations, and meet mine as well. Barry Westling

Jamie, I don't always pretest but when I do, I'm interested in what prior knowlege the students already possess so that I can put less emphasis on that material and put more on areas I know students always have more difficulty with. Sometimes I'll find they need remedial work too, and that's important to know so that I can spend extra time with these students, usually apart from the regular class sessions. Barry Westling

Jamie, I agree. I think confidence is an internal belief or sense about how well a student understands or has mastered the the material. We can instill confidence as an encouragement, and we provide confidence through solid instructional outcomes. Barry Westling

Jamie, Yes, and I've found that even if students don't say anything they are usually very observant. The degree of preparedness they see (or perceive) their instructor appearing for class can be a factor in how serious or engaged the students are too. We're paid to be ready every day and our students deserve at least that degree of effort. Barry Westling

Dana, Yeah, it's important to remember the WIIFM principle ("what's in it for me"). When we can get students to see that our instruction is directly related to their future success or readiness for the workplace, they are more likely to tune in, pay attention, and be willing to participate in order to be better prepared. Abstract theories or non-useful information is more difficult to embrace when students can't see why they need to learn it. Barry Westling