Barry Westling

Ed, Yes, and your comments underscore the value and need for solid preparation. Students know when their instructor is prepared and when not. They rely on us to assist in their training. We should not allow ourselves to let them down. Barry Westling

Gracie, Media can be a tremendous asset (when used appropriately). Anything in excess will not be as effective, so mixing up a given instructional session with variety (video, YouTube, DVD, PPT, white-board, flip chart, overhead) along with lecture, discussion, worksheets, pair-share, and similar student-led activities keeps attention and focus, and helps limit distractions. Barry Westling

James, Yes, humor can be a nice neutralizer and contribute to a more relaxed learning environment. Related to this is interesting or unusual stories. Students like stories, and their retention of course material is often improved when they can associate information pertinent to their studies when it is accompanied by a humorous or extraordinary situation, circumstance, or occurence from the workplace. Barry Westling

Gracie, These are great examples that demonstrate to the students that their instructor is competent and serious about expectations. Also, students like routines, as I think it creates a sense of order. And order may help students feel a bit more comfortable and at ease. Barry Westling

Raymond, This is a great routine, consistent with with responsible planning. Barry Westling

Raymond, Journals can be extremely helpful for observation and reflection. I'm sure your tenure provides a wealth of past experiences which can contribute to ongoing improvement and greater instructional effectivenss Barry Westling

Allison, Sounds like a good system! I do something similar by having the student complete a "fill in the blanks" statement regarding what they believe has interfered with their focus, what they could do differently, and moving forward, what they plan to do as a personal commitment to themselves to acheive the skills, knowledge and understanding needed. Although it's not binding, it forces a degree of accountability and in the end contributes to overall better student performance. Barry Westling

Allison, Yes, and I have found that better performing students will use the information assessed on a pretest to look ahead and begin working on areas of study they determine will be upcoming, and they want to get a head start. The average student will not do this, and just wait for whatever comes when the instructor plans it out. Barry Westling

Allison, It's interesting that many of our students are tech-savvy and accustomed to electronic and social media connections in their personal lives. Yet even well intentioned media use in the classroom can miss the mark, which just goes to show there has to be something meaningful, beneficial and pertinent to the students study in order to keep their attention. As for YouTube, I try to keep these segments under two minutes. After that, attention begins to drift. Longer segments are best left to professionally produced topics (DVD or video delivery for instance). Barry Westling

Allison, Wholeheartedly agree. There's just something inspiring for students when good guest speakers or an interesting field trip is planned. I think students may begin to visualize themselves in a particular setting, and that mental picture creates a spark of motivation that can lead to a desire to work harder in class so they can be (better) prepared for work when they complete their program. Barry Westling