Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Liz, I just don't want to spend unnecessary time if it's not needed. That doesn't mean their is no value in review or practice. But some material that supports the main topic my be very basic and not too much time needs to be spent on it if the whole class is already familiar with it. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using senses in learning

Liz, I believe involving multiple senses in the learning process really does help. I think of the sense of smell. We can smell an odor or fragrance from even our childhood and instantly that memory reappears. That's a powerful sense! The other senses can be just powerful when we give extra attention to them. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Selecting instructional media

Lynne, All media should serve to put key information into the student's minds eye. When that occurs, it's probably there for good. So I choose media that'll help understanding and memory, much as you describe. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Goal of educating students

Mike, Yes, understanding is the key. I've found students can memorize information, but better instruction involves both doing and understanding. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using a teaching journal

Mitchell, Journals are great because over time, they are able to show trends, improvements, growth, and serve as a good reference point to obtain past information. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Making field trips and guest speakers a part of instruction

Lynne, Someone other than the regular instructor, whether it be in a field trip or as guest speaker is bound to provide a different spin on things, have a different background or experience, etc. All of these nearly;y always make for more interesting classes. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Selecting instructional media

James, This reminds me of an important instructional technique which is to take something the students already know and add to it, and by doing so, the student is likely to remember more. So while variety in media is important, selecting the most relevant resources are ever so more important and valuable. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Understanding yourself as an instructor

Owena, Great! I think experience without growth is time wasted. I've viewed many student critiques of classes with the comment "a good instructor and in time will be a great instructor". By being creative, flexible, willing to try different approaches, sitting in on other's classes, and personal continuing education, an instructor becomes dynmaic, current, and perhaps more relatable to their students. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Being a student-centered instructor

James, I think this is true. We all have a certain perception of ourselves, but we might modify some of our actions, behavior, or presentation if we could see ourselves through the lens of our students and others. Friendly critiques by our instructor colleagues might be one way to do this, at least partially. I suppose videotaping ourselves and watching the result might be another way. In the latter, we understand we are our own worst critics and maybe we would be inclined to change things more by our own standards. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Reengaging off-task students

Candace, The use of cell phones has slowly creeped into our world. They are a big distration and should be left out of the classroom. Most of my faculty follow these practical steps. They provide guidelines about cell phone use in their syllabus and verbally discuss them on day one. We discuss it at orientation before the student even begins. Cell phone on a person has to be set on vibrate or silent mode during class and absoulutely cannot be used in class. Cell phones are collected during testing periods. If a student leaves the classroom "to take an emergency… >>>