Barry Westling

MALCOLM, This sounds great. I always want to make sure what I'm measuring (via grade components) is accurate. Sometimes, too easy or convenient for the instructor grade wise is not the best grading system to measure the student learning that has occurred. Barry Westling

MALCOLM, I think it's important that we as instructors present ourselves as genuine, authentic versions of ourselves, rather than an artificial version of someone else. Students detect subtle things about instructors, and to create trust and credibility, being natural works well. Barry Westling

B. A., Good point, and I'd have to agree. Quality is an attribute that isn't always easy to measure, but certainly there are traits that usually accompany this dynamic. Barry Westling

B. A., These factors are a reality. Students will nearly always remember interesting fieldtrips, especially when they are significantly related to their course of study. I toured a manufacturing plant of one of the instruments used in my profession in 1972, and that memory is still with me 40+ years later, and I'll occasionally refer to an aspect of that visit in class. Barry Westling

B. A., How wonderful! I have observed that field trips can very memorable, and when they tie in directly with the course topic or focus of the program, that's just all the better. It's really amazing what an individual can be trained to observe, if they have a knowledgeable eye. Barry Westling

Stella, Great! Early intervention and information provides the best opportunity for students to make progress. Even if the news is less than wonderful, I believe students appreciate the time and effort an instructor is willing to provide to their students. And when students feel their instructor is wanting to see achievement and success, this helps build trust, credibility, and respect. Barry Westling

Stella, Having students present before you do is a great idea. Like course objectives, a pretest is just a way to get of sense about how much students have already mastered the key concepts. For instance, say there were 10 primary objectives and through pretesting, an instructor learns the students have previously mastered 8 of the 10. That would provide an opportunity to spend more time on the remaining 8 topics (this is just an example for illustration). Barry Westling

Stella, In a word, I think of student-centered as relating to each student individually. That often requires I modify my planned curriculum, and I know some instructors would prefer not to do that. I would rationalize that if we are looking at outcomes, then methods become less important. Barry Westling

Graham, Students do pick up on cues from their instructor regarding what is acceptable or unacceptable behavior. I have several carpeted classrooms that are very nice, very comfortable. Only bottled water is allowed in these classrooms. To some students, not having an open (or closed) cup of coffee at their table is a foreign idea, so I'll reinforce the classroom rule by taking a sip of water and saying something like, "Boy, a cup of coffee would sure be nice but like you guys, I have to follow the rules too". Barry Westling

Martin, Using a sports metaphor, it's sort of like a coach, focusing not so much on the errors, but providing support, encouragement, and advice on how to make sustained progress. Barry Westling