Barry Westling

Linda, Students like and appreciate a well organized and prepared instructor. The seamless transition from point to point does create a positive flow, and certainly, a more interesting instructional session. Barry Westling

Andrea, Support and kind words of advice can be very meaningful to students, enough to create a whole change in the students focus and study efforts. Barry Westling

Jennifer, Yeah, being able to provide individual feedback on a personal basis can be very meaningful for students. Sometimes, it's just that little bit of encouragement that makes a difference, and the support creates a greater desire to do better. Barry Westling

Andrea, Right. Feedback is essential, and the sooner the better so as to provide ample time for students to make corrections. Barry Westling

Andrea, One of the benefits of pretesting is to identify where students are performing in relationship to where we hope they would be. If many are weak in one or more areas, that can be helpful to determine beforehand in order to make needed adjustments in the curriculum. Barry Westling

Andrea, Great way to integrate senses and variety into your lessons. Barry Westling

Manuel, Great. The value of careful choosing what way students will learn best is vital. Barry Westling

Andrea, Absolutely. Instruction will run smoother and students will notice the confidence exhibited by their instructor. Students want and expect direction and clear expectations from their instructor, and that's not likely to occur without adequate preparation. Barry Westling

Jennifer, Good points. I've found that a pretest is more accurate than if I ask the class to raise their hands to questions like, "how many are familiar or comfortable with [topic]?" Barry Westling

Andrea, Students get distracted for many reasons, and as you say, it could be one, or the whole class. Your ideas are great. I believe the instructor should be in command of their class. If one or two students need refocusing, I'll usually politely ask for their attention out loud. Then, as I return to the lesson, I'll ask a question about the topic, and give the student verbal praise, such as "perfect!, or exactly! or that's right!" Positive reinforcement of the behavior is effective. If it persists, a chat with the student(s) may be in order. Barry Westling